Gallery Archives - Sam's Cycling Adventures

Foggy Cameron Climb

On the dawn of the 9th December 2018, over a thousand cyclists took on the grueling climb from Ipoh up to Cameron Highlands after a heavy night of rain.

This year marks the fourth edition of the Darul Ridzuan Cycling Club (DRCC) King of Mountain series.

Going up the Simpang Pulai route, you find Ipoh is surprisingly close to Cameron Highlands.

You also get to admire a lot of the ominous limestone monoliths that Ipoh is famous for.

And it’s nice and misty in the morning.

One thing to note is the lack of shops or stalls along the way. The first major food joint is more than halfway into the climb, which is almost 50km!

And if you keep your eyes peeled, you can spot some of the remnants of the open mining they used to do in these parts. It’s looking a lot nicer now, but who knows how deep this man-made pit goes?

BM Charity Ride IV Event Review

In the stalwart stadium of MPSP in Bukit Mertajam, hundreds of riders gathered to take on the BM Charity Ride version 4.0 at the crack of dawn.

The stadium is always a popular spot for events in Bukit Mertajam. It’s a popular venue with the regular runners in the area, and there’s an Olympic sized swimming pool around the back. There’s also plenty of parking in the vicinity!

Uh…no, this isn’t the swimming pool.

The actual parking lot of the stadium is always converted into an exhibition and staging zone, with canopies, chairs and food trucks lining the boulevards.

The BM Charity Ride is one of the only cycling events in Malaysia that I know that gives long sleeved bike jerseys with a zippered pocket on the back.

But I digress. The ride itself was well coordinated – the major junctions were well guarded, although the overall police force was still a little thin.

The police worked very closely with the traffic marshalls to keep riders in line. There was a lot of whistling. At least I assumed it was from the marshalls.

There was sufficient signage, pointing out directions for riders as well as a few warning signs of impending doom.

There were a few fun climbs of significant elevation, but fortunately the climbs were short-lived and were mostly rolling hills, providing quick relief to fatigued riders.

The midway water station was very well manned and stocked, with plenty of bananas and bottled water to go round twice!

Riders were well taken care of, not just by the volunteers handing out goodies, but by the overwhelming number of media personnel – there were photographers and videographers and drones coming out our ears!

Pretty sure there were at least three DJI drones hovering at the starting point.

The route was quite pleasant, with a good view of the hills and palm plantations around BM.

It also took us through the old town of BM, ending up with a nice loop of 48 kilometres.

BM Charity Ride Penang Howei Cycling — Very colour coordinated marshall

After the ride, there was lots of activities to keep participants occupied. Of course, the ever important food and drink!

It got hot fast today, so a lot of riders left without much ado. However, the ones that stayed got to try out e-bikes and sample tea and ice cream.

Also, there were lots of goodies for all the school children from the many (over 13) schools in the local region that the BM Charity Ride made contributions to. Always heart warming to see such support for our local schools. Or maybe it was just the heat from the scorching tropical morning sun.

Overall, a nicely organised ride with emphasis on safety and being family friendly. The speeches were short, the riders were rambunctious, the weather was wonderful. The downside is the pockets on the jerseys weren’t fully attached to the jerseys, resulting in many droopy pouches popping out people’s backs.

Car Pull Guinness Record

Why are so many people standing around staring blankly? They’re waiting. Waiting for a Guinness Record to be made.

Penang has had no shortage of Malaysian Guinness Book of Record records, but this one actually required some amount of effort! The record was the pull a somewhat heavy SUV a good 51 metres in distance, using only a finger.

The index finger, to be precise.

Yes, this car (Toyota Alphard, in case you were wondering).

The official entry in the Malaysia Book of Records is the “Longest Distance Vehicle Pull with Index Finger” by a Woman.

Organised by Orient Fitness Penang (the one that is no longer at Gurney Paragon), this record setting event was in aid of D’Home Mental Health Association. Isn’t that heart warming? Or I suppose head warming.

Looks rather daunting, doesn’t it?

Well the happy faces clearly indicate that a record was set. And indeed it was – in fact, it was shattered into little pieces! The new distance was over 70 metres!

Behold our champion!

You could say her fingers have been itching for action since her last attempt.

Well, finger. Singular.

Tour de SPS 2018 Event Review

The Tour de SPS ride by the Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) concluded this 28th of October 2018, so here’s the event review!

Flag off was at 7:30am, and it was pretty punctual. Riders were funneled around the main police department building (IPD SPS), and the road around the block was a two-lane street, but it felt like a single.

Weather was top notch, with hardly any sun and a strong cloud cover. Nice and cool almost the entire ride, with a light breeze to waft our spirits.

The route was largely flat, with brief elevations over bridges. There were a couple of steep climbs towards the end of the ride, but apart from that they stuck very much to their 56km intended route.

There were two major checkpoints and water stations, with bananas and apples to supplement the water and 100Plus. Bananas depleted quickly at the first water station, but there was still plenty of stuff to go around.

Traffic control and marshall support was superb, with two officers at every major junction. To be fair, this event was run by the police, so you would expect them to hold nothing back.

The ride was open to all ages, and it was encouraging to see a large influx of junior and female riders.

Insert random artsy bike shot:

Alright, that’s enough bike photos. Back to the Tour de SPS!

The route took us through many nice forested areas and green paddy fields, over quiet mountains and around the Nibong Tebal rural district. A pleasant route with decent road conditions.

And for the post-event, there was a medal and solid food:

It was a little spicy, but rice and chicken! Usually would just expect some pickled veggies, or bread.

There were over a hundred lucky draw prizes, from hampers to bike helmets to a motorbike!

Perhaps one thing to do might be to put up some bike parking, as the entire courtyard became a bike dozing zone.

There was a Milo truck handing out drinks, as well as ample water and 100Plus. There was a truckload of bananas and bread to boot.

The lucky draw went by very quickly (largely due to the overcast skies and threat of rain) and was most efficient! The emcee did a great job keeping everyone entertained, and the general feeling was that was satisfaction.

Overall, a great ride event that kept participants around until the end of the event, which is relatively rare for cycling events these days. Safety and support were of a high standard, and everything worked out smoothly.

Keep up the good work, PDRM! Look forward to the Penang Bridge Night Ride (even though it starts in the middle of the night).

Spring in Perth

Spring time has finally arrived again in the sleepy city on the western coast! Spring in Perth is like no other – it literally transforms into Melbourne. Four seasons in one day – uno, dos, tres, quatro!

The usual foliage starts springing back to life. I wonder if the verb “springing” is to do with springtime or with the act of jumping.

Are you not trypophobed?

Spring brings many unique artists out of hibernation, culminating in displays of opulence such as this.

Spring in Perth is also a time for running and walking and doing outdoor things! Oh wait, that’s spring in most other countries as well.

Well, not quite yet. But she looks to be in a good mood this time round. That’s Summer, your friendly neighbourhood Samoyed, by the way.

The Beautification of Moon Gate Number 5

Lately the local hikers have put in special effort to doing up our usual Penang Hill hiking route. I present to you the beautification of our Moon Gate Number 5 route!

But first a few of our local critters.

Penang Hill Bukit Cendana Moon Gate Sam Hikelah — Enjoying the free coffee up top

And back down to the ordinary world we go.

Into The Wilds of Langkawi

What better day to take a romp into the wilds of Langkawi than during monsoon season, with waves of precipitation crashing into us intermittently?

Don’t worry – it’s a rhetorical question.

We already did it.

There is this amazing stretch in the cycling trip where you get to jetski across a dam on your bike!

Yes, that’s right! Ride across a flooded dam on your bike!

Not to worry – it’s perfectly safe, assuming the current isn’t too strong or the water is too deep. You’ll be fine.

I mean, most people usually take ATV’s or trucks. But those guys are wusses.

Yeah, you heard me!

Through endless rubber plantations and paddy fields – lush greenery all the way!

And the occasional critter that will stop and stare.

To be honest, I think we’re the ones that stop and stare more.

Langkawi Eco Cycling Tour Bikelah — The decrepit Langkawi Lake House

Did I mention it was monsoon season?

So come join us into the wilds of Langkawi!

Yeah, come join us in this dark and creepy forest…

Another highly memorable section is this super secret pathway that extends out onto the ocean. Technically it’s private property, so I can’t tell you where the entrance is.

It’s part of a wave breaker wall that was privately constructed, but not very well maintained. It curves out over the west coast of Langkawi Island.

And off we go to another adventure!

Penang Asia Pacific Masters Games

The inaugural Asia Pacific Masters Games has just taken place, right here in Penang, Malaysia! Here are some brief glimpses of the Penang Asia Pacific Masters Games that took place in September of 2018.

Now I bet you’re sitting there like the Thinker, thinking to yourself:

What is the Masters Games?

Well, put simply – Masters refers to veterans, or those who are typically outside the range and considered “past the prime” for competitive sports.

Basically the Masters Games is an all-encompassing international multi-sport event, like the Olympics, but for all ages and abilities!

Anyway, this is the opening ceremony for Penang’s Asia Pacific Masters Games.

It went off with several bangs.

And of course some speeches.

And marching.

And some snazzy song and dance to keep everyone entertained.

And of course some colourful things to thrill the throngs!

Penang Asia Pacific Masters Games Howei — The iconic transportation of Penang – the mighty trishaw! Now in technicolour

Did I mention there were a lot of bangs?

And here’s the swimming segment of the Masters Games:

And here’s the cycling segment:

Healthy drinks and sporting events are made for each other! Hope he’s ready for some good business!

Penang APMG Cross Channel Swim

Beaches and sun! That must mean…we’re in Penang? That’s right – it’s the Penang APMG Cross Channel Swim!

The what?

Every year Penang hosts a swim across the perilous straits of Malacca – a whopping 6 kilometres of briny water filled with ships, junk and jellyfish!

So before you start, you need to get your head checked.

Penang Asia Pacific Masters Games Cross Channel Swim — Yeah, check out this body, baby!

They’ll check the rest of you for free!

I jest – it’s not that crazy. I mean, there are people that come from all over the world to swim this channel!

There are dozens of us! Dozens!

I jest – it’s not that lonely. There’s usually a few hundred brave souls.

And a few thirsty ones that just can’t wait to jump in the water.

This is the day before the actual swim, mind you.

And now we move on to the actual Asia Pacific Masters Games (the aforementioned APMG)!

Really, just random shots of Penang.

You likee?

Day & Night At Kerian International Duathlon

If you’ve been to a remotely competitive sports events, there is one thing you inevitably experience – waking up and being outside at an ungodly hour before the sun has even risen.

You will have experienced the day and night in the course of that event. This is the day and night of the Kerian International Duathlon.

But first, stay in school, kids: