Training, training, training..

Getting soft..
Michelle and I had managed to get a place at the CFAL4 ride in Penang this coming September.
Now, that said, the climb to Balik Pulau and Titi Krawang is a feat that one could only achieve with the proper training.
So, we decided to ride in Hulu Langat Bt 18 in Selangor again to get our long-distance legs going.
The course is a straight forward 82km loop around Penang island.

True grit: Michelle and her three-speed Dahon on Dead Man's Climb

 Back to basics
I made arrangements with Starmetro Cycling Team captain Kevin Tan who dragged along our Assistant Chief Photographer Glenn Guan to cycle at Pekan Bt 18.
The plan was to cycle down the Semenyih Dam and back.
But when we pushed off from the starting point, Michelle said her front tire developed some problems.
It swelled up and was wobbling.
She asked for the car keys and rode back to the Police station where we parked.
Kevin, Glenn and I continued.
I also met Mr Sam Choy's group of foldies at Pekan Bt 18 and there were about 10 of them who were cycling to Pekan Titi in Negeri Sembilan.

Made it! At the junction

 The Curves needs its service..
We left our small Dahons idle and it was collecting dust and Husky fur.
Michelle's Dahon Curve D3 had a front tire blowout sometime back. I fixed the problem by replacing its damaged inner tube.
That obviously didn't help as she had to ride her injured little red bike to the starting point.
While she was at it, I rode behind Kevin and Glenn.
We reached the farmhouse and just ahead of it: 'Dead Man's Climb'.
I remember this clearly as an elderly man died while cycling the last 800 metres to reach the Kuala Klawang - Semenyih junction.
This place has changed a lot. 
There's a communication tower that enables Celcom users to get a clear signal.
I gave Michelle a ring to tell her on where to meet when we ride back.
Kevin, who rode his Tern Verge X20 for the first time, said he wanted more climbing action and proceeded to the 10km uphill ride.
I waited there and while I was at it, a pick-up truck pulled over.
The driver got down to set up a support base for their cyclist.
Minutes later, Michelle was making her way up Dead Man's Climb.
Barely moments after that, a fat guy who was clad in black was struggling uphill.
He pulled over at the support car.
By the looks of it, I guess he must have been a VVIP customer of some bigwig at NAZA who tried out cycling.
Later, we rode back to the 18th mile village to have our breakfast and called it a day.
We will continue to train in Hulu Langat as a means to prepare ourselves for the CFAL4 ride.
But before the next session, I will have to send my Curves for a tune-up. The brakes are gone!