Sungai Sedim Daring XC, again! 10 September 2000

This is the ride that most riders will be scared to come back again. Leech bites, slippery trail, mud ponds, you name it! We encountered so many leech bites that we couldn't believe that we came all the way from Penang to suffer this torturous experience!

Twenty of us joined the fun this Sunday. The Penang folks got off from the island at 0730hours. Fatt and I had a luxury of getting up half an hour later since we both live in the mainland. When I arrived at the second meet up point, there were already people there waiting for us. After a bite at the local Malay store, we all got off to Sungai Sedim half an hour later!

The trail condition was, well, wet, which some of the riders would have problems to go with it! I never understand their mentality. They say they are mountainbiker but they have problems to ride at a leech infested and wet trail! Mountainbiking should be done offroad at the place like Sungai Sedim. I always believe that "clean" biking is for road riding. Don't get me wrong, I was a road rider for 4 years, and I enjoyed it very much especially ride in the rain. Boy you have to experience the sensation of the rain hitting the eye balls. I could hardly open my eyes!

Anyway, we took photo together and we all set off! The initial portion was okay. Moderate climbs and easy ride in the durian orchard. Still, we already had two casualties. Two of the riders decided to go back to the campsite. Reason? "Leech lah!" "Too tired. I have not recovered from my last adventure sport competition!" I accepted the second. Yeah, this adventure sport is very taxing. I let it go. Gave up because of leech bites? Come on, don't be a sissy okay???

The trail became very technical to ride, especially the climbs. A climb that was used to be moderate and would have no problem to pedal to the end had become the toughest one to tackle. It was due to the errosion that caused by rain. It was so difficult to climb. If I picked a wrong line, I would be a dead meat. I would have to push the bike all the way up. It happened to me, and I had to push my 26 pounder most of the time whenever there was a slope! I was with the second group. The first group was already no where to be seen. Since the distance got further and further between the two groups. I was in such a hurry to catch up with the first. So I decided to leave the second group to Azmi, who was with us, and raced against all odds to catch the first!

It was one of hell of the chase I had ever experienced. The climbs were terrible and the terrain was very unfriendly. I mean, there were booby traps all over the places. A slight miscalculation and I would be deep in the mud pond! And those sticky bloodsucking creatures would come to you if you stand idle or stay in the mud pond a little too long. Do you realize that some of these "little" creatures are three inches in length and decorated with Jalur Germilang color? No? You'd better pay this place a visit!!!

I finally caught up with the front pack after a tedius 5km of climbing, crawling under the bush and battle against leeches and sticky mud. I was about to collapse already by the time I got them. They were so cruel that when they saw me, they said, "Lets go, time's over!" My tongue was already to the ground and they decided to continue without asking if I were okay or not? Such a senseless group! I decided to wait for the second group to come out from all the struggle I had been to a while ago. After a few radio moments(always go into an unfamiliar trail well equiped. Especially when you are in the middle of between two groups. A hand held walkie talkie is a tool that may save your life one day!), they decided to go on their pace and asked me to go ahead without waiting for them. Seeing all the sticky creatures crawling towards me, I had to agree with them!

Actually we were already in the land of unknown when we went pass the kilometer five mark, which was a brach off to a waterfall. We did not know what would greet us in front. That was the thing that made this trip exciting, we were exploring into an unknown! "To boldly go where no one has gone before!" It was a six kilometers of undulating single track before another branch off. No tedius climbs but long downhill, which would be a problem for me to tackle on the way back! It was only a while before we reched another branch off again. Apparently we did this at faster pace. At our left was a trail going down. At the right a trail going up. We decided to try the down one. It wasn't long before we realized it was a deadend! Time was running late. It was already past afternoon. We decided to turn back even though we only covered eleven kilometers. It seems like the trail will end at somewhere. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to explore more!

Oh by the way, did I mention that I hit my head to the tree branches more than I did since I was a kid? Yup, fallen tree here and there. A careless rider will have his helmet cracked. I was crusing at moderate speed when on my way back to the trailhead. All the sudden, a bump to my head. Next thing I knew, I was already lying on the ground with my bike on top of me! I was virtually seeing stars flying around my head. It was a big hit. Lucky I put my helmet on, or I would be lying on the ground unconcious!

It was a tough ride. It was tough not because of steep climb. It was because of the long journey and technical(spell tiring!) ride. I was exhausted by the time I arrived at the trail head. I had never been at this stage since my last visit to Pos Mensun, which I was also on my own between the first and the second packs! Will I go back to continue? Yeah of course! Fatt, you are game? Let me know!

Stay tuned!

P.S: Though we did not continue after the kilometer eleven, Azmi, Gary, Sup, the Neoh couple and Matthew decided to explore further. They continued their journey at the right trail, which led them to another branch off again. On the way they saw few waterfalls. They decided to turn back after they travelled four more kilometers as the trail became steeper to climb. Is this heaven or what? I think we have found the best MTB XC trail in the Northen States!