I did a grueling ride this past Saturday with a group of cyclists that called themselve Punggol/SengKang RRR (Relatively Relaxed Riders). We went across the border from Singapore to Malaysia and climbed up a mountain called Gunung Pulai. It was steep as hell, you can take a look at the profile on Strava:
http://www.strava.com/activities/41053435
It shot right up to the sky (literally) at the 85 km mark. It's a 4.3km ascent from 0 to 566m, with Cat 2 climbs in some segments, gradient ranging from 7% to well beyond 20%++. I am so glad I still got my bailout gear at 34-34 (53-34 front; 11-34 rear) whereas my pals who lived and rode in the flatlands all their lives had a rude awakening when they hit their limit at 39-25. It was pure enterPAINment, all of us got off our bikes and walked at some point, all that walking wore out more than one pair of cleats. At around the 3km mark, I hit a patch of fallen leaves and lost my traction, it happened at the steepest section of the climb. I walked about 200 meters and then hopped back on my bike and rode all the way to the top. At the summit, there were three communication towers manned by guards with rifles, we were not allowed to proceed beyond the gates. We met a local guide who took us around to the back and we still managed to snap a couple of pictures before starting the descent back down. It started to drizzle just as we were coming down and one of the riders lost control midway trying to avoid a group of walkers and two motorcyclists coming towards him and he fell and slided like 20 meters before coming to a halt. Fortunately, he didn't break any bones which is a miracle in itself, and still managed to ride the whole way back with us which is another 80 km. Many of the guys have Garmin, and it keeps prompting, "If possible make a U-Turn" (I didn't make this up).
All in all it was a pretty good ride, albeit a very eventful one. I felt uncharacteristically strong that day from start to finish, 169 km total, I wonder if the two tablets of ibuprofen had anything to do with it. ; )
One of the ride organizers popped the question on facebook after we got back: "Will you climb Gunung Pulai again?"
To that, I promptly responded in six different languages:
一次就夠了! Setelah cukup 一回で十分です n Μόλις είναι αρκετά 한 번이면 충분는 once is enough!
Link to one of the rider’s Strava account, for those who are interested:
http://www.strava.com/activities/41053435
Gunung Pulai, Malaysia
We passed by the sign that points to the Shimano factory a few km down the road.
Taken at the foot of the climb, right before we start, people looking to their left, making sure that incoming traffic doesn’t mow us down
Rapha Gentlemen's Race went through here and the sign still intact on the road
My friend Willy somewhere lower down the climb before he took off his shoes and walked.
The view at the summit. Singapore can be seen somewhere on the top-right corner
Worn-out cleats
Happier times mid-way down the descent where I took a dip at a nearby waterfall/spring before the rest of the group caught up and before terror struck later when my friend Freddy fell and drew blood. Yeah, he can still smile.
