Cycling is like life. Cycling with no goal is meaningless. What meaning is there cycling in circles? Or living aimlessly? Meaning comes from direction and destination. Join me in my life's journey on a mountain bike :)

Blogging since 2003. Thank you for reading :))

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Misadventure race

Sep distance: 269

To East Coast Park, Labrador Park, 75 km. I sign up for the NUS Rovers Cyclohunt. NUS Cycling Club Team 1 already has the full complement of four. There aren't enough people to form Team 2, until my friend agrees to join on the eve of the race. Most of the competitors seem to be newbies, which means there's hope of getting the top $300 prize. The clues seemed easy enough, but we spend 45 minutes in vain just on Checkpoint 1. A team member then pulls out there, recalled home because of a "domestic situation". That ends our hope of winning anything. We cycle to half the other checkpoints just for fun, stopping even for supper. I lead the way to the Labrador checkpoint, which the rest haven't been to. They (all roadies) "repay" me by cycling back to the finish line at up to 38 km/h, with me the only one on fat tyres. Thumbs up to the organisers for their imagination ("5 points for a live cockroach, 1 point for a dead one").

Saturday, September 16, 2006

WAT kind of ride

To Changi Village, 121 km. Today is the first time I'm riding with Wheels Are Turning (WAT). It's a leisure ride, but two in the group are more hardcore than I am. One of them has cycled in New Zealand, and is taking part in an offroad race in India this year. The other has done endurance races in the US and France. I ask how is it their bosses allow them so much time to get away to cycle. As it turns out, they are the bosses. Today is also the first time I enjoy riding at East Coast Park, going at a languid pace. The day starts out with heavy cloud cloud and I want crawl back into bed. But since I'm already up, I get up my . I prepare to get soaked in the rain, but I soak up too much UV rays instead and end up sunburned. Funny how life turns out ...

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Having it both ways

To Mandai Road, 51 km. I'm supposed to cycle to Sungei Tengah today but S calls me to warn me of ominous clouds in the west. So I cycle north, stuff the cumulo nimbus clouds. I see an inviting patch in the foilage by the road and plunge in, but the trail peters out. On the way out, thorn-studded foilage slams into my mouth. A small scratch appears on my finger as I push the vegetation away. I'm glad I'm going slow; if not, my lips might've been shredded. That would've made drinking soup difficult. An ant bites me. That's par for the course. I expect this in the jungle. Next time I walk into peril in the concrete jungle, well, I'd expect that too. But today, I ride bike while the sun shines. And in case it rains, I've got my muddy shoes and mud-encrusted . All's well that ends well; I get to cycle and when it pours, it cleans my bike. Today, I have it both ways.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

"Just do good"

To Old Upper Thomson Road, 22 km. "Anyone can get to heaven, just do good", reads the car sticker. But the car is in the wrong lane, turning and putting others at risk. The driver isn't doing good. How good must one be anyway? And good for how long? I look the the barely visible hole in my water bottle. The bottle looks good but it isn't really good, as it leaks. The bottle can't heal itself. I couldn't fix it either though I tried to melt the plastic to cover the hole. To be good, you need someone better than you to help you.