Kuala Selangor - Sekinchan Ride

An obligation to a request..
I received a phonecall a week ago.
On the other end of the line, was a beginner folding bicycle cyclist.
She wanted to ride in Sekinchan.
Well, for starters, many cyclists have been there to cycle. You can either do the paddy fields or the Bagan (fishermen's village).
Then Andrew Ng contacted me to plan a route.
I had the weekend off and Saturday was my off day.
So, I told him that I could assist in the ride.
He asked if I could also lead. I obliged.
I gave the route: Kuala Selangor via Jalan Ara near Kg Sungai Yu and towards Tanjung Karang and a detour via Bagan Tengkorak and Sungai Burung.
For the safety of the bunch, I avoided using Highway 5 that links Klang to Teluk Intan.


It goes around and around..
Social media feeds are very powerful. 
Once you announce to the entire realm, all sorts of responses would be made.
And word landed at my workplace. 
I asked one of co-workers if he's going. It was 50-50.
Other people in my office viewed him as a cycling guru. He offered a route in the kampung roads, I asked if he could co-lead, no commitment on his part. Its all jibba-jabba.
"You rode in Sekinchan before ah?" 
I told him that I have cycled from Kuala Selangor to Teluk Intan via Highway 5. After that, no more responses. 
The tough part was to design a route which is scenic, not boring to ride and away from the busy Saturday traffic. 
And as far as the stretch along the West Coast is concerned, we've done from Tg Piai to Teluk Intan. I am still connecting the dot as I am speaking.


Ride day
Pre-event day, I made sure that the cyclists are supplied with bananas (a source of potassium and energy). I invested a small sum of money to procure 5kgs of bananas. All these, I gave away for free. 
There were some leftover tire patches that was also given away.
Down at the pre-ride briefing, I told the cyclists on what to expect.
There were many new faces. Some folks, I had cycled with them before on one or more occasions. 
The final head-count was 40 cyclists. Two more had made prior arrangements to link-up in Tanjung Karang.
We rode off at 7:45am towards Sungai Yu. 
This was a short distance from Kuala Selangor as the morning sun rose beyond the horizon.

The group in Kuala Selangor

A short detour
As the ride leader, I maintained a speed of 20km/h. 
But with cyclists who had different levels of fitness, the bunch started to break. 
Stronger riders are able to keep up while the average one would form the middle pack and the weakest would fall way back.
To keep things in tow, I handed Andrew Ng who volunteered as a sweeper.
Now, in a large group, sweeping is no easy task. But Ng managed very well.
We also lucky to have a Doctor and some experienced riders to form the middle pack.
Right after exiting Sungai Yu, we entered Bagan Tengkorak.
With plenty of time on hand, I led the bunch to a offroad section, where we cycled on a bund and  returned back to the village.
Sekinchan is only a short distance away from Bagan Tengkorak.
Sungai Burung was next as I led them towards Kampung Parit Empat.
We reached Sekinchan around 10:50am, there were ample time to ride to the Beach area.
This is to give the cyclists a feel of what its like riding in an open range.
By 11:15am, the group were already at the beach area and had a break before lunch.

A photo session at the beach..

Timing is essential
Right after the session at the beach, it was time to get filled.
Lunch was in order.
We rode back to the Bagan and circled around. 
I had failed to locate a makan place where the boats are built.
Then I decided that it was best to take our meals at a place recommended by Mr Khaw Lye Hock, a veteran rider whom I met in a couple of rides.
Khaw had suggested Cha Por Thian restaurant.
We were good to go on that.
While seated, the radio crackled. 
Our sweeper had lost his way.
Instead of eating at the suggested place, a group had cycled across Highway 5 to Sekinchan town.
Later, they re-grouped and were the last to eat.
I had a good time with the veterans. 
We had beers and a decent meal and to top it up, great company.

The beer kakis!

The journey back..
One big thing that was lingering in my mind was the safety and well-being of the group.
There were 40 of us. I think a few who had indicated that they would join in the ride were no-show at Kuala Selangor.
My plan was simple: get them across to Sekinchan and ride towards Tg Karang using the canal roads.
Now, the sun was directly above my head.
It was about 1:45pm and I don't think many took the liking to the scorching heat.
Nevertheless, a decision was made. I convened with the ride organizer to voice this out in which he agreed.
Right after lunch, a group of six decided to leave.
They knew the route, and I told them to get the okay from the event organizer before leaving.
Take away six, we had 34 people.
Still, a large group to be accounted for.
We began the ride on the paddy fields and every five kilometers, I signaled for a break.
The heat had taken toll on many.
One of them was my colleague Eddie.
He seemed pretty weak with all his energy sapped from exhaustion.
I told him that the furthest he could go was Tg Karang.
When we reached the halfway mark, one of the guys, a cycling guru came and asked if I could lead the group to ride "under the shade".
I told him that if he knew what was best for the benefit of all, he should take lead.
I was ready to relinquish the leadership to him.
That didn't happen, so, I continued to ride towards Tg Karang.
With the intricate maze of inner canal roads, I relied heavily on my Garmin EDGE800 GPS.
It showed the way and all the nasty turns along the route.
I remember part of the journey very well after riding Tg Karang - Sg Besar with TT Siang two years ago.
The last part was tricky because of the turn. Make a wrong move and you would wind up in Sekinchan.
My worst fear was apparent when the sweeper said he was lost.
Even the middle bunch were late.
When I was closing-in to Tg Karang, a rider came up and showed his displeasure.
"You all ride so slow la! I am falling asleep.."
While the rest were taking a break at a mamak restaurant, I can clearly see the guy protesting with his head on his arms. 
Way I see it, its bad to throw tantrums especially in front of novice cyclists. But hey! What am I supposed to say? 
I decided to head back to the junction and re-trace the last bunch and right there before my eyes, the middle bunch appeared.
Slowly, they moved forward and I was told that one of the cyclist had taken a fall.
He had abrasions on his nose and upper lip.
Thankfully, our resident expedition doctor was in the house.
I took out my first aid kit and let the medical expert do his job.
Finally, word from the sweeper was he found a way back.
The old-timer who was grumbling had also taken off. I guess we were 'too slow' for his liking.
Eddie had also decided to call it a day by offering to drive the wounded cyclist back to the starting point.
We were reduced by three people.


The final push
We had another 16km to go.
At this point in time, I had to push for an average speed between 20 - 23km/h.
I knew that with every bit of energy left on my body, I would be able to maintain the average moving speed of 17km/h.
We must get back to Kuala Selangor before 05:30pm.
While pulling the rest, we did good time and took a break at a Cendul stall some 6km from Kuala Selangor. 
There, we linked-up again with the sweeper.
Two more cyclists had dropped out from the group.
I was told that they wanted to take the scenic route.
After savouring the tasty iced dessert, we rode the final stretch and reached the finish line in time.
I wasted no time in packing the bike and thanked the organizer for doing a good job.
After saying good bye to the rest, we made our way home.
In total, it was 69km ride with the hottest temperature recorded at 39C.
As far as my obligation was concerned, everyone arrived back safely. And that made my day...

RAM Radio Mount for bicycles

Mission-ready mount

I was doing some research for a radio mount which could be fitted on my bike.

Everything else was a dead-end until I came across RAM equipment's mount.

These guys are well-known for making equipment mounts for vehicles and motorcycles.

My break came when a cycling kaki Mr Chew had indicated that he knew of someone who imports the gear into Malaysia. 

This saved me ample time and money on shipping.

The radio sitting snugly on the RAM mount

Fitting

Its really easy to assemble the mount.

All you need to do, is to get the clamps of the correct length and bolt it down.

My first attempt was not practical as the clamps were gripping the radio's PTT button.

I made some minor adjustments and managed to get it in place.

The long clamp arms also became a suitable place to fit the speaker mike.

All there's left to do, is to get a pair of large cable ties to secure the radio mount on my bike's handlebar.

Cockpit view of the Dahon Jetstream EX with its Comm and Navigational tools

Road trial

The first time my radio mount was put to trial, it passed with flying colours.

It sat securely on my Minoura Space Bar and the Biologic Air Horn trigger became the perfect rest for the foot of the mount.

Not even the knocks and bump would dislodge the radio on its mount.

And on a ride from Kuala Selangor to Sekinchan, everything worked out as planned.

I can see the RAM mount serving me well on my trips..

Hulu Langat 15

Fourth series in a month...
Michelle had to travel and couldn't make it to the Hulu Langat training ride.
It was my 15th ride in the area and fourth so far. 
We are training for the CFAL4 ride in Penang and the purpose of the ride is to build our strength and stamina.
In this case, Hulu Langat yields plenty for those who intend to do lots of climbing.

At the starting point

  Following the basic bike recovery workshop on Saturday, I've made arrangements with a couple of foldies to ride up the Genting Peras checkpoint, a straight 10km climb.
Back in the days when we first started, I used to struggle on the 7% gradient slopes.
Michelle made it once with her Dahon Curve D3.

Nostalgia: Our first ride up the Genting Peras

 With the ride plan firmly in place, I drove to the meeting point. By the time I got there, the foldies were ready to roll.
To my surprise, I found my Garmin EDGE800's cadence sensor magnet missing. So, I switched the display on the GPS to gradient.
I rode off from Pekan Bt 18 at 07:30am sharp. It took me about 38-minutes to reach the Kuala Kelawang - Semenyih junction. A little slow, but I made it through 'Dead Man's Climb'.
And this time round, we didn't stop at the farmhouse, instead, we climbed the last 800metres with almost 8% gradient.
Everyone in the group made it for a photoshoot at the junction before we proceeded to climb the Genting Peras.

The notorious "Dead man's climb"

A date with Captain Crunch!
From the junction, its a straight-forward 10km climb.
And with the Dahon Jetstream EX, I have a wide-range of gears to utilise and the goal is to keep it at mid - low setting.
When I took off, the rear bunch had overtaken me, leaving Christopher Lee and Roger Teoh in my pack.
Slowly, we spun our crank and climbed the 10k hill.
This time round, I didn't stop.
And as I crunched my gears, I came up to the last 800metres before the Genting Peras peak.
The bunch were waiting at a spring water pool and as I slowly cranked my pedal, they applauded. 
I pointed to them the way right up to the top and as I worked on the last few yards to the finish line, I felt a sense of achievement. This is my second trip to the Peras in a month and I managed to do it!

The Mongol and his stout iron horse rides again!

The foldies at Genting Peras

 An accident..
I made my way down the Peras right onto the junction and back to Pekan Bt 18. 
It rained, but we missed the big one. The road was filled with puddles of water and descending down the slope can be dangerous.
When I got to the carpark, Johnny Ng, who led his own Dash P18 club members came by to tell me that DuuChee Ong had a fall.
Later, I met Ong who told me that he had tried to avoid a pothole and fell doing so. 
He busted his shoulder and had some abrasions on his fingers.
Seeing as it is, Ong was in a good shape and a cheerful mood. I rode with him from Genting Sempah to Bentong last year and he's one of the nicest foldie I've ever met.
When bad things happen to good people, we do our part to help.
Andrew Ng and his wife Hui Min provided First-aid to Ong during the ride and these guys should be commended for being responsible...
Well, post-ride, Ong said he might need surgery for his fractured shoulder blade.
The good thing was this: He's okay and doesn't need it.
What kinda irritated me a bit was the fact that after posting the situation report on Facebook, some gurus had offered the: "It should be done like this and that, it could be handled better" advise. The thing was this:  they weren't there.

Ong, being cared for by his fellow foldies

 In my opinion, the matter was handled professionally. Ong had wanted to ride back despite his wounds. I respect his sheer determination. Based on what I saw, the injuries were not serious. He is now resting at home after being discharged from the SJMC in Subang Jaya.
As for the rest of the day, I had to get back to work, but in the mean time, I had rustled up the foldie gang for lunch at beer garden in the 14th mile...

To more rides!

Sometimes, I take things for granted...

That noisy bird!
There was a loud squawk and high up in the sky, I noticed a Cockatoo making an approach.
It landed on a tree branch and perched there.
The first thing that came to mind was: "Aiya, who's escaped pet is this???"
I took aim and snapped a few shots of the bird.
My flash went off and I also snapped a couple of shots with available light. The Cockatoo was perched and it went on squawking. You can hear it singing from miles away.

The Yellow-crested Cockatoo

The best I could capture: cropped with some lighting adjustments

 An uncommon bird
Later, I made reference to this bird through Allen Jeyarajasingam's book: Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. 
It turned out that the Yellow-crested Cockatoo is our native bird. Its population is on the decline and seeing as it is, I felt really privileged to have captured it on my camera.  
And best of all, this bird was found outside my house! 

An unexpected find..

A bird of prey that blends well with its environment..
It was a normal routine. Walk the dogs and get them worked out and at the same time, get some exercise.
My home has a simple 1.5km loop which is ideal for walking the dogs. By the time they get home, the kids would be zonked.
So, there I was, walking the Huskies and when I passed this heavily foliaged area, I noticed the outline of a large bird. 
It was perched on a branch, and the lighting conditions were extremely horrible.
Right up there in the backlight (about 50metres in distance) I noticed a raptor.
The first thing I did, was to bring the kids back, then mount on my Canon EF400mm F5.6L lens onto my full-frame Canon EOS5DmkIII body.
I also hauled along my EX430 flash gun and a 1.4x teleconverter.
This is one shot that I wouldn't want to miss.

Majestic raptor: The Crested Serpent Eagle

 There couldn't have been a better moment. 
When I got back to the spot, the raptor was still perched on the tree.
I capped off a few shots with my flash as a fill-in light.
The odds were stacking as I utilized my camera's aperture priority settings.
I knew that by stepping down the flash synch to 1/125, I would get a decent fill light.
But, with only manual focusing on hand with the 1.4x teleconverter mounted, I had a good chance of scoring a decent shot which is in focus and nail the extra details.
When I tried to move in closer, the eagle dismounted and flew off.
I had eight frames captured and had to contend with the results.
Next, I worked on the post-processing on the Adobe Lightroom 4.
The results was satisfying.
Although it could be better, that was the best I can do.
The Crested Serpent Eagle is number two on my record after capturing the Black-winged Kite in Sekinchan two weeks ago.
 

Basic Bike Recovery Workshop

A request..
Sometime back, a couple of newcomers had requested for an informal training session where they can learn on how to recover their bikes after a puncture.
Lately, there are a lot of beginners on the scene who are totally new to bicycling. Most don't even know how to inspect their tire in case of a puncture.
I met a father-and-son team in Putrajaya last month. The elder guy, Mr Fong had requested for a basic workshop which I obliged.
I didn't expect a lot of people to attend as it is really basic.
So, after announcing it on the Malaysian Foldies Forums and on its Facebook page, the response was encouraging.
I also a received a box of tire levers and patch kit from the generous Joshua Leong of Conticomponents in Singapore for the purpose of conducting training.
Danny Teo of Schwalbe Malaysia (under Le Run Industries) whom I had formed a really good professional working relationship had agreed to offer a 10% discount voucher for those who attend the workshop.

Explaining on how to remove the tire from its rim to an attentive student (pix by Sin Tai Lim) during the workshop

 I picked Desa Park City in Kepong as the venue for the event. 
Its a nice place to cycle - especially for beginners and I had designed it to be a two-hour session - one hour of cycling 10.5km around the neighbourhood and a 30-minute workshop, plus another 20 minute of product briefing by Schwalbe.
This is the first time I had conducted a basic workshop and there is much to be desired about improvement.
But I was very lucky in the sense that most of the attendees were cooperative. There were some seasoned cyclists in the midst who also provided their expertise, which made the sessions even smoother.
Mid-way into the session, some foreign security guards were getting restless. We ended the session as scheduled and proceeded to the Schwalbe product introduction over tea.

Addressing the crowd

We sat down and talked a bit, then, one of the Desa Park City management guy came by.
He asked if we were residents, which we were not.
I complemented him on the facilities and told him that his security guards were overzealous. 
In this case, its the same everywhere when it comes to bicyclists in shopping malls and public areas. 
Now to nail it in the head, the guy ate his breakfast and drank his coffee without paying! We had a mouthful from a Malay girl who handled the bill.
To sum it up, we've had a successful outing, the only thing is that from the harassment from the security guards, we won't be holding anymore workshops in Desa Park City.

Black-winged Kite

My first raptor
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a Brahminy Kite in Kuala Selangor.
It was soaring high up above the sky and there was nothing I could do to score a decent shot of the bird of prey.
While driving around the Sekinchan rice fields, I saw the outline of a bird.
"Ah! That's nothing la!," said Michelle, my wife.
I got down of the car and trained my EF400mm F5.6L lens which was mounted with a 1.4x teleconverter on the object.
It turned out to be a bird of prey perched high on top of the treeline.
I began to focus and slowly, the shape took form of a Black-winged kite.

On final approach: the pair of kites on a tree top

Before I could fully depress my shutter button, another kite swooped down from the sky and started mounting the bird that was resting on the branch.
With a burst of shots and by lightly moving the focusing ring, I managed to get a few clean shots.
Even at 860mm (400mm x 1.4x + 1.6x crop body), I was barely managing it.
The kites were mating and it was the most satisfying 10-minutes of my outing in Sekinchan.
I captured the moment and was very happy with the results.
Lighting conditions at the time was really challenging.

Gallery

 

Sekinchan has plenty to offer for the first-time birder.
There are Kingfishers at the canals and the Kites had proven to be an attraction.
I might try 'Cyclobirding' with an overnight stay in Sekinchan town. There are species of birds to capture in the area.

Hulu Langat 14

Riding up the Dam
The 34km roundtrip ride from Pekan Bt18 in Hulu Langat, Selangor is designed for newcomers to get a feel what its like riding in undulating terrain.
Its a decent climb from the Semenyih/Kuala Kelawang junction and a smooth downhill roll towards the Hulu Langat Dam.
This is also one of the best and most scenic ride in the area.
Michelle and I drove off from our home in USJ26, Subang Jaya to the police station in Bt18.
We made arrangements with Johnny Ng from My Bicycle Shop to meet there and ride off to the Dam.
Prior to this, another group was also riding in the area.

The foldie gang at Pekan Bt 18

We found a group already waiting at the carpark and to my surprise, I met Fernando Gallardo, a folding bike kaki who owns a 2008 Dahon Speed P8.
There aren't many of these around here and Fernando is one of them.
We met up two years ago at the Putrajaya Night Ride.
His blog had inspired me to go bikepacking and touring. For the record, Fernando's adventures on a folding bike had opened doors to endless possibilities.
After a brief wait for the foldies to assemble, we rode off to the junction.
For the seasoned rider, a typical ride to the 11.2km mark would usually take less than 40-minutes.
For the beginners, I decided to re-group at a farm house just meters away from the infamous "Dead Man's Climb".
One-by-one, the cyclists arrived.
Fernando was with his buddy Mike Sumallo whom I've met at Andrew Ng's "Durian Runtuh" ride last month.

Pack riding: the foldies in action...

Reaching the end of the line

Foldies RULZ!!!

While waiting for the rest to re-group at the junction, I noticed that a few fellas were struggling to climb the steep slope.
Two cyclists had to get down and push their bikes. The more seasoned riders took it with their stride and did pretty well.
From the junction, we continued to the Dam.
Basically, it was a short climb and a 6km roll towards a scenic part of the Dam.
We waited for the rest and re-grouped before riding back to Pekan Bt 18.
Two years ago when I started training at Hulu Langat, I found it rather tough.
But today, its pretty okay.
The course is a good place for beginners to train their speed and cadence.
Next week, I hope to return to Genting Perez for more hill training...

Garmin's new GPS watch

The Garmin Fenix will be available in the third quater this year.
Its a nice break from the normal Suunto stuff that you get off the shelves which are typically expensive.

 The Fenix carries a retail price of USD$399.00 (RM1.3k) and has an impressive battery life of 6 weeks (50hrs with GPS enabled).
What I like about this watch is the simple user interface. But much is known about the full-potential about the watch till it hits our shores..
Rather than getting the Garmin Forerunner 910, this is more suited for my kind of activities..

White-throated Kingfisher

A weekend escape
One of the best thing to do on a Saturday is to go on an excursion. 
My mission is to head to Sekinchan, Selangor's Rice Bowl where birds are almost guaranteed.
So, Michelle and I had set out on a road trip via the LATAR highway that connects from our home to Kuala Selangor.
We had lunch in Pasir Penambang before setting out to explore villages like Bagan Pasir and Bagan Tengkorak.
By mid-day, we reached the Sekinchan paddy fields.
I took out my gear and started looking for birds..

The action in Sekinchan

I had my Canon EOS7D rigged with the EF400mm F5.6L and a 1.4x teleconverter. This voids the auto focus feature on the lens and everything had to be done manually.
At the beginning of my quest, I had no luck at all...

The game-changer
Michelle took the wheels at at the fringe of Sekinchan A village, she spotted a Kingfisher.
I took out my camera and started snapping away and managed to squeeze a couple of decent shots.
On the whole, I was really happy with the results.

Gallery

Hulu Langat Series 13

Getting back in shape
Michelle and I had decided that its best to get our muscles conditioned for the CFAL4 ride in Penang which is going to happen in two month's time.
Our choice training ground is Hulu Langat's Pekan Bt 18 where we ride a course of 10km along a stretch of undulating terrain right up to the Kuala Kelawang and Semenyih junction.

The Dahon Jetstream P8 is ready for action

We began the ride with our friend Mohd Radzi who was a first-timer in this course. The task was to ride up the junction at km10 and decide if we want to climb the Genting Perez.
When we parked, there was a group of 10 people from another folding bike group. I met a few of them two weeks earlier.
At 7:45am sharp, we set out to the first checkpoint. The ride was smooth as we all made it to the 'Dead man's climb' under 40-minutes.

"Dead man's climb"

 A decision
I told Michelle that we ride up to an Orang Asli kampung about 5km from the Kuala Kelawang - Semenyih junction.
At this point, everyone was upbeat. There were only three of us during the training ride and after a 10-minute rest, we started climbing.
And when we reached the kampung, I decided to push further towards Genting Perez.
Michelle reminded me that I had to work. But I seized the opportunity to complete the ride. Its been a while since we rode this course and its also the first time we did it on our Jetstreams.
From the junction, it was a straight climb. Half-way doing so, I nearly ran over a Scorpion.
Having seen that it was trying to cross the road, I picked it up and set it free on the foliage.
We carried on and reached the state border before heading back to Pekan Bt 18.

The dangerous critter..

At the Negeri Sembilan side of the border

 It took us more than two hours to complete the 40km ride. I felt a sense of achievement for climbing 10km without straining myself.
The workout was superb as I started my day at the office with loads of work to sort out. This weekend, we will be training again at Hulu Langat...

Tough choices

The expanding gear
I  made plans to increase my range of lenses to include super telephoto and a full-frame body.
Purpose? Well, if I can't score a decent bird shot, I can switch to macro.
This means hauling two D-SLR camera bodies and a shitload of equipment.
For the past two years, I've been very comfortable with my Clik Elite Probody sport. This is a compact backpack with enough room to lug my EOS7D with at least three lenses, two macro flashes and some extra room for batteries, CF cards and cleaning tools.

The Clik Elite Probody sport

 As far as performance is concerned, the Clik Elite Probody had lived up to its expectations. 
But, having said that, I can only carry one camera body.
Two cameras with a compact as back-up would be stretching it too thin.
I tried this with my EOS7D and EOS5DmkIII with a 400mm F.6L and the MPE-65 and MT24EX twin flash. The bag was already overloaded.

Other brands
An acquaintance of mine recommended the F-stop gear adventure camera backpacks. 
From the pictures, they looked great. 
I narrowed down my search to an F-Stop gear Loka. This seems to be the right choice. It also carries a pricetag of RM1.1k a pop. 
But upon close examination, I found the pack to be overpriced. On top of that, the guy who brings them in also requested a write-up and long-term review. I don't think he is gonna get my business. 
For starters, the Loka is made from a thin nylon fabric and its overall fit, finish and quality is quite inferior. 
I used the Clik Elite Probody Sport as a benchmark in this case. But on protection, the F-stop gear is indisputable. It has a padded insert that takes all the knocks and bumps. 
But this made it really bulky. 
Again, my concern is the high start-up cost. Having seen the bags for the second time, I was not impressed at all.

F-stop gear Loka

 Back to square one..
Rather than getting burned, I shifted my choice back to what Clik Elite has to offier. They have a new distributor now and since I've had some really good experience with the Probody Sport, I need something bigger and the choices has been narrowed down to the Venture 35 or Hiker. I hope to get a back that is big enough to lug my bug and birding gear for at least three days in the wilderness...

Clik Elite's Hiker, a big bag for extended missions...

 Here's hoping to score one.. 
I contacted the sales guy from Clik Elite's distributor here. Seems that its an old-timer who don't really care much about his trade.
It's been three weeks since my last phonecall and I reminded him again today which he asked for a second-chance. So, let's see how it goes..  

PIPR 17

Putrajaya revisited
We've skipped a few Putrajaya Interparks Ride and due to work commitment, the timing just wasn't right.
Well, having said that, Michelle and I had looked forward to riding at the 17th edition of the Interparks ride.

At the Floria Carnival site

  Where it all began..
The PIPR series was the first social rides we ever did.
Thanks to our friend Wey Pang who introduced us to the event, we met many friends.
And through the meet-ups, some became our regular cycling kakis.
Of course, that was a few years ago and having seen how vastly the community has grown, its no surprise to see so many new folding bike cyclists at the event.

Old and new: Friends from across the timeline

Father and son team: KK Fong and his boy

Ye olde faithful: Michelle and the Curve D3

 Riding down memory lane.. 
At the registration counter, I met a few new cycling kakis..
One of them was Mr Fong who brought along his son for the ride.
The Taman Melawati resident in Jalan Hulu Kelang was riding a red Dahon Speed P8 while his son rode a red MuP8.
There were a lot of new faces on their foldies during the ride..

Losing steam
The Interparks ride was not as lavish as before.
I guess the organizers were on a tight budget. In the past, we used to get meals and refreshment breaks. 
That said, I don't think we've missed out much. So, having seen its present state, I guess Michelle and I would not ride every month, but instead, pick a random sequence in the series..