Hulu Langat Series 13

Getting back in shape
Michelle and I had decided that its best to get our muscles conditioned for the CFAL4 ride in Penang which is going to happen in two month's time.
Our choice training ground is Hulu Langat's Pekan Bt 18 where we ride a course of 10km along a stretch of undulating terrain right up to the Kuala Kelawang and Semenyih junction.

The Dahon Jetstream P8 is ready for action

We began the ride with our friend Mohd Radzi who was a first-timer in this course. The task was to ride up the junction at km10 and decide if we want to climb the Genting Perez.
When we parked, there was a group of 10 people from another folding bike group. I met a few of them two weeks earlier.
At 7:45am sharp, we set out to the first checkpoint. The ride was smooth as we all made it to the 'Dead man's climb' under 40-minutes.

"Dead man's climb"

 A decision
I told Michelle that we ride up to an Orang Asli kampung about 5km from the Kuala Kelawang - Semenyih junction.
At this point, everyone was upbeat. There were only three of us during the training ride and after a 10-minute rest, we started climbing.
And when we reached the kampung, I decided to push further towards Genting Perez.
Michelle reminded me that I had to work. But I seized the opportunity to complete the ride. Its been a while since we rode this course and its also the first time we did it on our Jetstreams.
From the junction, it was a straight climb. Half-way doing so, I nearly ran over a Scorpion.
Having seen that it was trying to cross the road, I picked it up and set it free on the foliage.
We carried on and reached the state border before heading back to Pekan Bt 18.

The dangerous critter..

At the Negeri Sembilan side of the border

 It took us more than two hours to complete the 40km ride. I felt a sense of achievement for climbing 10km without straining myself.
The workout was superb as I started my day at the office with loads of work to sort out. This weekend, we will be training again at Hulu Langat...

Last call.. Part 2

Cheerful despite the gloom: Me and Billy at the junction

The show must go on..
Michelle performed flawlessly on her Dahon Jetstream P8. She climbed all the way to the signboard while I kept tow.
I rode past the body of the cyclist which was draped in a white sheet, overtook Billy for the last 100 metres.
For the beginner, this was the toughest section and what that is lurking ahead, is either a 10km uphill ride or a 6km roll towards the Hulu Langat Dam.
Rita and another cyclist were there waiting while Uncle Meng went in search of the two ladies who were behind us.
I can see that Billy was exhausted and breathing heavily.
We took a rest there and while we were at it, Billy was talking to one of the old hands who shared some cycling experience with him.
Far in the horizon, I can see a folding bike climbing.
It was the lady in the Reebok bike, but she was riding her friend's bike instead.
Then, out of the corner, the newbie cyclist was pushing her bike. She made it to the junction slowly as we rolled past her.
Down at the spot where the man died, I can see the same group of roadies who were keeping company.
It took a while before the police landrover came to remove the body for transportation to the morgue.

Michelle and Billy

Completing the ride
Another 10km towards Pekan Bt 18, but this was an easy ride back.
We've completed the first leg of the ride and thought that it was enough as time became a factor.
I need to head to the office because I was on duty.
Throughout the ride, Billy did pretty well. He didn't complain or showed any signs of fatigue.
He commented on some of the kampung houses along the way and the good life in the countryside.

The ride back to the starting point

Billy pointed out a warong that was located by the roadside at KM3 along the route.
I told him that the stall was quite lousy and some good coffee and nasi lemak awaited us at Nam Wah coffeeshop in town.
This is our usual hangout where you can meet plenty of cyclists.
When we got there, there were a group seated behind us.
They were talking about the dead guy and would have probably taken pictures of his body lying on the road.
I saw a lady viewing her smartphone. They were a couple cycling two 16" folding bikes we had encountered along the way..

Billy enjoying his nasi lemak...

I guess the talk of the day and for many weeks to come would be the dead cyclist. 
By 11:30am, we were pretty much done for the day.
It was a good 22.5km ride and we hope to return to this trail again to do the longer ride to the Tekala Forest Park.

Last call... Part 1

At Hulu Langat Bt 18 this morning

We haven't been cycling much as a couple of late.
Michelle had to travel quite a bit and the only ride I managed was a 21km loop around Desa Park City last week.
This was in preparation for the OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2011 event in Dataran Merdeka on Oct 16.
There's much to be done as my cycling team is still waiting for their bikes. They have yet to train and I must say that at least four of them would find it challenging when they hit the road next week.
Since there's only less than seven days before the big event, I decided to ride the Hulu Langat Trail with Michelle and my buddy Billy. 
We've made arrangements to meet at the Balai Polis at 07:30am

First-timer: Billy and his bike

Some old kakis
When we arrived at Bt18, I noticed a Proton Saga parked beside the police station. It was uncle Meng and Rita Wong.
Meng is well-known in the cycling fraternity for his recumbent bicycle ride to Beijing and had recently returned from France.
This was the first time I met him after a ride from Karak to Bentong in Pahang earlier this year.
Rita was featured in The Star yesterday. She rode with the famous Storm Riders from Haadyai to Ko Lanta recently.
We caught up with some conversation and was introduced to a couple who came with a Scott Mountain Bike and a Dahon Expresso 26" foldie.
Uncle Meng asked if I wanted to get a recumbent and join him for a tour of Japan next year.
"Eh, we are going for the Cherry Blossom ride la, its affordable, about RM1.8K to transport the bike and airfare only..."
I told him that I would only entertain the idea of a folding trike, which is more practical. 
Bikepacking guru TT Siang, who led the Storm Riders made mention of this once..
After the group had set up, they rode off to the 10km marker.
At least two more foldies were on their way. One of them rode a Reebok folding bike and was accompanied by a newbie.

True grit: Billy pushing the last 800metres

Hitting the trail
Billy arrived just in time for the ride.
The two ladies have set up their bikes and cycled ahead of us.
After we made our exit from the main road towards Kampung Sungai Lui and overtook the ladies.
The day was cloudy and cool air from the mountains made the ride really pleasant.
We came across a group of roadies who were on their way back from either Genting Perez or the Langat Dam.
After riding nine series in this route, the journey towards the farmhouse in km10 of the ride seems breezy.
Since Billy was a first-timer here, I kept a line with Michelle riding lead. She did fine by keeping a good pace while I swept.
Billy was in the middle and during intervals, I asked if he was okay.


Death on the road
With one km to go, I saw a guy on the road cycling a foldie. He was accompanying another dude on a road bike.
When we rode past each other, I noticed he was someone I knew, riding a Dahon Vector X20. What a coincidence!
As we were nearing the farmhouse, an ambulance whizzed by.
I knew that at this point, something was wrong.
The couple whom we met earlier on a Scott and a Dahon Expresso rode past and told us there was an accident ahead.
We were exactly 800-metres away from the Semenyih and Kuala Kelawang junction.
This was a tough climb in the last leg of the route.
I told Billy to maintain a steady cadence and when Michelle led the charge, we came across the body of a cyclists covered in a bed sheet on the side of the road.
Several other roadies were there to accompany a plainclothes cop who was guarding the scene.
He was there to determine that there were no foul-play in this case.
One of the cyclists we knew said the man had collapsed and died.
His body was not discovered until a group of roadies came to his aid. By the time first aid was rendered, it was too late. The man was gone...

Sungai Tekala Forest Park Hike

Michelle and I at the peak of the waterfall

The park's inhabitant

I am ashamed to admit that I have never cycled to the Sg Tekala Forest Park near Semenyih.
This place is about 24km from Pekan Bt 18 in Hulu Langat and my wife did it on her 3-speed 2009 Dahon Curve D3.
So, having given much thought to this awesome place, I decided to check it out. Not by cycling, but a hike in the park.
There is an entrance fee of RM1 per person and on a fasting month, we were surprised to find that the streams were actually full of people.
At the park entrance, I spotted a Portia jumping spider and went to work on it with my Canon MPE-65 macro lends.
We later hiked about 2km to the peak of the Tekala falls. 
There were two strange-looking dudes dipping themselves in a pool with dive masks.
I don't really know what they were doing, but these guys were oblivious to their surrounding.
One sad part was the rubbish that were strewn all over the area.
People use this place for their recreation, but they don't seem to bother at all with the environment.. 
After hiking up the park for four hours, we called it a day..

Hulu Langat Training Ride Series 2

The foldie gang at the Kuala Klawang - Semenyih junction in Hulu Langat

Veteran folding bike rider Uncle Bil Choy made a clarion call for all the folding bike club members on keeping fit after the Putrajaya 50km onslaught two weeks ago.
He called for a training ride in Hulu Langat and conducted a ride last week. It was first in a series of training rides in the area.
I found this to be really useful as a measure to increase my stamina and endurance for long commutes and rides.
The hilly part enroute to the Hulu Langat reservoir proved to be a testing ground.
I made it all the way to the bt 14 junction, but on the way back to the starting point, I found that my legs were strained beyond its limit.
And just as I decided to rest, I watched as other riders rode past me.
My legs had turned to a mush of goo. I could hardly feel it and when I pedalled the crank, I can feel it trembling.
That was how unfit I had become of the years of eating and drinking.
Although I don't smoke, I can feel my lungs burning with each breath drawn.
Despite all that, I managed to complete the 31.8km course in about two and a half hours.
As far as the ride is concerned, it was a satisfying outing cos I got plenty of exercise.
Well, having given it much thought, I should ride every week and this would keep the unsightly bulge on my stomach down as well as control my high blood pressure.