Last ride for 2012

Starting the New Year with a bang!

We decided to head to Putrajaya to take part in the Putrajaya Interparks Ride series 16.
It was the last ride for the year 2012 and we wouldn't miss it.
Among the highlights was a 15-minute fireworks display which was simply awesome!

Michelle at the main boulevard in Putrajaya

With a fellow foldie at the starting line

 The ride was the usual spin around Putrajaya and as expected, the organizers had made it a point to stage the last checkpoint at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
This was a gradual climb followed by a steep attack to the main entrance of the convention centre.
We rode back to the organizer's holding area and had some food before the fireworks show began.
At the end of it, a foldie asked if I will organize anymore rides for 2013.
Well, he'll have to wait because I am not really keen on such matters anymore.
But, we ended the ride with a sweet note and hope to engage in even more awesome adventures this year!

Happy New Year!

 

PIPR 17

Putrajaya revisited
We've skipped a few Putrajaya Interparks Ride and due to work commitment, the timing just wasn't right.
Well, having said that, Michelle and I had looked forward to riding at the 17th edition of the Interparks ride.

At the Floria Carnival site

  Where it all began..
The PIPR series was the first social rides we ever did.
Thanks to our friend Wey Pang who introduced us to the event, we met many friends.
And through the meet-ups, some became our regular cycling kakis.
Of course, that was a few years ago and having seen how vastly the community has grown, its no surprise to see so many new folding bike cyclists at the event.

Old and new: Friends from across the timeline

Father and son team: KK Fong and his boy

Ye olde faithful: Michelle and the Curve D3

 Riding down memory lane.. 
At the registration counter, I met a few new cycling kakis..
One of them was Mr Fong who brought along his son for the ride.
The Taman Melawati resident in Jalan Hulu Kelang was riding a red Dahon Speed P8 while his son rode a red MuP8.
There were a lot of new faces on their foldies during the ride..

Losing steam
The Interparks ride was not as lavish as before.
I guess the organizers were on a tight budget. In the past, we used to get meals and refreshment breaks. 
That said, I don't think we've missed out much. So, having seen its present state, I guess Michelle and I would not ride every month, but instead, pick a random sequence in the series.. 

PIPR series 13

First cycling event of the year.. 
We've been laying off cycling events a bit.
Michelle's been traveling on her job and she hasn't been riding for at least two months.
She got back from Taiwan last week and I've planned to take part at the Putrajaya Interparks Ride which was held for the 13th time...

Michelle on the road

Mr CS Wee and SK Yeong

Team Jetstream

Old friends... 
While I was mingling with a bunch of people at the flag-off area, I met Mr CS Wee, one of the pioneer folding bike owners who rode a Dahon Speed P8.
I met Mr Wee in 2010 at the Dahon Folding Bike Club launch (Well, sadly, this club is as good as dead..) where we spent some time discussing about folding bicycles.
Mr Wee, a veteran cyclist, lives in Butterworth and Kota Kemuning. He cycles a lot in the North and the East Coast.
Another person whom I met at the event was Mr SK Yeong.
A long-distance cyclist, Yeong is one of the organizer of the "Smell the Roses" tri-state tour that will take place on February 4.


Newbies...
The folding bike crowd at the PIPR ride was amazing.
There were at least 40 bikes, twice as many compared to previous events.
We met a few people who are new to folding bikes.
At the event, I also caught up with some Tern bike owners...


The ride...
Spare the poor sods who crashed their fixies along the way, the course was really smooth.
Having rode most of the easy and moderate courses in the PIPR series, I must say that the organizers had done a good job.
Basically, the PIPR is a social ride and also an avenue for me and Michelle to catch up with some old friends.
After completing the 25km ride, we shot off to Broga for lunch.. 

PIPR Series 11 - Part 2

When the going gets tough

By mid-day many cyclists have dropped out. 

I guess the heat or exhaustion must have got to them. From the horse ranch, it was a downhill roll towards the wetlands.

My Garmin EDGE800 GPS read 62km/h during the roll. This was quite fast as I overtook some larger bikes.

Right ahead of me were an elderly couple. 

They were riding a red Dahon Speed P8 and an Ori folding bike.

On the way to the wetlands, I caught up with Col Azudin. 

He is part of the Putrajaya Urban Riders who have added Brompton folding bikes to their collection.

These are very active cyclists who ride regularly at Putrajaya.

Azudin told me that he was planning for a ride in Malacca.

A fixie at the course

 Bumpety-bump

One good call on this ride is bringing along my Jetstream EX.

Just as we exited a tunnel towards the Wetlands, I saw a dude falling off his bike.

The German A suspension and Suntour rear shock took most of the punishment.

Along the way, I saw a lady being tended by a group of Paramedics.

Apparently, DC Ong told me that she collapsed while cycling uphill.

This added to the casualty list. 

One thing that the organizers must take note is the fact that there was a large number of newbies on the ride.

Many, who were uninitiated to the terrain and course would find themselves in a jam. 

After exiting the tunnel, came a stretch where the ride was super bumpy.

I saw many cyclists getting off their bikes to push while a few suffered cramps.

The ray of hope was the Prime Minister's office.

This marks the last stretch of the ride towards the fairground

Me, riding toward the last section

Reaching the finish line...

The last kilometer wasn't that bad.

I reached the main tent and by the time I got there, Billy and his kid was on his way home.

They've completed 20km which was quite a remarkable achievement.

While taking a break, I engaged in a conversation with another foldie dude on his Red Dahon Speed P8. He just got this bike recently for an exercise regime.

The elderly couple whom I met along the way were also there. 

They were admiring my Topeak phat stand and complemented the Jetstream.

I guess a full-suspension foldie was something out of the ordinary at the PIPR.

Summary

As an experienced cyclists, I must say that the course was unsuitable for newbies.

Their sheer numbers indicated that the PIPR is getting very popular.

Thanks to ample publicity and the word of mouth.

Most promising is the makan and I must say that I had thoroughly enjoyed myself.

My fitness level was not at its optimum, which means I have to train even more.

No issues with most of the steep and long climbs, only on two occasions that I got down to push cos the gradient was really nuts. I hope to continue cycling at the PIPR and look forward to the New Year's eve night ride if they are organizing it....

PIPR Series 11 Part 1

Zark and his kid

Another one for the road..
The 11th PIPR ride in Putrajaya was one tough ride -- for newbies that is.
The course designers must have been a bunch of sadistic guys who loves to crunch gears and climb.

At the starting grid
Anyways, I met my buddy Billy and his kid at the fair grounds. They arrived at 7:45am and
were cycling for the first time in such an event.

This was a 30km route that cried out: "Hills! Hills! Hills!"

Co-incidentally, there were a few events on the same day.

A more prominent ride was the Sime Darby Leukemia cycling event where participants had to pay RM50 to ride 100km around Putrajaya.

I opt for the PIPR ride because of the familiar faces.

From the Masjid Putra, I rode about 3km to the fairgrounds to register and collect my meal ticket.

This time round, free T-shirts were given. I didn't bother.

During the registration, I met up with DC Ong, Ronnie Soon and Mr Chan, a group of regular folding bike kakis.

Life is unfolding

Unlike previous PIPR events, the number of foldies are growing.

I met Wey Pang and Ming who told me that previously, they were the only foldies around.

The number had grown ten-folds as more and more foldies are actively participating in the event.

This also includes some newbies, the regulars, team Storm Riders, customers from Folding Bike Trading and the Putrajaya Urban Riders.

Old friends: Wey and Ming climbing

The hillibillies

I knew that the very moment that Taman Rimba was mentioned, it spelt a certain doom for the unitiated.

This was the same place where we were led to in one of the rides covering some exotic jungle plants.

The course was hilly with plenty of steep climbs.

We rolled out from the starting grid near the MOF and veered right. 

There was a gradual climb and I was keeping an eye on Billy's kid. This meant a slow ride and while I was climbing behind a big-sized dude on his MTB, the guy made a sudden stop.

I banged into his rear wheel and got off my Dahon Jetstream.

With no momentum to climb, I was dead on the water.

So, its push and ride.

Lucky for me, I didn't fall or injure myself.

Since Billy and his kid were newbies, we were right behind the flock.

I kept my speed at 11km/h so that I can keep an eye on his kid who had just taken up cycling about a week.

Progress was slow as we were the last batch of cyclist to arrive at Precinct 14.

There, we re-grouped with the rest and proceeded to another hilly course.

Ka-pow!

Compared to previous PIPR rides, this one had the most casualties.

There was a steep roll and many cyclists were so scared, they got down to push their bikes.

While I was assessing the roll, a couple of mounties said: "Eh, rugi la.. rugi!!!"

What these guys meant was getting down to push.

Obviously, they were adrenaline junkies who went "swoosh!" without stopping.

Anne, my collegue Andrew Sia's friend who was right behind me asked: "Are you going to zip down the slope?"

Well, that was my cue.

I had a full-suspension bike with the best disk brakes money can buy.

A voice in my head said: "Fuck it! Lets rock and roll!"

And there I was, zipping downhill at 60km/h without blinking an eye.

The front and rear shocks did their job by reducing the bumps and vibration.

My Ashima disk brakes were solid.

Whatever that goes down must come up

After a steep roll, it was time to climb again. At this point, many cyclists had either dropped out or continued with the ride.

I made my way to a horse ranch where most of the cyclist were waiting to get their dose of bananas, bread and refreshment. By this time of the day, the sun was up. It was also getting really hot. I re-grouped with Guan, a musical composer who rides to work, Scuba Sim, some diver dude who rode a strange-looking recumbent, Alvin - from team Stormrider, my colleague Andrew - who rode work on World Car Free Day, with his partner Anne, Will, the bank employee I met at the OCBC training ride and Mr Chan, owner of a Dahon Speed P8 with all the bells and whistles for touring....

Putrajaya Interpark Ride series 09 - Part 02

Joining the flock

Combined group photo with the Folding Bike Specialist riders

Godzilla meets Mini Mouse: The crash in front of MOF in Putrajaya

Some leftist described the ride around Putrajaya as 'a trip to the Neo-Facists' Disneyland'.
Well, like it or not, this place is a well-organised city which is also clean and well-maintained.
We had no issues cycling all the way to the Equestrian park where a group photo was taken with the riders.
This time round, there were plenty of newbies.
Among the familiar faces were some buddies I made from Photomalaysia.com and a large rider who never misses a single ride.
I have plenty of respect for him as he made it all the way. This guy is inspiring.
On newbies, well, there were some really unpleasant situations where guys had overtaken a single file and some idiots showing off their prowess on two wheels were picked up by the event's support truck.
While I was cycling towards the last five kilometres, I noticed a young girl, probably no more than 13 years old zig-zagging.
My hunch was that she will crash and right there before my eyes, she crashed into an older dude.
It was like driving a Mini mouse bike into Godzilla on a tricycle.
And just like that, they fell to the ground.
Since I was riding behind them, I set down my Dahon Curve SL and helped them.
And while I was at it, I shot a video and some still of the action.
One of their friends, a retard wearing an orange shirt shouted: "Jangan ambil gambar.. " (no pictures).
I set down my camera and moved the lightly damaged bike to the side and asked if the older dude was okay.
He seemed disorientated and an ambulance which was parked nearby had rushed to scene.
The first responder treated them and I was on my way.
Moral of the story: Keep your eyes on the road and if you are riding on the street for the first time: Be mindful of other people as well.
Michelle was waiting at the finish line as we completed a 23.5km ride on our Dahons.
On the whole, the ride was well-organised.
But the actions of selfish idiots may yield some unpleasant experience.
The next ride is on July 16 - which is a night ride...

Putrajaya Interpark Ride series 09 - Part 01

Cyclists crossing the dam's bridge

Historic occassion: riding across the reservoir

The Samos on the move....

Its great to back at Putrajaya's Interparks ride.
In series 09, cyclists were taken to Precinct 6 where the Putrajaya International Convention Centre is located.
We made a beeline to the event's location on Saturday morning and started as early as 06:30am.
It rained cats and dogs and searching for the flag-off venue was not easy.
Earlier, the organizers had made an announcement on the change of location through facebook, which was not an issue to us.
We arrived early and ended up at the Putrajaya Equestrian park.
Michelle argued that it was the location, I told her that it was the Taman Empangan, so, to save time arguing, we went back on the road and located the actual place.
The morning rain did not damper scores of cyclists who made their way to the ride.
There, we met David Foong and his wife Jessica with their Dahon Speed P8s who also got lost trying to get to the starting line.
We set up our 16" Dahons and joined the rest of the crowd before the flag-off...

Putrajaya Interpark Ride Series 7

At the starting line this morning

A folding bike rider and his Dahon Eco 3

Inspiring moment: a really large dude making his way up the PICC hill

I have always looked forward to the Putrajaya Interpark Ride Series. 

This is my first outing for the year and I had a swell time cycling some 30km in the administrative city. 

As usual, I packed my stuff and head off to the venue early. This time advantage helps a lot in setting up the bike and answering nature calls especially early in the morning.

While waiting at the starting line, an elderly man came up to me and said: "Ah, you are Samo! I follow your blog!"

We had a conversation and I was told that he was from the Putrajaya Easy Riders group.

He said folding bikes - especially Dahons are getting popular.

Later on the route, I saw one of his buddies riding a black Dahon Eco 3.

In the series-7 ride, there were two climbs - one at the PICC and the other was directly behind the Ministry of Finance.

For me, the PICC ride was a piece of cake after the weekly training stint at Hulu Langat. I tackled the gradient with ease on my low gear.

Now, the toughest of the lot, was a hill behind the MOF.

I was riding on the left-hand side of the road, changed to low gear and started climbing when a guy had suddenly stopped in front of me.

My immediate reaction was swerving away from him to avoid a collision and as a result, I lost my balance and fell on my side.

My left knee was pretty banged up and when I broke my fall, I also banged up my right elbow.

I picked up the Dahon Speed P8 which was not damaged and pushed it to the top of the slope and took a brief time to recover.

Although still hurting, I cycled to the checkpoint where the cyclists were given a bottle of water and some food.

Some bananas helped in diverting the pain.

By 11:00am, the ride was over.

At the main event area, I spoke to a man who had road rashes on both his knees. The cyclist said he had a close-call and also made mention of a rider who collided with a lamp post.

Series 7 as it seems, had claimed a number of casualties. 

I guess its mainly because there are more cyclists than the usual.

The minor accident I was involved it could have been avoided if the cyclist in front of me was fit enough to climb.

As for the busted knee and elbow, I guess this one won't hamper me from the weekly training rides on Sundays..

A clean and sober celebration

Michelle, riding along Putrajaya's main boulevard



A shot taken with the Putra mosque in the background



We did it!

Instead of getting drunk and disorderly, Michelle and I took a new approach in celebrating New Year's eve.
Right after I was done with work, I rushed home to jump into my wife's car and with our bikes packed in place, we drove to Putrajaya's Precinct 2.
There, we joint a large crowd of cyclists - totalling to nearly 500 people for a night ride around the country's administrative capital.
All this, for RM2.50 a person.
Rather than blowing our money at pubs or restaurants, we chose a healthier alternative and that was to use our folding bicycles and ride it hard.
At the registration booth, we met up with some old friends.
Some folding bike riders were there too.
Riding around Putrajaya at night was an unforgettable experience.
The route took us on a 20-km loop, covering some scenic areas around this township.
We caught a glimpse of Putrajaya at night which can be rarely seen of you are cooped-up in your car.
The ride ended at 11:30pm and with some stage performance and lucky draw, we left at 02:30am.
Saturday was a day of rest as we recuperated from the ride.