Back to training..

Riding along with a group of roadies in formation

Michelle and I had pretty much drawn-in the conclusion that we need to be consistant in our training rides in order to tour places like Chiangmai and Cambodia in the near future.
There are two aspects in which we are most interested in pursuing.
One is strength - we find training in Hulu Langat pretty useful as the hills there are not easy to tame.
The other is endurance - this we would find in Tg Karang - Sg Besar.
Last Sunday, we did a 'quick' ride in Hulu Langat - covering a distance of 11.6km in 39minutes.
We managed to trim 5 minutes from our usual timing with an average speed of 21km/h.
Our folding bikes are limited in terms of speed as the Schwalbe Big Apple tires are really sluggish on tarred roads.
The best we could do was 22km/h at a consistant cadence of 80rpm/hour.
Rather than taking a rest at a farmhouse some 800metres away from the Kuala Kelawang - Semenyih junction, we headed straight for the top of the hill.
Maintaining speed, momentum and energy became the main concern in this stage as the last 200metres was a sheer struggle, but Michelle and I made it.
We felt that we could do better by reducing the travel time by another 5minutes.
On Sunday, there are more and more cyclists on the road. Some are familiar faces with their high-end road bikes.
While cycling back to Nam Wah coffee shop where we have our breakfast, a pair of hybrid cyclists overtook us.
From the looks, these guys are also there for the training stint. There was a young guy and an elderly man on their hybrids.
One of them pulled alongside, gave us a dirty look and sped off.
We later caught up with them and Michelle gave them a ride of their life on her Dahon Speed TR.
At Nam Wah coffee shop, the same guys were having breakfast. They couldn't believe their eyes that a small 20" bike can go the length and distance as their hybrids.
Way I see it, the future is set with our Dahons.