Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Dec 29 & Dec 30 ride from Perlis to Thailand

It was supposed to be a training ride for Khalid and friends but it turned out to be a leisure trip on MTB to Hatyai… 9 riders (Khalid, Danny, Steven, Ching Hoe, Choon Seng, Mak, Peng Seng, Yin Yong (Peng Seng’s son), and Peng Soon) joined the ride. Total distance covered for the two days’ trip was closed to 235KM.



We started the first day from Kangar, Perlis. (Thanks to Khalid’s connections, we were able to park our cars in a safe place for two days.) 9:40am, we left for Padang Besar. The sky was dark and the road was wet… rain restarted after a few KM from Kangar as we were started to get organized to ride at 30KM/hr claimed average. Hm… who were pulling in front… my meter was showing 35KM/hr. We reached Padang Besar at about 1hr later. Before entering the customs, we stopped over at Petronas to clean up and refill. We left Malaysia at 11:20am and started riding into Thai-land.



The immediate observation was the road color and surrounding… it would be very dusty if it was not raining but we were lucky, the rain continued since we started the day. We continued with the claimed 30KM/hr average… and it went to 38KM/hr at time and lowered to 33-35KM/hr when some riders were not able to catch up. Our faces were so “muddy” and not to mention our bikes. We have two stops before we reached Hatyai… and as usual, most of the riders will clean up their bikes.



The lunch was quite delicious (maybe I should say tasty, maybe we were wet, dirty and hungry). The economy rice and the noodle soup were so great that Danny has two bowls of noodle soup. We reached Hatyai city at 4pm and guess what… the first place we visited was a bike shop followed by two more… all riders bought at least one item except Danny. We were not able to find the 3rd shop… thanks to a local Chinese uncle (in his late 70s). He rode an old single speed bike and led us thru the town cruising at 16KM/hr. We felt so warmed… we should have taken a picture with him. We must be too wet and too tired.


We checked in at Yong Dee hotel (located right in the downtown) at 5pm. We cleaned up and met for dinner at 6pm. After dinner, 6 riders went for massage and left 3 wandering around. The downtown was being setup for New Year count down. Many tourists on the street and police were everywhere. We felt safe. We even have some "star" drink on the street. We met up 9:30pm for supper and drink. The fried noodle was great and the Tom Yam noodle had 5 fresh water prawns in it!!! We ordered a huge “elephant” drink. Overall, we had a great night out. We forgot about the muddy ride… our bike was dirtier than almost all our previous off road rides. You will not believe it.

Day 2… we met at 8am for breakfast at the market nearby. We started the ride at about 9:30am. But, less than 1KM from our hotel, we had a puncture. We took opportunity to take pictures. About 25KM later… we were called to stop again… this time… two spokes on a rear wheel gave way. It took us a while to settle the situation with a wheel swap and a bike swap. One bike was moving for the rest of the day with two spokes less. We got organized again and resume our cruising speed at claimed “30KM/hr”. The road condition and weather was perfect. No more rain, no more dusty roads. At some point before noon, we were riding at 38KM++… the rider with the wheel swap started to ride slower as the disc brake was slightly “jammed”. We stopped to have his rear brake caliper “dismounted”; seriously!!! He continued to ride for the rest of the day with only the front brake.
We had our lunch at 2pm at a small town near Satun (~28KM) from Wang Kelian. We had fried rice and fried noodle. Do you believe a restaurant has no salt?? Choon Seng didn’t believe it and he searched the kitchen. No salt! We resume the ride… finally at the claimed 30KM/hr cruising speed. Everyone was so glad that we, finally, were able to enjoy the ride. We stopped by a waterfall to take picture and later, discovered that the same bike with rear wheel puncture now has a front wheel puncture. We reached Thaleban resort (just less than 1KM from Wang Kelian border). We took pictures and have a brief rest before leaving Thailand. At 4pm or so, we passed the border… nice to be back in our home country but many worried about the ride up the Wang Kelian hill… it took us less than expected effort to pass the hill and some members started to feel that they have a lot left in the tank for the last 30KM to Kangar. One member attacked a small hill… later, another rider attacked at ~50KM/hr. Few riders caught up with him and continue to sprint at ~40KM/hr… I think all have forgotten that they were riding MTBs… and most with XC or even off road tires. At 20KM before Kangar, the peleton was broken into 3 to 4 groups… we regrouped at 5KM to Kangar. The last 5KM was “peaceful”… no more attacks. At 5:40pm, we were back in Kangar. We had dinner before we left the town. We ordered some “Tiger” drink, and some said “Thai girl”… oh boy, the Thai fever was not over yet…

Overall, the ride was great! Day 1, we rode ~98KM in the rain… we have a good night out. Day 2, we rode ~137KM; perfect weather, nice road and fast pace however we had 3 incidents. Thanks to Khalid for hosting and Danny for organizing ride. Our next long ride will be 245KM or 300KM one day ride from Penang to Cameron on MTB. After that, 280KM ride from Cameron to Kota Bharu (the next month)… one rider said… if you want to play, play big, but don’t play too often. :)

New year ride in Kulim

Route: Kulim - Tanjung Dawai
Starting point : 7.30am at Jabatan Hutan

New Year round island ride

Starting from E-park at 7.20 am
Both Road and MTB are welcome

Saturday, December 27, 2008

No road ride in Kulim tomorrow(Dec 28)

Due to multiple events on Sunday Dec 28, namely Kuala Ketil MTB race, Taiping Jamboree, Penang fellowship and another event in Seberang Perai, riders are scattered all around hence there will not be a organized road ride in Kulim.

Friday, December 26, 2008

MTB - Saturday Dec 27

Starting point: Bukit Gambir Junction
Time : 7.30am sharp
Route : Bkt Gambir - 1200 step temple - Air Itam Dam- Balik Pulau - Back
Difficulty : medium
For more infor Call Danny

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Penang Hill Ride on Christmas day

Start 7.45am from Botanical Garden.
Route : Up Penang Hill and down to Air Itam

Friday, December 19, 2008

Letua-MKH commemorative T-shirts for sale

Letua-MKH commemorative T-shirts will be officially on sale this sunday at Pesta Pulau Pinang. Price is $20 each.

Pesta Pulau Pinang

Around 16 MKH riders will be participating in Pesta Pulau Pinang races on saturday and sunday. 7 in opens, 7 in Junior veteran, 2 in Senior veteran categories. Saturday will feature road races from Gurney drive to top of Tun sardon and criterium on sunday at Padang Kota. Good luck to all riders.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Saturday Dec 13 Round island ride

Starting from Epark entrance at 7.15 am
Route:
E-Park - Greenlane - Gurney Traffic Light (in front of Sunrise Tower) - Teluk Bahang (breakfast) - Balik Pulau - Bkt Genting - Home
MTB or road bikes? Your choice.

Sunday Dec 14 road ride from Kulim - Pantai Merdeka

Starting at 7.30 am from Jabatan Hutan to Pantai Merdeka. Estimated distance 100km on flat terrain

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Monday Dec 8 MTB ride in Penang

Destination : Penang hill from Tai Siang lo Kun in Air Itam
Statring Point: Sg Ara at 3pm. Or meet at the trail entrance at around 3.40pm.
Difficulty: Very Hard..steep long hills

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Dec 7, Road ride in Kulim

Route : Kulim-Serdang-Selama
Starting from Jabatan Hutan , Kulim
Time: 730am sharp

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

More picture and G. Jerai trip report from TRM + Perlis power MTB club

Pls visit

http://www.zankx.blogspot.com/

http://perlispowermtbclub.blogspot.com/

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Successful MTB on the road ride to G.Jerai

Saturday Nov 29 2008 - 10 riders (all on MTB) rode from Southern Penang Island all the way to Gunung Jerai and back covering over 180km. Considering mix of more experience and relatively new riders, a high crusing speed of slightly over 30kmh was achievable almost throughout the whole journey. The ride started at 5 am and the last rider reached home at ~650pm It started raining from 7.30am or Sg Petani all the way to Gurun. the 12km climb was extended by another 2.5km military base road up to the summit where it was very cold due to the wind chill factor & was very foggy too (less than 100m visibility). We were joined by another 15 riders from Penang and Perlis (friends from TRM) at the foothill. Overall journey was smooth except for a puncture at Sg Petani on the return leg.

Pic Below : Group photo with Perlis/Alor Setar riders at the foot of Gunung Jerai
Pic below: This how it looks like on the way up (someting like 50m visibility
Pic Below: At the summit, 4 of 5 riders made it thru the cold whether conditions. Thanks to Haslizan(right most on the picture) from TRM who showed us the way

Pic below : Lunch at Gurun


Pic: Below : Sign of accomplishments onboard the Ferry

Friday, November 28, 2008

Sunday Nov 30 - Test out MTB trail at K Ketil

Planning to test out Kuala Ketil Mountain bike loop on Sunday Nov 30 ahead of the Kuala Ketil International Offroad Mountain Bike Challenge that will be held on Dec 28 2008.

Time : 8am at the trail site (Have not been there so a little searching needed)

Intersted call Danny

No Road ride in Kulim this sunday

Pls note that there will be no road organized road ride starting from Kulim this week. However there might be a small group short ride. If interested pls contact Lee(Kulim) directly.

Penang to Gunung Jerai on MTB -200km

Sat Nov 29 - MTB on the road ride from Penang to Gunung Jerai
Expected Distance: 200km !!

Starting/meeting points
1) Sg Ara - 5am
2) E Park -Coastal highway junction 5.20am
3) Penang Fery terminal motorcycle/bicycle entrance 5.40am
4) Perai Ferry terminal motorcycle/bicycle exit - 6.15

Cruising/Drafting Speed : 27-30kmh

Expected to reach Gunung Jerai foot hill between 945-10am.

Note : This is self supported ride hence no support vehicle, Make sure you you are self sufficient and make necessary arrangements (eg own support vehicle) should you feel challenged with the ride plan.

Will make 1 breakfast stop at ~7.30am, lunch stop at Gurun at 1.30pm and 2 water refill/toilet short stops along the way.

Expect to reach Perai at around 5.30pm.

For more info call Danny (012-4305049)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

External ride Info : Penang Fellowship Ride 2008

Penang Fellowship Ride 2008

Date : 28th Dec 2008
Time : 8.00am
Cycling group arrangement: Police outriders in front, KOTRT Pace car and participants. Motorized marshal (KTM Superbike Group Pg) and MPPP 4WD sweep/emergency vehicle behind.
RM10.00 fee per participant.
Event souvenir T-shirt
You get a chance to win lucky draw prizes; provided you complete either the short or long ride
Goodies courtesy of our sponsors
A Certificate to be given to all who participates.
Medals for participants who complete the ride within the time limit

Visit the website for more info: http://kotrt.com.my/le_tour.html

Friday, November 21, 2008

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Saturday, Nov 22 evening MTB ride

Ride start at 430pm from Sg Ara (Danny's house). Route Sg Ara - Balik Pulau - Gertak Sanggul.

Note that this there will not be an organized morning ride for tjis week

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Sunday Nov 23 - Road ride from Kulim

~100km road ride starting from Jabatan Hutan to Pantai Merdeka. Start at 7.30 am. This is a relatively flat (no hill) route . For more info Call Nizam 012-4202610

Monday, November 17, 2008

Nov 16 2008- Huge Turnout for Cameron Highland ride

Over 100 riders turnout for the 182km ride including 40+ MKH riders from Penang/Kulim. Ride to Tapah was rathered controlled but riders scattered in many small groups up Cameron Highlands. Heavy rain provided extra scare or excitement for some in the afternoon. It was an experience riding downhill in the wet and cold with brakes mostly ineffective at best. At of 6pm Sunday, approx 30-40 riders made it back safely, no reports of any major mishaps except for couple of punctures. for those who miss this ride or who failed to finish the ride, dont be dissapointed, we will organize one again next year. Thanks to the all support cars and camera men who helped out along the way. Do hope that every one enjoyed the ride in their own personal way. In the meantime enjoy some early pictures below courtesy of Jamil (MKH support car and camera man)

Pic below : Some of Penang/Kulim riders at the starting line

Pic Below : Riders from MKH Cameron branch. Dedicated riders rode down in the dark at 430am from Kampung Raja to join the ride...





Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday 15th Nov Gambir- Lam Sua Ride outcome

10 riders joined the relatively slow ride up the Bkt gambir - Lam Sua and final decent to top of Paya Terubong Road. was Windy at the top of the hill. Even with one puncture every one was back home by 10.30 am.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Action pictures - BM Mountain Cross 2008

Some action pictures - Courtesy of Event organisers
























Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Sunday 16 Nov - Cameron Ride ..No Kulim ride

Pls take note that there will not be an organized MKH road ride starting from Kulim this weekend. Most riders will be participating in the Cameron ride or Penang Bridge Marathon. Note that Penang Bridge will be closed on Sunday morning so riders from Penang Island who wish to travel to Ipoh need to do so the night before. Pls refer to earlier post on Cameron ride information, Pls note that the ride will start at 7.30 am sharp.....there will be no waiting.

Saturday Nov 15 MTB ride

Route : Bukit Gambir - Paya Terubong - Lam Sua - Relau
Starting from Bukit Gambir junction (close to traffic lights) at 7.30am sharp
This will be a slow ride with 2 hill climbs. For more info contact Danny (012-430-5049)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sunday Nov 16 Cameron Highland ride update

All the 3 normal hotels that we usually stayed in are fully booked, riders are advised to travel early in the morning or make own accomodation arrangement if wish to stay overnight. Pls be at the Simpang Pulai starting point (shop houses) at 7am. The ride will start 7.30 sharp.

External ride info: International offroad mountainbike challenge 2008

Location Kuala Ketil.
Date: 28 December 2008
Closing date : 20/11/2008
Catagories : Open, Masters (35-45) and masters (>45)
Reg fee rm60

For more infor visit http://www.mroffroadadventureclub.com/

BM Mountain Cross outing

About 10 MKH riders participated in the event. Total distance was ~35km and a pretty scenic route, the rain on previous night made it very slippery making a good portion of the trail unridable. Great job by the orgainisers in getting VERY good signage along the whole way. Lunch was good too. All MKH riders completed safely with three top 10 finishes.

Pic below : Riders from Penang Island
Pic below: At the finishing line, Water spray from the fire engine...a big relieve....
Pics below : Top finishers from MKH, from left, Danny(4th) Shahran (6th) and Ja(2nd). Followed by the official results scoreboard Pic below : Party among the riders

Thursday, November 6, 2008

External ride info: Taiping Jamboree 28 Dec 2008

70km Wet!!! MTB ride 7am 28 Dec 2008 . For more infor visit
http://taipingmtb.blogspot.com/

External ride info : 100 km FunRide - Teluk Intan 30 Nov 2008


Saturday Nov 9 Four-Hill Ride (MTB only)

Meet at E-park@7:15am, Lakeview traffic light@7:35am, Air Itam market@8am

Route:
E-Park - Bukit Jambul - Paya Terubong - Air Itam Market - Air Itam Dam - Balik Pulau (breakfast) - Tun Sardon - home
If you plan to join, do inform me if you will meet at which location (as listed below)
1. E-park@7:15am
2. Lakeview traffic light@7:35am
3. Air Itam market@8am

For more infor call Peng Soon o125265000 or 0195557609 during ride.

Sunday Nov 9 ....No road ride ... One open BM mountain cross entry available

Pls take note that there will be no road ride for this sunday. Lots of riders are either participating in Powerman race or BM mountain cross. Due to late participation pullout from one rider, we have ONE available BM mountain cross entry open for MKH riders on first come first serve basis. Pls SMS Danny if you have any interest to join the 40KM event on Nov 9

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Ride to Hutan Lipur Lata Bayu

Instead of normal ride down rural roads and villages, we decided to have an abnormal stop at Hutan Lipur Lata Bayu for refreshments. To our surprise we were greeted by a huge waterfall just 50m passed the state park entrance. After cycling a relatively fast 60km it was certainly a relieve to feel the cool air. Total distance was slightly shorten to 122km and 14 cyclist including a first timer joined the ride.

Pic below: Mike, visitor from US that joins us for the last 4-5 sunday rides

Pic below : 14 riders with waterfall in the background

Pic below : More Scenery

Pic below : Is this a road ride or cyclocross or MTB

Pic below: Slow ride back after breakfast
Pic below : Is this Kia-si OR kia-su? Look at the amount of water bottles
Pic below : Welcome Poh, first time joining and riding more than 100km