Sunday Recce At Sg Sedim Race Track, 19 November 2000

I am having a terrible cold!! And I joined a bunch of gong-ho recceing the Sungai Sedim race track this morning! It was a fun ride, though we did not try to complete the two loop ride. Basically, we just wanted to check out the track. It turned out that it was a surprise!

Seven riders turned out for the ride, excluding the Parit Buntar folks. They were told to wait for us at the Shell Gas Station, BKE east bound but they decided to go to Sungai Sedim on their own. Well, this is a democratic country. So we only waited at Gas Station for only 10 minutes and then we all set off to Sungai Sedim.

There was no sign of the Parit Buntar riders when we arrived at the Sedim campsite. We decided not to wait any longer and started to fix up our machines and ready to go. Since Annuar was the only rider who had been to the race track before, he was appointed as the leader of the ride. I only had a sketchy info about the race track. What I knew about the race track was it would run through the logging trail, the riverbank singletrack and a bridge would be built at the end of the singletrack to connect to the campsite.

We started the ride at the campsite and proceeded to the logging trail. The trail was wet due to the rain a day before but we most of the trail were rideable. The ride then detoured to a descent that we had never encountered before at roughly the half way at the logging trail. We were greeted by a narrow singletrack running through the rubber estate. Apparently the trail was new. I still saw tree branches lying on the trail, which added fun factor to the ride.

We also had to cross the river at the middle of the ride. I thought it was a shallow one until I was already at the middle of the crossing. The water rose to my thighs! My shoes were wet. Luckily, it was just a small crassing. Afterwards, we all exited to the tarmac and continue our ride to the campsite via the riverside singletrack.

The ride did not go as smoothly as the previous rides in Sungai Sedim. My bike skidded off when we were riding at the logging trail. I wasn't used to the new tires that Gary recommended me, a pair of IRC Mythos XC 1.95. The ride characteristics of the thinner and taller tires are totally different from my usual fat WTB Velociraptor. They felt heavier also. Probably it was because of these tires were not Kevlar threaded like my previous Velociraptor. I was actually giving taking part in the Sedim race a serious consideration. But after the fall that I made in the place I used to fly over with ease, I think I would like to have a second of that.

It wasn't a difficult trail. The surprise comes from the detour thing. I never realize that there were nice trails running paralel to the logging trail. Though it was a flat singletrack, it can be technical if you do not know how to deal the blocking logs. Since the race is just a two lap race, it is going to be a fast one. If you can't overtake the front rider at the logging trail, forget about overtaking him/her at the narrower singletrack. If I take part in the race, I would try to be in the mid pack on the first lap and reserve my energy. Then I'll whack them at the second lap. Or maybe I'll go kacau kacau sahaja. Sprint like hell at the first lap. Let everyone chases me like nobody business and then step out of race when I finish the first lap!

Sound like fun huh?

Stay tuned!