Kayuhan Raub 2012 - Part 3

An earl day...
The night before, I told the guys to assemble at the hotel lobby.
Our plan was to head to town to have breakfast at the pasar minggu.
There is a corner shop that sells nasi lemak.
We set out at about 06:15 in the morning and rode towards town. 
This is a clean 2km ride towards Raub's open market area.
When we got there, the shop was already open and most of us had our breakfast before moving on to the starting area in the Lake Gardens.

Early birds: Michelle and Kevin

Riding out to town..

The Jetstreamers

 After a good fill, we set to the assembly area.
There, we waited while the crowd had slowly swelled.
At a glance, there weren't many riders. Kayuhan Raub 2012 attracted some 200-odd cyclists from all the the country.
What got us back for our second ride was the great hospitality shown by the good people of Raub.

The Usual Suspects
I met Pak Din Misai last year.
He was so accommodating, he actually accompanied me to the finish line.
At the stage area, one of the foldies encountered some issues with his front tire.
It was flat.
The guys tried to help, but my friend's problem is much worse that perceived.
Kevin, our Starmetro cycling team captain had lend a hand. The rest of the guys too had done their bid.
I knew this problem too well and observed from a distance.
It was a busted valve on a Schwalbe 20 x 1.65 inner tube. The bike owner brought the wrong stuff to replace the busted tube.
I had mine stashed in my Camelbak Octane 21 pack. 
And I did the rightful thing by offering the poor guy my spare tube.
Once the change was made, he was back in action..

Kevin lending a helping hand..

An old friend: with Din Misai

Saved by the bell
With the bike fixed, we were just minutes away from flag-off.
While riding to the back of the pack, I heard my name being called.
It was my friend Ah Hoe from Bentong.
Then Michelle shouted out: "Hey! Your friend is calling you la!"
I turned around and saw Pak Din Misai.
"Apa khabar Sam! Lama tak nampak, kita sampai numbor satu dengan dua dari belakang la..," he joked.
I was very happy to meet this man.
Pak Din spotted a beard and as usual, he's jolly and cheerful.
The organizer gave his speech and briefed the cyclists before blowing off his airhorn to mark the beginning of the ride.
We rode off towards the Lurah Bilut junction in Bentong and proceeded towards Sungai Ruan..

Riding the rear of the Peloton with Pak Din

The long road ahead..

 Same-same, different..
This year's Kayuhan Raub is much longer than the previous one.
Its 96km through the district's rugged countryside.
And as usual, Michelle and I had planned to complete the ride.
We don't have the speed, but we had the endurance.
The first 60km was okay.
But beyond that, my legs had started to rebel against my body.
Upon reaching Sungai Ruan, my thighs started to suffer cramps.
Instead of giving up, I pushed on. 
Not even a busted thigh would hinder me from reaching the finish line.
Pak Din was very kind to accompany us all the way.
Michelle and I made a pact. Never give up, never surrender.
As we crossed the 75km mark, all the cyclists on the tail end were picked up by a truck which accompanied us.

The valley of pain..
We hit the 80km mark in a village called Dong.
It was the last water and feeding station before the finish line in Raub.
At this point, only three of us were left cycling.
My Garmin EDGE800 showed a timing of 6hours 15minutes.
Pak Din suggested that we take a bypass route towards the Lake Gardens.
We managed to reach the stage area where our friends were already waiting.
All the foldies in my group had completed the ride.
One of them, Mohd Radzi did very well..

Sungai Koyan's finest: Pak Din Misai

 During the ride, I also got to know my friend Pak Din better.
He told me that he runs a small plantation in Sungai Koyan to make his end's meet.
Din has three children with the eldest in secondary school.
He is 53-years-old this year and a retiree from the Armed Forces.
I thanked him at the finish line and told him that I hope to meet him again next year at the 2013 Kayuhan Raub.

We did it again!

 Michelle was the happiest person of the lot.
She managed to complete the ride. 
I was just too happy to make it all the way despite the thighs giving way.
We didn't train for this and are grateful that we did not suffer any serious injuries.
As for Michelle, she said it was her taxpayer's money back because of the police escort that we had enjoyed for 45km from the starting line.
The Kayuhan Raub experience is something that we would cherish for our entire cycling forays.. We hope to be back next year!

Kayuhan Raub 2012 - part 2

Keeping good company..
Nine people from my peer group are taking part in the ride.
Two of them were my office colleagues, while the other four were my folding bike kakis.
Michelle and I had signed-up as 'Team Jetstream', maintaining our tradition from last year.
We had Ehfan Shah and team Captain Kevin Tan from The Star, Uncle Sin Tai Lim, Uncle KK Fong, his son Kevin and Mohd Radzi.
After picking up our cycling goodie bags from Taman Tasik Raub, I brought them to the Kari Ayam Sempalit restaurant in town for tea.
The guys had a taste of Raub and later, we met Kevin who arrived in town on his own.
This was followed by an extended tea-session at KF coffeeshop where we had some good iced coffee including some kaya puffs.

Happy-happy: Uncle Sin and his goodie bag

At the Raub Kari Ayam restaurant

Kari Ayam Sempalit

Later, we set a time to have dinner at Restoran Sentosa, a pork-free makan place in town.
I went to book a table there and the first thing Michelle noticed was the lady boss who was a bit 'off'.
Anyway, after taking a shower and resting at the hotel, I decided to head out to the nearby bank to withdraw some cash.
As I was going, one of the guys offered me a can of beer. 
Uncle Sin and Uncle Fong was enjoying happy hours before dinner.

Durian special: Ehfan posing at the restaurant

The gang, enjoying a hearty meal

 
After a good dinner, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.
While the others had called it a day, a few of us had stayed at the porch area to enjoy some beers. 

After hours: Enjoying the beers

Tiger beer for the soul..

I hung out with Sin and Fong to hear about the latest gossips in the folding bike circle.
They told me about a master and his student who had done some 200km/day ride from Tanjung Malim to Sekinchan.
Sounds amazing considering the fact that these guys are riding with small wheels.
I guess they'll have plenty of plans to do such amazing feats next year!
We continued with the beers and decided to call it a day after we were done.
What lies ahead the next morning: is a road paved with pain...

Kayuhan Raub 2012 - part 1

The last long-distance cycling event of the year..
Well, for us that is.
I've booked two places for the Kayuhan Raub 2012 that took place at the Raub district in Pahang.
We had a great time last year and made it a point to go back for another round.
Michelle did not complete the ride and actually returned with a vengeance.
Like usual, we fed the dogs before leaving our home for Bentong where we had an early lunch.
The plan was to take the scenic route via Kampung Sang Lee and Tras.

Our boy, looking pensive

Bentong's wantan mee

A decent lunch break
We pulled over in Bentong town after an hour's drive from Subang Jaya.
At the small trader's association, there is a coffee shop that sells wantan mee.
I can also see a banner promoting the Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia campaign where the district's MP will launch it on December 15.
Right in front of the shop, there is a family selling wantan mee.
I ordered two plates plus some extra wantans and the bill came to RM10.40.
The noodles were excellent, but the char siew could be better.
After a good fill, we proceeded towards the Fraser's hill junction and towards Sang Lee village.

Kg Sang Lee's mascot: the Landrover

King of fruits: the Durian

 Michelle and I made a stopover at Kg Sang Lee to snap a couple of photographs.
There was a on old Landrover and a large concrete Durian which was displayed side-by-side. 
We couldn't resist posing next to it and would accept being labelled as 'bogus' by some master guru cyclists for not using our bikes to get there.. Hahahah!
From Sang Lee, we moved to Kg Tras, a small village that has some really colourful buildings.

A scene in Kg Tras

After the detours, we arrived in Raub at 3pm and met up with Mohd Radzi, one of our regular cycling kakis.
Later, we drove to Taman Tasik Raub to collect our goodie bags..

Kayuhan Raub 2011 - Part 3

The rear echelon...
Kampung Jelu and Kampung Pampong continued to claim the weak.
By the time I've cleared this villages, I was cycling with two boys and right ahead of me, was Michelle and a dude riding a Strida. 
This is strongest of the lot.
While maintaining my pace, I noticed that the rear hub of my bike was beginning to drag, slowing down movement to a phatetic speed of 15km/h. 
I noticed that Raub is not all flat. 
There's plenty of undulating terrain that will rob you of your energy.
Back in Kampung Jelu, I had a chain-slip. This was where Iost Michelle.
The two boys ahead of me was complaining of thirst while an adult cyclist experienced cramps...

Michelle was far ahead in this section at Kg Pampong

My new friend: Abang Din Misai

The unexpected company...
I was making my way towards Dong and Gesing.
And elderly man rode beside me and told me that all four 'basikal nyamuk' (small bikes) had dropped out. 
He told me that he loved to be in the rear-end of the pack, making sure that all is good.
The man rode with me throughout the last 42km of the Raub ride.
He introduced himself as Din.
We exchange courtesy by formally introducing ourselves and continued cycling.
The KORE i-beam seat was taking a toll on my ass. It was starting to hurt really bad, but I continued cycling.
Abang Din Misai, my moustachioed guardian angel kept me motivated.
He's a local guy and knew a lot about Raub's cycling tracks.
So, with this guy, I don't really have much issues completing the ride.

Last of the cyclists being loaded onto a truck

Abang Din, making a downhill glide

 Dropping out..
I finally caught up with two guys on their fixie bikes and the dude on a Strida.
They were resting on the road while we slowly climbed towards Dong.
I've been to this area on a camping trip many years ago, the landscape had changed so much.
Much to my enjoyment, I got to soak in the kampung view and witnessed plenty of agricultural activities like small-holders tapping rubber, ladies drying up cocoa beans.
We rode towards the Dong village centre where the cyclists re-grouped for a push towards Cheroh.
By this time, the uphill climb had taken a toll on the fixies. They were flat out.
A Ford Ranger pick up truck was on hand to sweep them and bring them back to the finishing line.
I continued with Din Misai who guided me.
"Ah, kat depan, ada dua bukit, pacak and panjang..."
He was giving me a visual idea about what that lies ahead.
Indeed, there was a long climb towards the Cheroh junction.
I crunched gears on the SRAM DDII which was showing signs of wear and tear.
The rolling resistance is beginning to take a toll on my legs.
"Sikit lagi Sam! Wah, tak sangka basikal nyamuk kamu ni boleh tahan memanjat..," said Din Misai.
This guy, he was strong. To him, the 62km loop was just practise.
Din also told me that he is an avid outdoorsman. 


The final push...
By the time we hit Cheroh, we had about 12km to Raub.
My bike was dragging so bad, I had to stop and rest.
At a grocery shop, I bought a bottle of 100PLUS for Din. A ride Marshall on a motorcycle was waiting.
When we cleared Cheroh, there was a couple of climbs ahead.
This was the point where I was dead-tired.
I asked the Marshall if I can get a tug, a few times along the way, which he agreed.
So, the last leg was a bit of a motorized tug. The SRAM DDII was giving way, making the ride even worse than ever.
We took a short-cut towards Raub Lake Gardens and made a grand entry.
At the finish line, I've asked the Marshall to help snap a picture of me and Din Misai, which he had gladly obliged.
Abang Din was the second-last man standing on the gruelling 62km ride.
I made my way towards the event area and blasted the bike's airhorn a few times, indicating that it was all over...

Mission accomplished..

Last men standing: Me and Din Misai

One for the album: the last finishers of Kayuhan Raub 2011

Conclusion...
Hills or no hills, I must say that my RM80 for this ride in Raub, Pahang was well-spent. The organizers did a great job in ensuring every rider's safety. Kudos!
Even though Michelle did not complete her ride, she has happy with the fact that she managed to go at least 70% of the course.
The hospitality and generosity I've experienced with the locals in Raub was amazing.
Its people like Din Misai and the entire community that would make me mark Kayuhan Raub 2012 as one of the main events in my cycling diary...

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.