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!