So, you want to go touring...

Smitten by the wanderlust...

Michelle and I had started taking bicycle touring seriously after our first taste of cycling across the Thai border from Pengkalan Hulu in Perak back in February 2011. 
Since then we've never looked back.

At the Thai border in Perak

Panniers on the folding bike's luggage rack: now, a common sight..

We sat down at a bus stop near KLCC and watched the world go by during the KL Car Free Sunday. 
At least three out of ten foldies were riding along with some sort of luggage strapped to their bikes.
These things are becoming accessible nowadays as more shops are retailing bicycle luggage. Back in the days, choices were really few..

Definition of bicycle touring

Subjected to interpretation: I'd say that if you intend to soak-in as much scenery as possible by cycling from one destination to another without breaking your journey, that would be bicycle touring.
Some folks sell their home, quit the day job and take at least three years to hit the road. To them, its an experience that will either make or break them.
Here in Malaysia, we view things rather differently compared to touring cyclists in the West.
 There's too much at stake. Job security is one of them.
Bear in mind that education is pretty much a basic right in most developed country and the least you would expect is a bum with a college degree.
But with all that said, we mostly made up for it by going on shorter rides and get back to our ordinary lives after the ride is over..

Your bike is your life..

I get some questions thrown in rather unexpectedly from time to time.
There was this dude who asked: "Can you go touring with a folding bike?"
My answer was "Yes".
If you are not a brand fanboy, even a cheapo bike can be rigged for long-distance rides.
The only issue is whether the bike will hold together or fall apart during your journey.
Another dude asked: "Eh bradder, you never consider a larger touring bike like the Surly Long Haul Trucker ah?".
Well, to be honest, I did. 
But after working out the cost, time spent on touring, I'd say that I was more comfortable with my Dahon Speed P8.
On whether folding bikes are the ones for the job, one famous bicycle dealer in Petaling Jaya actually said: "Aiyaaaa.. Folding bikes are a joke la!".
In his perception, he is right.
But there more to it than meets the eye when it comes to a folding bike.
These are not flimsy "toys" that are "frail" anymore.
If set up properly, it could rival the Surly and just any other full-sized 700cc or 26" tourers.
What makes a folding bike versatile is the fact that it could be easily transported.

My fully accessorized Dahon Speed P8

Unless if you plan to sell your house, send off your dogs for adoption and let your parents look after your kids for a few years because you want cycle from Kuala Lumpur to France and Eastern Europe, then you might consider a larger bike.
Can you compare it with a Surly or other famous brands? 
Well, definitely!
My weapon of choice would be the Tern Eclipse S18 "Road Warrior".
Why, because this bike is built for the job and it will take me to wherever I want to go and back.

My latest acquisition: The Road Warrior

Investing in proper equipment and gear..

When I did my long-haul rides, I've traveled with simple-minded people and on certain occasions - morons.
Despite being told what to do and bring, they end up as minimalists, hoping that their fellow cyclist would do their bidding. These are the kind of people one should avoid in long hauls in order to maintain peace and harmony among your fellow tourers.
Before you embark on a tour, do consider outfitting yourself with the proper equipment. 
You can invest on a good set of panniers and if properly cared for, it would yield years of use on the trail.
Tools, spare parts and recovery kits are the stuff that you pack without saying. The horror is traveling with folks who don't even carry bike tools and spare inner-tubes.
As for me, I don't stinge on racks and luggage carriers. Good stuff are built to last. And that would be the least of your worry when you are on the road.
A set of good lights would also make your life easier.
If you a prepared to spend, do invest in a set of lights that can yield hours of usage on the trail and bright enough to throw into the darkest path.
With all that covered, the motto is: "Be Prepared". You will never have doubts if you are ever faced with punctures and mechanical failures.

Plan your route properly and always be in the loop...

There are many people who want to go touring. But do not know how to draw a route.
Reading up is a wise move. 
You can find plenty of resources on the internet. 
To the uninitiated, www.crazyguyonabike.com is a good resource as there are plenty of journals shared by touring cyclists from around the world, covering all regions on the planet.
Most of the reports are extensive and you can learn from their experience.
My tool of choice on the computer is Google Maps.
I will first look at the locality, draw my route and do the calculations. If you plan your route well, you can also draw contingency plans.
Additional research also allows you to seek accommodation in the locality. This allows you to break your journey for rest.
In my case, I usually push as far as 60km/day on my tours. On rare occasions, we reached 100km per day. 
One of the key factor in creating a route that you can follow is not to ride until you hurt yourself.
If you break the journey properly, you will get enough rest and when you can do so, your trip will be enjoyable.
I did hear of people pushing as far as 150km/day. That is pointless as you might end up beating up your body to a pulp.

Don't forget to have fun!

Bring a camera, record all the moments.
Better still, don't depend on others to take your photos. Do it yourself. 
When you are on the trail, there's plenty of time to snap a shot of your ride.
Good memories are the driving factor in you wanting to head out for more tours...

The Rafflesia Ride: Part 3

The wrath of nature...

Patric and I wasted no time in preparing dinner.
With the little daylight left, there wasn't much time to work with the leftovers we had.
So, we kept things at the minimal.
And in the icebox, there was a large tilapia where Patric had given instructions to fillet.
It started to pour heavily as the camp cooks had struggled to prepare dinner.
There were some leftover roast duck, chicken and the main course was deep-fried tilapia fillet.
And right there before our eyes, the river swelled.
Water mixed with mud had gushed down the stream where just hours earlier, the guys were taking a dip.
I can hear the crushing force of the water against the rocks and this was rather eerie.
Siang and Captain Yew were observing the raging river and issued instructions to evacuate the scene.
Time was not wasted in getting the job done as we packed our stuff, moving the bikes to higher ground as parts of the farm house began to flood..

The last frontier: Kg Hulu Geroh in Gopeng, Perak

A great shot by Patric of me riding up Hulu Geroh

After an ass-busting hike, Coke is it!

MIchelle, posing at Kg Orang Asli Hulu Geroh

Better safe than sorry..

We played the waiting game and after two hours of waiting, the water level on the river began to subside.
Its only then when we decided that it was safe again to move our bikes back to the farm house.
During dinner, we reminisced on how people got killed by ignoring the danger signs especially when camping too close to a river.
Deforestration also did not help in this case as we noticed that most of the hills surrounding the farm has been cut down.
We were glad that nothing untowardly happened during the storm and continued to savour our dinner.

Raging wild: the river next to the farm house

Cool as cucumbers: Patric and Roger at the dining hall

Reflections of a bikepacker...

After the good meal, we cleaned up and prepared our sleeping quarters. 
Its a long ride out the next day and we wanted to ensure that nothing gets left behind.
During supper and a few beers, Siang and Angela opened up on their past experience with a larger group of cyclist.
I found it amusing that a cyclist with only a year of experience is now regarded as a 'guru' among the beginners.
Well, I guess some people needed their role-models.
We continued to chat until midnight and decided that it was best to hit the sack to get some rest..

Capt Yew leading the way out.. 

Michelle and Roger

Possibly the best asam laksa in Gopeng

Late breakfast..

We improvise...

Much of the foodstuff we brought was depleted.
So, for breakfast, I gathered all the instant noodles and whipped out a meal.
The guys had no issues downing the meager breakfast I had dished out.
Later, we made some arrangement with the birding group to transfer our luggage to the deer farm.
This took off the load on our bikes as we rode out empty.
The rough terrain had taken a toll on our wheels as Michelle had noticed my rear rim wobbling.
While negotiating a pothole, she had a fall and the impact had damaged the bike's fender stays.
Its not difficult to fix this problem as we slowly made our way to the Gopeng Hills laksa stall.
By the time we got there, the birding gang were already finishing their laksa.
We had a round of noodles before cycling back the farm.
It didn't took long for us to get there and after packing up, we parted ways.
I thanked Capt Yew for rigging up the trip and gave him a copy of my book.

Happy camper: Patric with a copy of my book..

I told the gang that we were headed to Kampar for lunch and then break off towards the Klang Valley via the North-South highway.
We agreed and followed-up with Kampar's 'seating man' char koay teow.
After a good fill, we parted ways.

Summary

Spare the weather, the ride was a success.
We kept our expenses to the minimal with the generosity of Mr Chung who hosted our stay at his farm house.
The Rafflesia ride itself was a real experience. Despite the lack of training and our physical state, we were glad to make it in and out alive.
This ride will pave way to more outings throughout the year and I hope to maintain the lean crew that we have.
For the record, we were the few cyclists with small bikes to reach Hulu Geroh and that is something that we could be very proud of.. Hell, I won't be surprised if some internet cycling celebrity would take this route and promote this as his own ride for his personal glory. Getting there first is 

The Rafflesia Ride: Part 2

The early riser...

Preparing breakfast

Our camp

 I woke up at 06:00am.
And my camping habit is to get the stoves fired-up and prepare breakfast.
That was the first order of the day. There were instant noodles where I blended a few packs of Japanese Udon and rough vermecelli
There were some left over chicken from last night's dinner where I had added it onto the soup base.
By 07:30am, breakfast was served with a cup of hot black coffee.
This is luxury by today's standards and a far cry from eating lousy food.
By 08:00am, the gang was ready and we were supposed to ride out back to the deer farm to meet up with Captain Yew, Siang's friend who had generously hooked us up with Mr Chung, the farm owner.
Captain Yew was with his teenage son and a friend who drove up from Kuala Lumpur.
We set out to the farm and split up at an asam laksa stall up in the hills before Adeline's Resort.

The team having breakfast

Riding out to the deer farm

At the Kandu caves near the deer farm...

Rolling out 

We had a smooth ride and met up with Mr Chung, Captain Yew, his son and Steve, a luxury car workshop owner.
After a brief conversation, we took a group photo and rode out.
Before we did that, I asked Mr Chung for a favour, and that was to stock up on beer and ice.
We gave him some cash and his staff and obliged by driving his pick-up truck to a local hypermart to get the essentials.
After the formalities, we set out towards the camp.
Half-way through, Angela developed a puncture on her Pacific Reach.
I radioed Michelle and helped Angela with recovering her bike.
Lucky for us, we had the Biologic seatpost pump that made life really easy.
After fixing the flat tire, we rode up to the asam laksa joint where Roger and Patric were already waiting..

Asam Laksa for the soul: the awesome noodle treat

The detour..

Our plan was to have lunch mid-way and ride towards the Rafflesia conservatory. 
This means, no big feast back at camp. 
I was told by Mr Chung that his wife had prepared a big lunch to welcome their additional guests.
After feasting on the asam laksa, we rode towards Kampung Orang Asli Hulu Geroh.
This is an additional 5km from the junction leading to the campsite.
The terrain was undulating and with each crank on the chainring, we progressed slowly towards our destination.
Once we reached there, my plan was to locate a grocery shop and purchase some chilled soft drinks.
We were lucky to find a grocery shop and I feasted on some Coca-Cola while Michelle had the last remaining 100PLUS isotonic drink.
While we parked our bikes at the Rafflesia visitor's centre, a Semai woman came up to us and asked if we were with the same group of hikers who came in earlier in the morning with their Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle.
This sounded like the birdwatchers who camped below us.
I asked the lady on the going rate for leading tourists to the Rafflesia site and she told me that the minimal charge was RM22 per head.
I found this to be reasonable and since we were there, Roger and Patric were not going to bug out as it was their opportunity to witness the largest flower in the world up close...

Hiking up the hill

In full bloom: the Rafflesia of Hulu Geroh

The opportunity of a lifetime...

I concur with what Master Siang had said about the Hulu Geroh experience.
Mr Chung's luxury farm house and generosity is something that money can't buy.
And that if we made it to see the Rafflesia in full bloom, it would be something that would put a smile on our faces as we talk about it for a long time.
So, at the visitor's centre, we agreed to join in the hike by hiring the Semai guide at RM22 per head. 
She told us that we were lucky to be the only group on the day to hike up a 1.5km trail to witness the Rafflesia in full bloom.
And she was right.
We worked our way slowly up the trail and after 20 minutes of hiking, the path became narrower and steeper.
Slowly, I climbed my way through a steep hill to reach its plateau where the group were taking pictures of a sole Rafflesia in full bloom.
Patric was fast to declare the Rafflesia Ride a success.
I was glad that we made the right decision to hike up the hill. 
At my age, I pushed the physical threshold. My knees and left ankle, which was damaged in a road accident 12 years ago had taken a real bashing. Nevertheless, it was mind over matter as I slowly ascended the hill to see the Big Ass flower.
I felt a sense of achievement by making it back to the visitor's centre in one piece.
For the birdwatchers, their hike ends with a ride back to campsite.
As for us, the road head is long and winding.
The weather held up until we reached camp where later in the day, we had to make a critical decision..  

The Rafflesia Ride: Part 1

Lure of the Big Ass Flower...

I picked up some literature from the Malaysian Nature Society's HQ in Jalan Kelantan.
One in particular, had struck my interest.
It was about a community development programme in Hulu Geroh, Gopeng, Perak.
There is a trail at this remote orang asli village that yields some spectacular natural attraction.
The said flora is the Rafflesia, which is one of the biggest flowers in the world.
I came across this during a trip to the Crocker Range in Sabah.
That was back in 1997 when I visited Keningau with some scientific officers from the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Linking a natural curiosity with a ride..

To map out a route, I worked on Google maps. 
Terrain wise, this area is pretty hilly.
Later, I contacted the country's leading Bikepacker Master TT Siang and asked of his opinion.
Siang has been to this part of the world and also agreed to co-host the ride. He later arranged for a ride and also contacted his friends in Gopeng to seek accommodation.
The plan was simple. Drive to Gopeng  in Perak, link up with a group of birdwatchers who also joined us for the stay at a private farm near Hulu Geroh.
And it was also a very straight-forward trail - some 11km ride from a deer farm where we parked our vehicles.

Patric and Michelle in Gopeng, Perak

No country for small bikes.. 

I've been drawing some flak for not inviting newbies for my rides.
This is apparent with tough trips requiring self-support and hauling your own luggage.
At this juncture, I am not keen on baby-sitting beginners. 
That's a lot of work in catering to high expectations. From previous experience, leading rides for newcomers seems to be like charity work where people expect organizers to treat them like paying customers. I got fucked by a shithead for telling him off during the World Car Free Day ride. 
So, that said, I've been really careful in selecting my ride companions. 
No issue with Michelle my wife as we are very comfortable with our own pace and timing on the road. 
For the Rafflesia ride, I invited Roger Teoh and Patric Yee, both whom I had been working with on my Perak Man Ride from Ipoh to Lenggong.
The four of us made a really tight team.
Then, there's Master Siang and his spouse Angela. Both seasoned bikepackers.
The Rafflesia ride is more of a bikecamping trip, so, in this case, most of the cyclists are well-equipped. 
Roger and Patric are pretty new to the scene, but I like their attitude and honesty.
We made plans to meet up in Gopeng, then link out with another group on their four-wheel drive vehicles. 
Then, from Gopeng town, we head towards a deer farm and ride out from there.

The paip besar Gopeng is a known landmark in this neck of the woods...

In the Big Country...

We had rigged up our Dahon Speed P8 and TR. 
Both bikes had clocked-in some impressive mileage and this is one of those occasion where we put our bikes to the test by riding offroad.
We could have rode our Jetstreams, but this time round, since there were some gear-hauling with our Ortlieb panniers, we went to our trusty Speed P8 and TR.
The packs were rigged with camping gear, cooksets and food.
Whether we liked it or not, we were going to rough it out.
Barely an hour into noon, we set out towards Hulu Geroh. The countryside ride brought back many pleasant memories and a group of seven cyclists including Mr Chung, our host, was easy to manage.
We rode towards Adeline's resort up in the hills. 
The elevation gain here is about 779-metres and I must say that the route is not for beginners.
On the average the gradient is about 6 degrees with 17 degrees as the steepest incline along the route.

Taking snapshots at Adeline's resort

Rock'n Rolla terrain: The undulating terrain from Gopeng to Hulu Geroh

Pushing the last 3km towards the private farm...

Our generous host had prepared lunch for us at his farm.
Mrs Chung is a darn good cook as she had prepared a few dishes including some fresh fish from Mr Chung's farm.
We had three more kilometres to clear after rolling down from Adeline's resort.
Siang said that although the ride is only under 11km, it felt longer because a portion of the trial is offroad.
For this, he brought his trusted Birdy Disk, while Angela rode a Pacific Reach folding trail bike.
The only guys with large bikes were Roger and Patric.
We took about one and a half hours to reach the farm and when we got there, a feast was already waiting.. 

The tasty lunch treat

Chilling out in the stream.. 

Our expectations were blown away.. 

Mr Chung our host had built a small enclave for his family and guests.
We were truly honored to stay at his property and he didn't charge a single cent for this.
In fact, he was happy to host us.
As a gesture of goodwill, I gave him a Mora knife. He was happy to receive the gift and told us that we could come and stay at his farm anytime..
After a heavy lunch, we prepared our bedding for the night.
Since we don't need to set up our tarp shelter, I chose a spot at the farm's shelter to set up our thermarest sleeping mats over a ground sheet.
As time progresses into the early part of the evening, I began to prepare dinner.
This was a simple affair as we brought our own food.
I prepared a vegetable curry dish while Patric worked on frying some kangkung leaves.
Dinner was served before nightfall and we spent the entire evening catching up with a conversation.. 

Master Siang sharing his thoughts during supper at the farm..

Round about midnight, we decided to call it a day.
I set up my sleeping quarters with Michelle and before we knew it, we were already fast asleep. Another day looms ahead as we prepare to ride back to the deer farm and later, cycle to the Rafflesia conservatory area in Kampung orang asli Hulu Geroh.

Ko Samui - Part 4

Scaled-down ride
It's our last day in Ko Samui, so, we've decided to take things a little bit easy.
The plan was to ride out for a shopping trip to Tesco Lotus on the outskirts of Chaweng.
This, I recalled, was a short distance ride and since we had cycled for more than 100km, the plan was to do it easy before we pack up our bikes.

An oversight
I made two major mistakes on this trip.
First, was that I had underestimated the weight of the bikes. We paid for the excess baggage.
Second thing was that I had booked the hotel only for three nights instead of four.
This, was sorted out after a visit to the reception counter. I paid for one more night in Ko Samui. 
Lucky for us, they still have the room. 
At the same time, I booked for our ride back to the airport. It costs 350baht (RM34.50) for two passengers.

Chiangmai curry noodles breakfast

Locking up the bikes at Tesco Lotus in Chaweng

We found this signboard amusing.. 

The greater Chaweng

I scouted for some Thai instant gravy for cooking. 
Nothing great at Tesco Lotus. As a matter of fact, its pricier than what I found at Saver-Mart in Chaweng street. 
I was looking for the Mae Pranom brand gravy for the Masaman Curry. These are sold at 13baht (RM1.28) a packet.
Later, we rode down to a shop selling Chiangmai styled Curry noodles. 
The fare was excellent and our late breakfast came up up 110baht.
Following that, we rode out to Ban Luck Fun which is situated at the Chaweng lake. 
This is a slightly bumpier route because its laterite road.
From there, we rode towards the First Bungalow at the edge of Chaweng beach and called it a day..

Ban Luck Fun

Fishermen's boat near First Bungalow

The awesome curry noodles

At the end of Chaweng beach

It's a wrap!
We did a 10km loop around Chaweng and saw some really interesting part of the beach area.
The best place to chill out was at a fisherman's wharf near First Bungalow.
Later, I dropped by at a restaurant near our hotel for a taste of Masaman Curry. It was interesting enough to convince me to get some instant gravy.
We packed our bikes after the ride and took a break before heading out for dinner.
That same night, we tried a grill and barbeque house in Chaweng.
But before that, we walked towards the edge of the beach near a cove.
There, we found an Adidas outlet and bought two sets of dry-fit Tee-shirts at discounted prices.
This was a good deal and we were very happy with the find.
After doing a little bit of shopping, we walked up to a restaurant and had our dinner there.
They had roast pig and other grill stuff.
I found this to be a con-job especially when it comes to 'eat all you can'. 
Customers are not allowed to share, but it was not made clear.
We had a round of beer, then sat through three sets of the main course and left the place. 
Dinner came up to 2,100baht (RM207). Right at this point, I have blown nearly three-quarters of my expenses.
Despite the crappy service and attitude, the holiday was worth my time.

Packing up the Dahon Speed TR in the Airporter

Masaman curry meal with steamed rice

Our dinner and last night in Ko Samui

Ordinary fare: the grilled set

 Homeward bound
After four nights in Ko Samui, its time to head back to Subang.
We felt a great sense of accomplishment having ridden round-island and tackling some scenic places on our two little wheels.
On the whole, the adventure was worth all the planning. There were some glitches, but that was easily sorted out. We didn't end up chewing each other's heads off as we worked very well as a bikepacking couple.
Michelle took care of the logistics like air travel while I settled mainly the accommodation and food.
We checked-in at the Ko Samui international airport and waited to board the Firefly flight back.
In just two hours, we touched down in Subang airport and our holiday was over. The next day, we drove up to Kampar in Perak for an offroad ride with our bikepacking kakis...

One for the road!

Checking-in at the departure area

Back in Subang and looking forward to the next adventure...

Ko Samui - Part 3

Slowing down the pace...
Its our third day in Thailand and having done the hardcore stuff, we wanted to take things rather easy.
First, it was breakfast at the hotel.
Gone were the noisy, foul-mouthed tourists from Hong Kong.
We had a few other tourists for company and decided that it was best to finish up breakfast and head out on a simple ride.
Well, not so simple if you factor in the killer climbs enroute to Lamai beach.
So, we began our 15km ride towards Wat Kunaram to visit the mummified monk and Na Mueang waterfalls.
These places came highly recommended.
About half an hour out of Chaweng, we found ourselves at the first climb to a viewpoint overlooking the coastal resort.
Slowly, we pushed ourselves and reached the highest peak in the climb. The last 300metres, we got down to push the bikes as the gradient was too steep.

Beginning the climb

After the two climbs, it was a fast downhill roll towards Lamai beach.
There, we rode around the area and found some interesting food outlet and plenty of girly bars.
Later, we cycled to Hua Thanon beach. This is the entire Route 4169 that leads to Nathon.
It was a good workout towards Na Mueang.
The first stopover was the Wat Kunaram.
Tourists arrived by the truckloads to visit this temple.
Usually, the Thai temples do not allow visitors in skimpy outfits, but I guess that in Ko Samui, things are 'a little bit' different.
We saw some white folks with bikini tops and hot pants at the place of worship.

Hua Thanon beach

Wat Kunaram

The falls
Na Mueang falls is about 6km away from Wat Kuranam.
We rode under the hot sun and reached the entrance to the falls.
Its also an elephant sanctuary.
To get there, we have to climb to the visitor's centre.
Half-way doing it, there was a small traffic congestion.
We had to share the road with some modified Toyota Hi-Lux pick up trucks that were ferrying tourists to the falls.
When we reached the main area, there were free parking for cars and rented motorcycles.
We took the chance by pushing the bikes through a roadblock and managed to move on without a hitch.
When we cycle, we hardly leave our bikes behind.
Now, there's much hype about the two waterfalls in this location.
What I am about to say, may be disappointing to prospective visitors.
From the carpark, we pushed our bikes to a dirt track. This is roughly about 1.2km away from the waterfalls entrance.
I decided to look after the bikes while Michelle scout the falls.
Both of us had cameras, so, one would do most of the work.
There was a spectacular view of the island's foliage from the entrance to the falls. 
I waited while Michelle did her touristy thing.
Later, she came back and told me that some old fart had slipped and grabbed her to break his fall. As a result, her Canon Powershot S100 camera was damaged.

A little push to the falls

No great shakes: Na Mueang falls

Tube failure
When we were done, it was a fast downhill roll towards the park entrance.
We were shooting so fast, I realised a slight 'drag' on the rear wheel.
My worst fear was confirmed when I saw a flat on the tire.
I signaled to Michelle to pull over and attended to the problem.
No time was wasted as I patched a small tear on the inner tube. It was facing the rim, so, it had to be a tube failure.
Even with a patch, it couldn't hold the pressure.
I decided on a tube change but the inner tube that I brought along with me was meant for a 24" wheel. I felt like a fool.
Lucky for me, Michelle had a spare Shrader valve inner-tube. This was a snug-fit after I removed the Presta adapter that was fitted onto the rim.
I guess the excessive heat while descending at a high-speed might have caused the tube failure.
After a quick-fix, we were on the move again.

Working on the busted inner-tube

Chaweng-bound
We were done with the el-turisto stuff and rode back to Lamai for lunch. 
There, we found an awesome stall serving chicken rice and Khao Ka Moo (pig's trotter rice).
This was a treat for riding in the hot sun.
It was a good call as the food came in really tasty.
We chilled out in Lamai before beginning the climb back to Chaweng.

My splendid lunch!

The last leg of the ride to Chaweng

Well, we rode for 3hours 17 minutes to complete about 41.73km in total distance. In two days, we've done over 100km around the island.
The ride was an eye-opener as most of the nice places to visit are hilly.
Not a big thing if you train for it.

A little reward after a long and hard day's work..