Another visit to Sungai Sedim, 13 August 2000
I think the feeling not to write the journal has come to haunt me again! I don't know why. It happens on and off. It really bothers me! Maybe this web thing has a toll on me? Hmm... Hell, I'll see what happen. Hopefully I can keep on doing it until I have run out of gas, or I have lost the interest in cycling! In that time, I think I am going to do paleontogy..err...you know, doing things like finding fossil? Don't laugh! We can do the fossil finding thing in Malaysia. Who knows? One day I might discover a new species. I am going to call it, err...KOTRTosaurus? Hehe...
Okay back to this trip. So what have we done in this trip? Weren't we supposed to explore the remaining 14km of the single track that we rode last time? Well, we did ride in Sungai Sedim. We also rode in the logging trail that we always do whenever we visit Sungai Sedim. So what happen to the 14km adventure? Long story lah. I just knew that our Tourism Minister was planning to visit Sungai Sedim on the same day in the very last minute. Believe me, my first reaction was, "So what? It has nothing to do with our Sedim visit!" Anyway, I informed the core group about the "latest" news but it seemed like I wasn't the first one who came to know this. Apparently, I was the last one who knew about this thing.
Anyhow, we had quite a number of riders turned out. I did not do the roll call as usual but I believe there were around twenty to twenty five riders showed up at the campsite. After we all fixed up our machines, we all set to go. Our first ride was the usual logging trail. It looked easy for those who had not ridden on offroad XC before, they would find it not easy to tackle. I saw few "tengkahs" who frequent Ceruk Toh Kun in BM or the Penang Hill jeep track were struggling to go through the obstacle. To make the ride more "challenging"(???), raining the day before made the trail even harder for some of riders to get through. There were mud pool here and there! Especially when you are already in the middle of the trail and you can't turn back and say bye bye to the rest! You would have no choice but to find a way to go over the slimy pool! Who the hell what might have in the pool? A giant leech and would suck all you blood? Or maybe a hairy spider that was waiting for its next prey?? Man I love riding in Sungai Sedim!!!
We got the ride on the logging trail done pretty quickly. We started the ride at 1000 hours. By the time the first group hit the tarmac, the time was just 1030 hours! I was with the first group. Okay lah, I was the leader of the ride that day(again??). I am sure someone was cursing me to hell when I decided to make it a quick one! Daniel the kamikaze complaint to me for being too fast for him to catch up. I was thrilled. Actually I did not expect other riders would follow me! Hehe...Remember, our major target is that 20km single track, not the usual easy one hour loop okay?
Some of the riders decided to welcome the minister. I had decided otherwise. First of all, we did not come here merely to welcome him. We came here to ride. So I made to the point that I would follow our original schedule: we would meet at the bridge that would lead to the trail we wanted to go. Whoever preferred to do the circus for this "Tua Chiak Mang" were welcome to do so. This is a democratic country. No one will force something you don't like to your throat and expect you to swallow it! No surprise, only seven riders, including me decided to take the challenge! The rest decided to go back to the camp site due to various reasons! Usual lah, cannot continue lah. My woman already cook me the lunch lah. My friend not following lah. Legs cramped lah(wonder how come he never has problem to climb up to 84 non stop?) etc. All the excuses, all the BS! Okay lah I have to be fair to some riders that didn't realize that they would go back to camp site to "greet" the minister. Sorry folks, you missed all the fun!!! Maybe next time!
Time already running late, and we had three new riders joining us, a new comer to this MTB thing by the name of Liu and the Neoh couple. After discussion with Azmi, we decided to do the 14km adventure in another day! We will still have chance to explore the trail together in our next visit to Sungai Sedim again!
The trail was totally different from the last time we visited. It was the same trail we did last time but it had become more technical to tackle! An easy climb became a hardcore technical torture! Furthermore, one of the bridges was washed away by the mud slide! We decided to go on after we saw there was a detour for us to continue our journey!
Another obstacle came our way before we reached the stream. There was a thick layer of falling bamboo trees in front of us. It must be heavy rain a day before. First, there was a mudslide that washed away the wooden bridge. Then this thick bamboo bush. Again, we decided to cut through the bush and continue the journey!
We finally reached the stream after the two obstacles. The stream was as clear as ever. We were greeted by a group of butterflies! Have you ever experienced a butterfly stands on your head or rest on your palm? No? You have got to go there! I have never seen such the beautiful creature that had never scared of human being!
I must say it was a good ride. This is what I call an XC MTB trip, not the lame bust your balls out tarmac climb on jeep track! We decided to come back again. This time we will do the 20km single track, that's for sure! Of course, we had to have feeding on the way. Remember, this is a long climb. None of us had done a 20km climb before! It does sound scary but it will be quite a challenge. So anyone game? Fatt?
Stay tuned!