Beat It-Michael Jackson

the fresh start

the unplanned & unprepared replacement

I'VE MADE IT!!

120km round island cycling challenge in 12 hours,and it really tested my endurance and faith.

We met up and registered at Pasir ris, sadly enough Yanto and Adil couldn't make it on the last minute and so i got Marlia as a replacement,which she joyfully agreed upon instantly.there were many cyclists,most with their personal bikes,looking seriously cool and calm,everybody were inspecting their bikes with chats and occasional laughters.

me and marlia was designated to group 1,and was issued a pink wristband and worn on the left wrist.there were about 20 folks in my group,and after a welcome briefing,we left the starting point with me feeling the oddest among all.i had hard time adjusting to the change of gears especially on approaching slopes.but after being guided by the team leader,i gradually improved on it.

we cycled from pasir ris to changi,down to ECP and stopped midway for toilet break.continued all the way through swarms of picnic goers at east coast and stopped again at Indoor stadium.marlia was complaining her tummy hurts quite badly.we then cycled through Kallang,Nicoll Highway,past the Esplanade and through the skyscrapers at CBD,Keppel Rd,we past by Vivo City,Telok Blangah,Pasir Panjang and stopped at West Coast Macdonalds for about 10mins.
by then Marlia got this worried and tired look on her face,and so she took the lorry instead.not bad for a begin-from Pasir ris to West coast.i'm so proud of her.well done!

and when we hit the road again,it was one of the worst moments in my life,from west coast to Jalan bahar,i felt slow and during the journey at the long quiet stretch of Jalan bahar i felt like that whole trip was wrong,my rented bike felt slow and lastly i felt like giving up but my team mates were supportive,which by then only a handful in my team continued on,the rest gave up.and my team mates,they were girls,imagine that,petite looking girls who
took up this challenge,while some hard looking men gave up midway.and i truly admire and respect them,and in other groups,there are even old folks,packing food and stuffs wrapped in grocery plastic carrier and hung it on the handle bar and another riding a mountain bike with a basket in front;so it's not how professional you or your bike look-it's in you.and that kept me going.

my most favorite route,neo tiew rd,had the most spectacular view,with spooky mists forming on the trees and fogs covering the roads,totally bad visibility especially for driving,but it was really nice.we stopped at Kranji and took a 15minute break which we then moved on down Mandai rd,to Yishun dam and through those old colonial houses at Jalan Kayu camp and one final stop at Sengkang coffeeshop.and by then i could hardly feel my butt,it hurt so much i had to swallow painkillers and rub lotion on it.i swear it could be even worst if i didn't wear that padded cycling tights.

marlia joined on the final route,we cycled towards Hougang and turned down old Tampines rd where she began to slow down and finally fell from her bike.she quit and once again hopped on the support vehicle.i was way back from the rest,i cycled real fast trying to catch up with them and by then it was sunrise and managed to join my team at Pasir ris and we reached the ending point together.


it was really a challenge,i didn't believe i could finish it and i did.i really takes a lot of determination,and i should actually be prepared for this,which in fact i didn't.but thank God i manage to pull through,it was one of the most exciting experience in my life and i've learnt many things along the way,and one of it is-patience.


my bum still hurts as i typed this,and my mind still reflecting the journey on the mountain bike around Singapore in 12 hours on a cold August weekend.oh boy,i feel good!

next:triathlon challenge???