Danny, Dan, Gee
The Athertons with Danny MacAskill.
Have a great weekend, y'all.
Ride safe.
But while you're at it, enjoy it.
akmal's bike park
Friday, 14 October 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
The Atherton Project - Season 3 on Redbull TV
The presentation on Redbull.tv is much better now, going into the 3rd season (and as usual I'm about half a year late to relay the news).
The episodes are nicely laid out, with the latest ones appearing on top of the list.
Check it out. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two.
Here's the first episode:
Upcoming Event: KBC Nite Event - 26-27.11.2011
head down south this November, people!
Registration is open now.
MTB event fee: RM50
For contact details, click on the poster above to view.
Links are here:
Having missed the June and Ramadhan offroad events, I hope to be able to join this one insyaAllah.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
ECC Burung Hantu Jamboree 2011, 1 - 2 Oct 2011
at UTeM stadium, 30 minutes before flag off
This is the second time I participated in ECC's Burung Hantu event. And I have to say that the event has improved very much. Partnering with UTeM as the event venue, I'd say that ECC hit the bullseye. Well, as any good event is the result of manpower, a salute to ECC for the carefully planned and executed event. One that is not easy to be topped, I would say.
They are being cheeky this year, by presenting a major uphill right at the spot where most would have thought that they are nearing the end of the ride; but still thinking "hey wait, I still haven't got my fifth checkpoint sticker". You bet, and people were in for a exhausting surprise.
Checkpoint 5 is on top of the hill, and to get there you have to go offroad; its entrance is right next to UTeM's main gate. People coming in from CP4 would have thought that after the road route, then that's it; if last year's event were to be referred to. Well, I did. But then, that's last year's story. This year the surprise was unbelievable. I bet most have juiced out their energy on the tarmac towards UTeM, and most would have cursed about the ensuing task to get to CP5. Myself included, but not too much. Not sure what's the elevation, but I promised myself to kill it. Just so that I'd get something out of the already good ride, and something to write home about.
And victorious I was. Alhamdulillah.
But I tell ya, the climb was torturous and not easy at all. However, with the darkness and support from fellow bikers hiking uphill, I made it. The sweetest feeling ever. I don't know if I could do it during daytime. Can't see the top of the hill in the dark, so I just kept on spinning and scaling the hill inch by inch.
The rest of the ride was also good. As with the last week's ride at Setia Indah, I rode like a hare again. However, as it is a night ride, I didn't get as tired and so didn't stop except at the checkpoints to have water and bananas. Even so, the stops were no longer than 5 minutes. I wonder, too, if the can of free Red Bull before the start of the ride helped.
I enjoyed my ride tremendously. The trail was good, with enough challenges technically and physically. Good downhills, after manageable uphills. With 5" rear suspension, I bombed the trail without having to think much about a proper line, much like at Setia Indah last weekend. This means that it is doable, night and day.
:)
Of course, with 1800 pair of tires in the trail, traffic jam is unavoidable especially for intermediate level kind of riders like me. Have to bear with the long queue in the middle of the trail to continue the ride at a few sections. What frustrated me, however, was that knowing the cause of the jam is riders trying to avoid the muddy ruts. C'mon, this is an offroad ride. You're supposed to get dirty.
The road ride was also good. I was lucky because I found a strong and fast rider in front of me. The few km at the beginning of the ride towards CP1 was a breeze. Literally. Yad and I tucked behind this guy wearing a yellow jersey and we zoomed behind him all the way to the trailhead. I shouted to thank him, but I'm not sure whether he heard me; just went ahead snaking his way among fellow riders in the trail. On the way back towards CP5, I was the one heading the sprint. I asked a guy to follow behind me, and he did, but not for long.
I'm happy with this event. Enjoyed it very much, so much so that the lucky draw event is reduced to something that does not matter anymore to me. Of course, however, I did stay right until the end of the event - just in case if I am lucky.
One aspect that I observe and applaud is how the organiser put in effort with the small details. Directions and LED markers are ample, emergency personnel are available - even with ambulance at a certain checkpoint, water and bananas are plenty, after ride food is good - with Ribena!, there's a specially erected bike wash booth (more would be better) with high water pressure, unique goodie bag, high quality rider plate with specially printed stickers (featuring Shimano MTB groupset family. Nice!) and good quality t-shirt although I prefer it to be 100% cotton.
Kudos to the people from ECC and UTeM. You guys rock! Looking forward to next year's already.
:D
My thanks also to Reza for using his car to get us to Melaka (and he drove us all the way... hehe...).
RTW: 05.10.11 - broken streak
58-day streak of continuous RTW since 29.06.2011 was broken yesterday.
:(
Over that period, there were:
58 days
12 weeklongs
3 monthlongs
I'm sure it can be surpassed. Just keep on riding, while not focusing on stats.
;)
Ride safe, y'all.
Thanks for coming over.
Upcoming Event: Plentong Epic Ride 2011 - 13.11.2011
The ride is back!
People from the south are preparing for this year's edition of Plentong Epic Ride.
Come down to Plentong for the ride on 13.11.2011.
One surely not to be missed.
Details are on the poster.
Links are here:
www.facebook.com: cyclemotion johor bahru
Don't wait, yo.
Register now, as participants are limited to 800 riders only.
More UPDATED info in the forum page here.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Breezy
I felt breezy and fresh air as I passed along the road beside which there are big trees like a small forest.
Really.
One is in Taman Rinting opposite the masjid currently under construction. If you're from Cendana area going towards Tesco Seri Alam, it's on the left hand side before the crossroad and BHP station.
Another one is in Seri Alam. From Tesco Seri Alam towards Amansari. Before the small river/stream opposite The Gardens area.
The feeling reminds me of FRIM, on the climb towards the Dream trailhead.
Cool.
Yes, literally.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Millipede Green Ride 2011 - Setia Indah 24.09.2011
the bunch from MMHE at the starting point
First things first, I'd like to commend the people behind the curtain for a job well done.
Right from the start, I'd say that the event was well organized. From the registration until to the end of the event, the executions were good.
Fee: RM45 for individual registration and RM40 for group of 5 or more. Quite okay, because the goodie bag is with a good quality t-shirt, tidbits, and the check points are with bananas and drinks including 100 Plus. Still, I think the fees could be lowered down, though. I hope events such as this one are not made with the slightest thoughts of making $ out of it.
I've been wanting to ride the Setia Indah trails for quite some time. So, when the jamboree ride was announced, I signed up for it together with riders in MMHE, under PG Gerek's flag.
I know that the network of trails over this part of south Johor could reach 90km and beyond, extending as far as to Ulu Tiram and Kota Tinggi. So, I imagined that the mix of trails chosen by the organizing team would be comprehensive within the 48km (published earlier) long. Well, the trail eventually was shortened to only 42km (much to my delight).
How was my ride?
I enjoyed the suffering. Haha...
The trail was damp, wet, and muddy due to the downpour the day before. However, the weather during the event day was excellent. Perhaps more than 50% of the trails were open, and by 11am it was hot and humid. Hot above, while you're grinding on the ground. I suffered, but the trails are enjoyable. There was also a short section with loose river sands, reminiscing the final section of Kayuhan Mesra PDRM in Plentong. I think if you have the legs (and lungs), the trail can be completed on the bike. No hike-a-bike necessary, actually.
There are a few notable killing climbs, especially the one that shows itself after a blind turn right after you have given your all nailing that long hill. Some would stop for a breather (popular excuses include "I'm waiting for my friend lagging behind"), but I managed to continue one or two long climbs. Sweet victories are often rewarded, and the rewards over in SI were gorgeous; it would be a shame not to be pinned while going the sweet downhills. With my Trance, I bombed down while thinking to myself, "I earned this, man".
There were not many singletracks, mostly dual track but I guess it is quite good, too. Faster riders are able to overtake slower ones especially on flat sections. I did, even during downhill at some point. Well, that's me. During the ride I get to know my riding style. Philosophically, I'm a hare rather a tortoise - speed demon whenever I have the momentum and energy, and stops for a long break whenever I'm out of breath or when I had to stop abruptly for various reasons (waiting for my ride buddy, most of the time... hehe...). Well, I enjoy going uphill for the victory of it, and going downhill for the sheer pleasure. With a fullsusser, it's even sweeter; I learnt that the trails at SI enable me to not bother a proper or popular line while attacking it. No problems with going through rough terrains avoided by most. Rough terrains aplenty, indeed. If not for my vibrating freewheel, I would have enjoyed the downhills much more.
Most riders would agree with me that the checkpoints are tops. Supply of Montel bananas, plain drinking water and 100 Plus seems endless at the checkpoints. The people manning them are friendly and helpful. St. John's personnel stationed at every checkpoint provides a sense of priority towards safety. This, plus the properly and clearly marked trail signs, shredded papers on the ground, cordon tapes and danger signs (which for some places are a bit exaggerated for me). Believe me, they even have km marker bunting for each kilometer of the trail, reducing your cyclometer to only a speedometer and timer.
There are a lot more good things that can be said about this event. I have only high praise for them, honestly. You guys at Millipede did an awesome job. Well done, guys! The only gripe for me (and hundreds others) is that I didn't get the sweet Trek Cruiser bike for the lucky draw.
Next up, Burung Hantu 2011 in Melaka.
See you there, insyaAllah?
Meanwhile, ride safe, buddies.
Thanks for coming over.
Friday, 23 September 2011
RTW 22.09.2011 - Wet Thursday
I was just about to get out of the gate when it started to rain this morning. Out comes the rainjacket from my bag, and off I went pedaling out to the office. Really, simple as that. No, not because it's the World Car-Free Day, but because that's how I chose to commute.
Rear blinker and front light switched on (set as strobe) for the added visibility, in case people on the road still can't see me while I'm wearing the fluorescent yellow Endura Gridlock.
The gloomy weather, and me wearing a jacket in the rain brought me back to the times in Old Trafford walking out from the house to the bus stop. And strolling along the Oxford Road from Simon Building to get to Manchester city center. My hands on the handlebar grips were a bit cold, as I was not wearing gloves (have been so, since using the thick Jammy grips). However, the body feels nice, like snugging underneath a wool blanket in a cold hotel room. I don't have a pair of waterproof pants, so I had to make do with getting soaked in rainwater from waist below.
It was quite a nice journey, as it was breezy and cool. The rain makes everything dramatically different, surely. Traffic is a bit congested more than usual, the wet road makes me riding with a bit more caution and the visibility is a bit low. However, to my surprise I was actually faster by 2 minutes than my average time.
Little after midway of the journey, a nagging problem had started. Water got into my right eye and it was stinging painful. Perhaps because of the minerals from the sweat residing on the helmet's inner pads trickling with the rainwater. I had to wink and use only the vision from my left eye for the rest of the journey, about 4km (12 minutes or so). Add that to the water beads holding on to my spectacle lenses. Luckily, alhamdulillah for the vision albeit reduced to about 40%.
Note to self: wear that buff when it rains.
I arrived safely, but wet. The good thing is that I was able to get to the office a bit earlier than usual and feeling good.
Thanks for coming over.
Have a good weekend, y'all.
See you at Setia Indah for the Millipede Green Ride on Sunday?
Thursday, 22 September 2011
daily cycling
my faithful RTW Machine
Kau kena tahu, dalam berbasikal ni, mana arah kau nak tuju
Well, not really a question per sé, but it got me asking myself. Of course you can take the whole thing literally, but it actually warrants more than that.
What's the direction you're heading, in cycling?
Are you a leisure cyclist, taking it as a hobby?
Would you take it to the next level, as a part of a triathlon that you're going to participate in?
Would you train and eventually be a racer?
Or venture to other types that cycling could offer?
Cycling in its general sense is too broad. There are many types, and there are many disciplines within the particular type, too. Among the major types that we have are Road Cycling, Mountain Biking, Touring, Bike Commuting and many others including as a utilitarian vehicle for day-to-day living and transport.
The different types of Road Cycling may include Time Trial, Triathlon, Road Biking; for mountain biking there are Cross Country, Downhill, Trail, Freeride; and et cetera. From all these types, the bikes are of different designs as it fit for their own purposes. Not the least, the set of skills and things associated to the different types of cycling are also different.
If you're the lucky ones who could have more than a few of the types of cycling to venture into, I envy you. I simply don't have the time and $ to invest or dip my foot into the vast array of cycling types and disciplines.
I had to choose. I'm a fan of modular things and do-it-all, so I chose cross country mountain biking. With a hardtail mountain bike frame and decent parts.
Well, at first.
It soon slowly morphed into bike commuting. It happened not entirely by chance, but more of a choice. With a bit of personal circumstances that seems to put everything in place, enabling me to pursue it. Okay, 'enjoy' is the more appropriate word, rather than 'pursue'.
:)
After 3 years since I first started to RTW on a twice monthly special thing, it is now a daily affair. And it is still special. So, perhaps this is my answer to Panjang's thought that night. AT a certain level, it defines me.
Alhamdulillah for this blessing; hope it would continue for the coming years, and getting only better.
For the record, I do enjoy my offroad rides. But with RTW, I could have my daily dose of cycling.
Have a great day, and thanks for coming.
Ride safe.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
22.09.2011: World Car-Free Day
Honestly, I was not aware about this movement or the significance of the date until yesterday when Azizan shared an article from NST in facebook.
I was elated. Albeit, from the views of others (okay, limited to my family only), there is a concern. If it is taken literally, going car-free means using a bike, motorcycle, walking, and most importantly, public transport, in order to get around places.
It led me to evaluate my family's need for the car on a normal day. My wife uses hers to go to work and ferry the children to school an back (distance: 16km one way). My MIL who lives with me would use another small car to send my youngest child to the babysitter (7 km one way). There's no safe route in the morning to commute that far for wife and children, and I'm not confident enough to bring Umar to the babysitter using a child seat even along a not-so-busy road, although I'm sure he'll be very happy with the ride. So, there's a need for efficient public transport if we are to go totally or mostly car-free.
On the national level, cheap and efficient public transport is of the utmost imoprtace for those who don't bike (don't have one, distance too far, don't know how to ride a bicycle) and those who choose to walk. Facilities and amenities for pedestrians for those who choose to use public transport should be of a good quality and ample quantity. Extended to that, is our public transport willing to take in the concept of hybrid commuting whereby people could hop in the buses or trains with their bikes, be it foldable or full size.
My cousin in Singapore never owns a car. I envy him because he gets to use any kind of car that he wishes (within budget) to travel for a long trip with his family. They rent one. For normal days, they use public transport. Well, the public transport in S'pore is ample, of good service quality and widely connected. We don't have to look as far as London or Copenhagen or Amsterdam, dear Minister of Transport of Malaysia; just head down south across the straits and have a chat with them.
Read some:
I strongly back the points that Datuk Seri Shabery mentioned. Hope that it would materialise:
Monday, 29 August 2011
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1432H
I'd like to wish you a blessed Hari Raya, and Taqabbalallahu minnaa wa minkum.
May Allah accept (the fast and worship) from you and us.
I hope that we would foster the strength gained from our ibadah and good deeds made throughout Ramadhan; and continue on towards the rest of the year, until hopefully we could meet with Ramadhan again.
InsyaAllah.
Be safe, and remember that moderation is key, in everything.
Till we meet again, hope you had a good one.
Sincerely,
Akmal Hizam
image taken from here
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Bike license?
I read this article in the issue 10 of Bicycle Times magazine, and thought "hmmm...".
Well, when it does arrive to a certain number, things are never the same anymore.
My MIL told me that when she was working in Muar in the 60's, bikes were with license plates. And the roads were full of bikes. I can only imagine that the bike shops surely were having good business.
Get back to basics; it doesn't matter whether you're at the lowest rung of the road user, laws are to be adhered to. For the safety and harmony of everyone using the facility i.e. the road. We share, and we share it nicely. Oh, don't bring out that 'I pay road tax' card. Berbuat baik kan dapat pahala. Orang pun suka.
I agree, if we do come to that certain number in Malaysia, bike licenses would be a must. Riders should behave, and the $ should be used for bike amenities (lanes, lock posts, even lockers and showers too). If need be, riders should enroll in a certain hours of free mandatory courses for riding safely, simple repairs, etc. Of course, this would only applicable to bikes that are using the roads. And not too high a fee, compared to motorbikes ;)
Monday, 8 August 2011
Have MTB, can go to University
For real?
Yes!
Riding your bike, of course.
The trend is like that, of recent years. Well, it started a couple of years back, with jamborees/races in the northern region held in universities.
To name a few that I know of:
USM Transkrian - Nibong Tebal MTB Adventure (NTMTBA)
UUM Sintok - UUM MTB XC-R
UTP Tronoh - Seri Iskandar MTB Exploration (well, part of the checkpoint)
UNiKL Kulim (MSI) - Kulim Int'l MTB Jamboree (okay, only during the registration day)
UTM Skudai - Giant-UTM MTB Quest
Nottingham University Malaysia - PCC Presidential Ride
There are also a couple more that I know of in the pipeline for 2011, to be held in these universities:
UKM Bangi - Konvo LeRun MTB Mini Jamboree
UTeM Durian Tunggal - Burung Hantu Night Ride Jamboree
Are there any event I left out?
Ride safe, people.
Ramadhan Kareem
itulah pentingnya mtb edukesyenn...
Friday, 5 August 2011
RTW in Ramadhan
3 Ramadhan 1432H
58.5km/h down the bend at Taman Bukit Dahlia on the way home
Is commuting during Ramadhan possible?
Definitely. I mean, why not? Bangladeshi bros are doing it, right?
The first week or Ramadhan, I did RTW as usual, except for Friday. The first 2 days were a bit wobbly, but perhaps due to personal reasons - I was deprived of sleep and rest due to travelling to Senawang during the weekend. Yesterday was remarkably lively and energetic, but I don't know why. Perhaps the month of Ramadhan itself which contains blessings and all.
Anyway, what I can share with you is that my rides are like normal, except for a few things. The bike is definitely lighter by about 800g, for I don't carry water bottle on the downtube. The rear bag is also a bit lighter by about 400g due to absence of packed breakfast.
The time of day plays a crucial role in making RTW in Ramadhan possible. I go to work at around 7.00am, and cycle home at about 6.00pm. No sun in sight. Well, at least not as hot as the 10.00am sun. It's breezy, and for the past few days, it has been raining at about 2-3pm leaving the rest of the afternoon somewhat overcast. Alhamdulillah.
I intend to continue with my weeklong streaks and perhaps not too unrealistic to go for the 2nd monthlong insyaAllah. But, the definition would be altered a bit. I won't be doing RTW on Fridays.
Have a good ride, and a blessed Ramadhan throughout.
Ibadah harder, bros and sis.
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