Kayuhan Raub 2011 - Part 2

Early risers..
The alarm rang at 05:00am.
I checked what I was carrying on my Ortlieb hip pack and was very concscious of the weight that I am lugging.
Since our bikes were already set-up, all there's left to do, is to pack the riding gear, recovery kit and enough water and light food.
We were about to experience 62km of Raub's finest cycling track.
So, after locking up our rooms, we rode into town.
The first order of the day, was to find food.
This wan't hard because we've located a corner coffee shop in Raub's pasar minggu.
There, we had Nasi Lemak, which is enough fuel for the ride.

Getting ready to leave the hotel...

Nasi Lemak for the soul...

Meeting some old friends...
We were pretty early at the event ground and met some old friends from KL and Bentong.
First, was a lady whom we rode with earlier from Bentong to Hutan Lipur Lentang.
She rode her Dahon Matrix folding bike while the rest of her gang were on their road bikes.
Next, was a bunch of cyclists we met during the Hari Raya/Merdeka ride. 
One of the ladies were quite friendly. Another lady that was with her was rather stuck-up.
While waiting for the ride to be flagged off, we listened to the organizer's briefing.
These guys did a great job by ensuring that the cyclists were well-informed..


Off we go!
After the air horn was blared by an official from the Pahang Cycling Association, we made our way towards town.
It was a loop-ride and the first section led us to Pintu Padang.

Team Jetstream

Michelle, entertaining a group of curious boys...

Who says Raub is flat?
There were roughly about 150 cyclists in this event.
The number was manageable and as the first pack broke away, the middle flock was moving slowly climbing a slope at Pintu Padang. This section of the ride claimed its first casualties. 
I saw a guy riding a Strida folding bike on the ground. His partner turned back for him and that was the last I saw him.
At this point the ride, my Jetstream EX's SRAM Dual-Drive II was holding up. I was able to crunch the lowest gear at a 10% gradient climb.
It was slow, but surely, I made it to the top. Michelle was already waiting...
By the time I caught up with my wife, we made our way towards Ulu Gali and Kg Jelu. 
At this point, nearly 40% of the cyclists had dropped out.