Rogue Ride - projek Bagan Lalang, part 4

The point of no return
I reached Bagan Lalang at 06:00pm.
It was getting late and the usual thing to do, is to get a snapshot.
The Olympus EP-3 is not as compact as my G12. I can't figure out this camera especially its exposure lock button.
Most of the shots I had set up earlier had turned out underexposed.

Bagan Lalang at last!

By the time I cycled out of Bagan Lalang, the sun was setting fast.
I found a stall and set up my Sigma Powerled Black lights.
For the journey home, I knew that I would be riding in the dark.
A million things can go wrong.


Riding into the abyss..
When you are all alone, cycling down a dark road, its important to remain and stay focused.
Beyond 100km, your mind would begin to deteriorate. 
Fatigue, sore muscles, busted seat bones, these are as real as it gets.
I covered the 16km void towards Tg Sepat and stopped at a Petrol station.
The plan was simple, if I couldn't continue, I will hop onto a truck and head towards Klang.
Or better still, Banting where hired car services are aplenty.
I was ready to fork out a heavy sum to transport the Jetstream back to USJ 26.
While I was cycling, my motivation was a hot plate of char koay teow in Banting.
And there, with the pain setting in on my butt, I slowly cycled towards Morib.
The Sigma lights were even brighter than any motorcycle headlight that zipped past me.
I knew that at this point in time, if anything should happen, like a burst tire or mechanical problem, its gonna be hard.
With char koay teow as my motivation, I slowly cycled towards Banting...

My dinner

The mid-way point: Banting

Char Koay Teow for the soul..
Slowly,but surely, I reached Banting.
I made my way to Jipun Char Koay Teow and found them closing up.
Having seen that, I wasn't disappointed. 
I made my way towards a hawker centre and found 'Banting Char Koay Teow'.
Without hesitation, I placed an order for a plate of fried noodles.
It was Heaven on Earth as I savoured my dinner. It made my day as I prepare for the final push towards home.
The next thing that came to mind after a hearty meal, was climbing the Banting bridge.
I made my way up and rolled down towards Jenjarom.
There were several 'Death Zones' in this area and after cycling for 166km, I reached a Shell petrol station in this town and took a break.


The final push..
I spent more than 8 hours on the road, mostly cycling with very few stops.
After Jenjarom, there's Teluk Panglima Garang and Sijangkang before hitting the KESAS motorcycle lane.
This is a ride in the dark. And there's about 35km or more to cover.
With each crank on the pedal, I slowly rode past the small towns. 
Everything had worked as planned.
And as I rode past Sijangkang, I was relieved to know that the home-stretch is getting nearer..
With every bit of strength on my body, I rode up the ramp towards the bike lane and rolled down.
The KESAS motorcycle lane was dark. 
After two hours of burn-time, the Sigmas didn't show any signs of wear on its low setting.
This helped me work my way towards the Puchong junction.
After cycling for nearly 17km, I made a turn towards the Proton car factory.
There, I rested at a bus stop.
Home is on my mind and I am nearing the completion of my ride...
For one final break, I mounted and slowly pedaled my way towards the end of the LPD highway.
At this point, despite the padded shorts, my butt was really getting sore.
As I slowly made my way, the Putra Heights signboard was within sight.
I decided to snap some photos there before climbing the ramp towards USJ 26.
I rolled towards the guardhouse and made it home. My dogs were waiting. 
I checked my Garmin EDGE800 cycling GPS. 
It clocked-in about 194.1km. 
I was short of 6km in achieving my first double-century ride.
It didn't matter to me at all as I have successfully completed the ride. Another attempt is in place, but that would have to wait. I need to train harder.

Mission accomplished!

Total mileage clocked

The route

Summary
If you ever plan to ride 200km in a day, better plan it well.
Timing is essential and if you can find a ride buddy, it will be much easier.
When it comes to solo-riding, one has to be able to take on the stress of doing things alone.
I was lucky as there were no untoward incidents along the way.
My mistake was timing. 
I rode later in the morning. By right, I should have started at 6am, taking advantage of the cooler morning.
The bike too was in a bad shape. Having experienced this, well, I guess that in the next attempt, I would be riding my Speed P8 instead.

Rogue Rider - projek Bagan Lalang, part 3

Getting there is half the fun..
Single-handed cyclist Master Meng Fook Cheun once told me: "Don't fear the hills, and getting there is half the fun.."
Meng is one of the leading recumbent cyclist in Malaysia and has a large following especially among newbies.
So, after riding for 10km, I reached Morib.
The sun was scorching and the first thing on my mind was to get my water supply replenished.
Its important to stay hydrated and I always made sure that my water bottle was filled.
I was packing my Ortlieb flight 27 backpack.
This was the first time I hauled such a pack on the road.
Its waterproof, but a bit heavy to lug. 
It contained my much-needed spares as the ride was solo and self-supported.
For this, I relied heavily on my Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires. It performed flawlessly, hardly a single puncture since I procured the Jetstream in July this year.

Refreshment break in Morib, Selangor

On this ride, I was also testing the Olympus EP-3 micro four-third camera.
I was issued an EP-3 body with a 14-42mm zoom lens.
Earlier, I communicated with a PR consultant for Olympus and managed to secure a review for the camera.
My Canon Powershot G12 is reaching the end of its lifespan.
So far, so good, the EP-3 performed well. I've gained respect for the camera although its made entirely in China. 
After a short break in Morib, I cycled towards Batu Laut and Tg Sepat..


The phone, it kept ringing and ringing and ringing...
I've had a sackload of missed calls on my cellphone.
Its mostly work-related.
The slave-drivers at the office are still pressing for work to be done.
As far as I am concerned, I'm out of the office.
But, there were pressing issues, especially on my upcoming book project.
I made a few calls and had it sorted out.
From Batu Laut, Tg Sepat is around the corner. 
My initial plan, was to have a glass of iced-cold coffee and Mui Choy pau.
But time was not on my side.
Instead of stopping, I pushed on to Bagan Lalang.
Now, the point-to-point travel is roughly about 100km.
I still have to ride home from there.
And its no fun as the short 16km stretch from Tg Sepat to Bagan Lalang is mostly a void..
I rode as far as I could, reaching a small break area before the junction towards kg Sg Rawang.
There, I sat down, and refilled my empty drinking bottle. 
Just as I was getting comfortable, a man rode into the area on his motorcycle.
We chat a bit and he kept telling me how fast the heavy vehicles were zooming past the Federal road along Selangor's coastline.
I was not deterred by this. 
Bagan Lalang, is just around the corner. Its either death, or victory..

There's no turning back

Peat fire at Bagan Lalang

I rode along this path before and the last few kilometres ain't gonna hurt.
The evening sun was slowly setting as I made my way towards the Bagan Lalang beach.
There was smoke billowing from an area near the village.
A fire truck rushed by and as I rode towards the location, I can see the vegetation catching fire from the heat.
The coastal area in West Selangor is known for peat fires..

Rogue Rider - projek Bagan Lalang, part 2

The journey continues...
After getting the rear brake problem fixed, I decided to ride to Bagan Lalang.
Its more than 83km away and by the time I hit the road, the sun was already above my head.
Earlier in the day, I couldn't decide.
I spent the first few hours after daybreak watching 'Fright Night' on ASTRO.
Then, a thought came into mind. 
If I don't do this, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
I will never know my true potential.. ahhahaha!
So, fast-foward to mid-day, I was heading out towards Banting.
There were a group of cops manning a routine roadblock underneath a flyover.
One of them stopped me.
I knew that the Dahon Jetstream had attracted his attention.
He flagged me down and as I pulled over, I was bombarded with plenty of questions.
The cop wanted to know if my ride was a folding bike.
I said yes.
He told me that he read about it on the newspapers.
Folding bikes are now growing in popularity. Thanks to the media and the 'representatives' of the community.
We chat a bit and after a couple of minutes, I pushed on...

The friendly traffic cop and my Jetstream

A fellow cyclist, waving for the camera...

Feeling the heat..
I knew what I was getting myself into.
The afternoon heat was punishing.
But this was not the first time I cycled under the sun, my focus was reaching Morib.
This means I have to cycle past Sijangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang, Jenjarom and Banting before getting to Morib.
The SRAM DDII on the Jetstream wasn't 100% restored.
Despite the tune-up, the rear cogwheels were still 'skipping'.
I've pushed this bike to the brink and I think it will get me there and back..
It took me about another 45-minutes to reach the Banting bridge where the DDII was put to its test.
Despite the loss in torque and the constant skipping, I managed to get up to the mid-section of the bridge and roll down towards Banting town.
There, I took a short break at a petrol station before pushing off to Morib..