Surviving Iron River: Day 9: Round Penang Island

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Day 9: Round Penang Island

0630H got onto the ferry together with about 50 riders, all mountain bikers.

had a tough time truing my front derailleur last night. before that Alvin brought me to look at the route i will be riding tomorrow. instead of boosting my confidence, i was nervous looking at those steep climbs.

then i was on the phone for a short while.
talking is part of my training, to keep my morale high, indirectly improve performance=p
today will be my very first time riding with the Penang Weekend Warriors, invited by Jin Aik.
i am not very familiar with the roads here, so he told me to wait at Weld Quay. Penang's road is like maze, super confusing. anyway, i slept for only 3 hours. i took recovery drink and filled one bottle with plain water and the other one with electrolyte before doze off.

Gurney Drive - Weld Quay - Tun Dr. Lim Chong Ewe Expressway - Batu Maung - Bayan Lepas - Sungai Ara - Paya Nibung - Jln Tun Sardun - Balik Pulau - Sg Rusa - Titi Kerawang - Tlk Bahang - Tanjung Bungah - Gurney Drive
80km Round Island Ride, first 20km was pretty much Jin Aik pulling the peloton and maintaining the pace approximately 35km/h on the highway. we had about 10 riders. my very first ride, Sir Sam has been telling them about me. as a cadet from UPNM, i will not disgrace my team. i am not in the best form now, lack of sleep some more. without knowing the complete route here, i intended to give a punch on the hilly side. I asked the riders about the hilly part, all of them said "super steep" and the way they portray the climb immediately twisted my attacking mode to play safe mode.

first climb, i was cruising well and Jin Aik told me to reserve some energy. He is such a nice guy, all the time never failed to assist me as i'm a newbie. i was expecting that super steep hill, so i rode on constant pace. most of the time 12km/h. somehow the adrenaline rush just came, and i pedaled with higher cadence leaving the peloton behind. reached the peak and decided to stop coz i don't know the route. for this ride, every time i stopped was all because i don't know the route.

not to brag, but this route is nothing compared to the infamous Broga killer Dragon Back climb. i always come back in pain after the ride no matter how well i prepare myself. it just hurts so much. if i were to grade 1 to 10 level of challenge, Broga scores 9 while this round island ride scores 6. However, i like the Penang riders, they're very different from those KL riders.

2nd climb. i punched harder, i even chased after a motorbike carrying Durian for 2km. the Durian smell lured me to chase after him. my Schwalbe Untremo Tire punctured and i heard a loud pop sound. checked the tire and saw nothing, no nail, no hole. as what Edwin said, may be durian=p first time tire puncture.
the climb was alright, not as steep as the first climb.
Probably the Broga Dragon Back trained me well...