night ride Wednesday 3.12.2008

The weather was very nice that night.
I texted potential riders, only Panjang and Dafi replied positively.
The rest were busy with international work affairs - dinner with Japanese boss, overseas exhibition (albeit in Singapore), standby for a ship to call-a-port (is that the right term?).
Alright then, three riders would suffice.

8:35 pm and I saw Dafi's car outside the gate with him sorting his bike out. Time for me to get ready, after done with Isya'. Earlier on I have got the riding accessories ready, and only need to lube the bike's chain (never mind about riding a clean bike).

As I opened the gate for Dafi, Mizi greeted me. What a surprise. Four riders would be good. He's been pedaling quite frequently recently. Wouldn't want to miss any ride, I guess. Soon afterwards, Panjang came - with two more riders: Atuk and Putut. Least expected, but I'm glad they came along. Atuk has a new frame! Kona Coilair Deluxe. Must be a thrill for him to ride it long distance first time,

Everyone got their gears ready, and we started rolling at 5 past 9.

We pedaled practically non-stop until we reached Jalan Selat Tebrau. Of course, we obeyed the red lights along the way. Took a breather while enjoying the view of lights glimmering from Woodlands across the Straits of Johor. Hmm.. perhaps one day we could cycle to Woodlands and back some day, just for the fun of it. It is doable. Why not? It'll be our first 'Cross Country Night Ride'.

Headed on to Danga Bay and we stood amazed with one of the fun rides - the one with a big ring and you have to pedal (that's why the amazement) to move along the elevated track. Panjang was also busy looking for tandem bikes for hire. At one point, we were even contemplating on renting those tandems just for the fun of it.

Only a brief stop, then moved on towards Jalan Tampoi beside Angsana. Panjang suddenly stopped and backtracked nearby a car dealership. Whoa! A Hummer H3. And a Porsche Cayenne S. Suddenly BMW X5, Harrier, Wish and other cars on display looked ordinary. We drooled for a while over there and continued on.

While going back, most of us were famished and were looking for a proper stop to get a bite. The initial plan was to go to 24 hour McD outlet beside Carrefour. Plan had to be scrapped for when we reached the place, the outdoor seatings were full to the brim. To Johor Jaya mamak joint we headed instead.

Tummies full, we continued the journey back to Plentong. Reached the starting/finish point at about 1:00 am, after 47 kilometers of night riding. I guess the longest distance so far the most of us had ever done.

Route (to):
Jalan Bunga Seroja (Plentong) - Permas Jaya - Pasir Pelangi - Stulang Laut - Jalan Storey - Jalan Tun Abdul Razak - Jalan Stesen - Jalan Wong Ah Fook - Jalan Trus (no belok-belok) - Jalan Duke - Jalan Sultan Ibrahim - Jalan Selat Tebrau - Jalan Abu Bakar - Jalan Skudai - Danga Bay.

going back:
Jalan Skudai - Jalan Tampoi - Taman Sri Bahagia - Jalan Kempas - Pasir Gudang Highway - Jalan Firma - Jalan Firma 2 - Jalan Kangkar Tebrau - Jalan Pandan - Jalan Masai Baru - Johor Jaya (Rosmerah) - Jalan Rosmerah Besar - Jalan Rosmerah 4 - Jalan Masai Baru - Jalan Masai Lama - Jalan Bunga Matahari - Jalan Bunga Seroja.

Stats:
Riders: 6
Distance: 47 km
Riding time: 2h 45m