Friday, January 20, 2012

Rogue Ride - projek Bagan Lalang, part 4

The point of no return
I reached Bagan Lalang at 06:00pm.
It was getting late and the usual thing to do, is to get a snapshot.
The Olympus EP-3 is not as compact as my G12. I can't figure out this camera especially its exposure lock button.
Most of the shots I had set up earlier had turned out underexposed.


Bagan Lalang at last!
By the time I cycled out of Bagan Lalang, the sun was setting fast.
I found a stall and set up my Sigma Powerled Black lights.
For the journey home, I knew that I would be riding in the dark.
A million things can go wrong.


Riding into the abyss..
When you are all alone, cycling down a dark road, its important to remain and stay focused.
Beyond 100km, your mind would begin to deteriorate. 
Fatigue, sore muscles, busted seat bones, these are as real as it gets.
I covered the 16km void towards Tg Sepat and stopped at a Petrol station.
The plan was simple, if I couldn't continue, I will hop onto a truck and head towards Klang.
Or better still, Banting where hired car services are aplenty.
I was ready to fork out a heavy sum to transport the Jetstream back to USJ 26.
While I was cycling, my motivation was a hot plate of char koay teow in Banting.
And there, with the pain setting in on my butt, I slowly cycled towards Morib.
The Sigma lights were even brighter than any motorcycle headlight that zipped past me.
I knew that at this point in time, if anything should happen, like a burst tire or mechanical problem, its gonna be hard.
With char koay teow as my motivation, I slowly cycled towards Banting...



My dinner
The mid-way point: Banting
Char Koay Teow for the soul..
Slowly,but surely, I reached Banting.
I made my way to Jipun Char Koay Teow and found them closing up.
Having seen that, I wasn't disappointed. 
I made my way towards a hawker centre and found 'Banting Char Koay Teow'.
Without hesitation, I placed an order for a plate of fried noodles.
It was Heaven on Earth as I savoured my dinner. It made my day as I prepare for the final push towards home.
The next thing that came to mind after a hearty meal, was climbing the Banting bridge.
I made my way up and rolled down towards Jenjarom.
There were several 'Death Zones' in this area and after cycling for 166km, I reached a Shell petrol station in this town and took a break.


The final push..
I spent more than 8 hours on the road, mostly cycling with very few stops.
After Jenjarom, there's Teluk Panglima Garang and Sijangkang before hitting the KESAS motorcycle lane.
This is a ride in the dark. And there's about 35km or more to cover.
With each crank on the pedal, I slowly rode past the small towns. 
Everything had worked as planned.
And as I rode past Sijangkang, I was relieved to know that the home-stretch is getting nearer..
With every bit of strength on my body, I rode up the ramp towards the bike lane and rolled down.
The KESAS motorcycle lane was dark. 
After two hours of burn-time, the Sigmas didn't show any signs of wear on its low setting.
This helped me work my way towards the Puchong junction.
After cycling for nearly 17km, I made a turn towards the Proton car factory.
There, I rested at a bus stop.
Home is on my mind and I am nearing the completion of my ride...
For one final break, I mounted and slowly pedaled my way towards the end of the LPD highway.
At this point, despite the padded shorts, my butt was really getting sore.
As I slowly made my way, the Putra Heights signboard was within sight.
I decided to snap some photos there before climbing the ramp towards USJ 26.
I rolled towards the guardhouse and made it home. My dogs were waiting. 
I checked my Garmin EDGE800 cycling GPS. 
It clocked-in about 194.1km. 
I was short of 6km in achieving my first double-century ride.
It didn't matter to me at all as I have successfully completed the ride. Another attempt is in place, but that would have to wait. I need to train harder.


Mission accomplished!

Total mileage clocked

The route
Summary
If you ever plan to ride 200km in a day, better plan it well.
Timing is essential and if you can find a ride buddy, it will be much easier.
When it comes to solo-riding, one has to be able to take on the stress of doing things alone.
I was lucky as there were no untoward incidents along the way.
My mistake was timing. 
I rode later in the morning. By right, I should have started at 6am, taking advantage of the cooler morning.
The bike too was in a bad shape. Having experienced this, well, I guess that in the next attempt, I would be riding my Speed P8 instead.