PARIT BUNTAR 5 HILLS XC
July 1st, 2001
Distance of the ride: 19.38km.
Actual Riding time: 1.46hrs.
Total Time taken: 3hrs.
Average Speed: 10.8km/h
Max. Speed : 32km/h
Reading Alan's first journal on this trail made me think thrice whether I should join the ride. However after looking at the ride calendar and did not see any interesting proposal, I decided to try out this ride. I was saying to myself, "what the heck are you doing!"
My preparations were way up front. Correspondence with Alan, Annuar, Julian on car pool and the American MTBiker in Malaysia known as Mark the Mat Salleh. It ended up with me buying a car roof rack and some bungee cords, to transport my bike and my Intel buddy's bike (who else than Julian?).
Picked up Julian and then drove over to Mark's who was drinking Diet Coke at 7.25 in the morning when we got there. We then met Annuar (in his brand new Turbo Charged Ford Ranger) just before the bridge and we convoyed to Jawi Toll plaza, with me being a nervous wreck at the thought of the bike on the roof. We had breakfast at Nibong Tebal, I can see the naughty faces of MTBikers when they saw me. I met an old buddy of mine here, Michael Ooi. He still looked lean and fit.
We reached the trail head at about 9.05 am. They were about 36 riders from Maverick's, Vipers, Lee of Kulim's, and KOTRTs, our guest Mark and also Alex Ooi from SP. The Rubber Knight was there too (husband to be - Ah Fatt). Alan was counting the steers and to ensure the attendance before we rolled out. Alan is sweeping.
We started of the ride on a dirt road and after approximately 5km, we hit the first climb.
The climb started gradual and then developed slightly steeper as we proceeded. It was getting longer and longer and I was wondering when its gonna end. Alan sensed this.
At the grouping after the first climb, Alan was giving me encouragement.
The second climb was also tough. We were actually riding under the sun (which was kind that day) and the climb was getting steeper and steeper. This climb was a bit technical, looking at the dirt and rocky terrain. There was a short downhill after this climb and we enjoyed it. I hate climbing but love down hills. Mark and Julian was nowhere to be seen.
Now, the third hill is something you've got to reckon with. Imagine after you have been climbing two long climbs, someone presented the third hill and stuffed it up your nose. This is a real killer! I can see riders up ahead dismounting and pushing their bike. FYI, I did not complete the first and second hill in one breath. I stopped to take some breathers and water before continuing. At the third hill, my legs just couldn't take it so I decided to push. I remembered Alan's bungee chord method and decided to try it out. It worked, and I managed to cover some few hundred meters before my will power gave up on me. I had to push.
The fourth hill was however slightly better than the third hill, but as I was drained, I still had numerous stops to recover. The downhill after the fourth climb was great. Even though it was slippery, it was enjoyable as it was a new experience for me. The front 2.1 Velociraptor and the rear Desert Raptor worked well. We reached an open farm or orchard. Riding through this orchard was fun except for the bull that stood in my way. It might have thought I was a Matador, with my red jersey playing tricks on his eyes and mind. I retreated and waited a couple of minutes for it to join the herd. After this it was single-track fun until we hit the last climb. There was also this consolation climb. Someone was asking for shortcuts here.
My bike was bobbing and it almost threw me on my back. However, the downhill was such a thrill. There were trees waiting to stop a face, but it was sheer fun. Leaning out on the corners and letting your bike roll along the trail, feathering your brake levers, it all came into play. I had so much fun until we hit a poultry farm. I had to ride without inhalation, my head almost exploded. It was a short ride amongst the rubber trees to our cars. We ended the ride at about 12.35pm. and headed for the Gu Bak Koteow shop.
For those who miss this ride, it's your lost. Ride it, than you'll know what I'm talking about.
But let me tell you something, it was fun all right, if not I wouldn't be cursing in 4 different languages right? The curses were in Hokkien, English, Malay and Japanese!!!!
Err, by the way, congratulations to Ah Fatt, for he's gonna get himself in trouble, guess what, HE'S GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Naw, just joking maaan, go ahead, do the same mistake I did...but not to worry; we will attend your wedding.