SPOKES _n NIPPLES

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2. THE WEEK AHEAD

Mud & Dirt (MTB) by The English Nose

Kiara this weekend. Starting from Devi’s again as there is a newly cut way in thanks to the work of volunteers and TRAKS. So see you there for breakfast

Weekend MTB Ride – Kiara

Date: Sunday 6^th July 2008

Meeting/Starting place: Devi’s Corner, Desa Sri Hartamas

Ride distance: 15-18km depending on loops taken but distance don’t count at Kiara.

Ride description: Mostly singletracks, some rather technical and hilly. So come prepared for hike-a-bike sections.. Not recommended for first-timers.

For more info, call Rob on 012 6191 308 or Pete on 012 227 4443.

Upcoming M&D Rides

Date	Ride	Distance
6 Jul	Kiara	18km +-
13 Jul	Kajang Prison Loop	23km

NO HELMET NO RIDE

 

Tar & Grime by Don ‘Fei Chai’ Chan

After the flattish and shiok'est imperial century last weekend, we head on to the hills for some climbs this Sunday. It's to one of our favourite routes, Bentong (which translates to Big Splotch for some reason or other). We must ask the locals what the name actually means. With some of our mtb brothers finally coming out of the jungle (some call it evolution. Hehehe) to join us in preparation of IS08, we have included more ride options this round. They are as follows:

Sunday Road Ride – Ride to large Splotch (100km) 

Date: Sunday 6th July 08

Starts/ Ends: Orang Asli Hospital (HOA), Gombak or Genting Sempah Rest station (GS)

Time: HOA 7:00am/ GS 8:00am

 

Option 1: HOA-GS-HOA (34km total): 17km climb

Option 2: GS-Bentong-GS (70km total): 15km climb

Option 3: HOA-GS-Bentong-GS-HOA (100km total): 34km climb

 

Ride description:

 Newbies and sleepy heads are encouraged to choose either Options 1 or 2. Option 3 should be only attempted by people with higher levels of fitness. Option 3 is tough but rewarding once you have completed it. Vehicular traffic is low but do be cautious of lorries, especially around the bends. Sometimes they take the whole breadth of the road when cornering, so be prepared to stop. Also, be alert when downhilling the switchbacks from GS to after Janda baik. There are sandy patches and potholes which shouldn't worry our mtb brethen too much.

 

Remember to spin with lighter gears up the slopes with a moderate cadence. Don't grind the heavy stuff. Preserve your knees!

Those starting at GS, it'll be nice if you can wait for the riders who have started at HOA and ride together to Bentong.

  

Contact your Ride Leader, Soh at 016-2122696 if you have further queries. Hope to see yuh all this Sunday!

  

Intertstate 08: 8 1/2 weeks to go....time to service your bike and start riding! Wake up, sleepy heads.....u know who u are!

NO HELMET NO RIDE!

WEEKDAY TnG RIDES

PCC Tuesday Nite Special – Taman Tun

Revised Loop: New route from TTDI – Damansara Heights and back (25km)

Time: 8.30pm SHARP

Meeting/Starting place: In front of KSH Bikes, Taman Tun.

Please check in at least 15 minutes before start. Suitable for all levels of riders.

Please call Kevin on 012 354 7181 for assistance.

Thursday Putrajaya Recovery Ride (Fortnightly)

Every 1st and 3rd Thursday (30km)

8.30pm SHARP

Meeting/Starting place: Putrajaya Mosque Roundabout (near PM’s Office)

Introducing the Putrajaya recovery/scenic ride. Suitable for all beginners and intermediate riders looking for short recovery ride in a low vehicular environment. And yeah, do remember to bring your Humour and Wit.

For info and details, please call Mac (012-603 1511) or Vong (016-287 2066)

 

Please call the respective ride leaders in advance to confirm ride is on.

Taillights COMPULSORY for all night rides! This is for your own safety.

NO HELMET NO RIDE! SAFETY FIRST!

 

3. THE WEEK THAT WAS

Mud & Dirt

Muddy Slide... by Adrian-ne Ng

As Winehouse filled the Rangers' cab with her "grippy" jazz sounds, our banter pretty much kept the mentality and level of it all where it really never surfaced past...the gutter. With Chris in the back telling us about his 1mtr x 1mtr wank box in Austria, it just couldn't get worse. I chose not to turn around to see what he was holding on to when he got all excited describing movieland or videoland or whatever semi circle room that he and his friends frequent when they have a spare hour or so during the day. In between the euro porn and the rattling of must watch video titles like Alvina's MILF series, the 60+ km journey came to an end by a football field, where the horn from a handheld blower was going, and the briefing had already started.


Putting our bikes together, and slapping on the usual bike KY, we re-grouped (well kinda) with those that arrived earlier and said our usual hellos as riders started passing us towards the trailhead with On On being called. For a Hash, I didn't really hear much of this, nor did I come across any false trails which were quite odd. The last hash with the Malacca group had a lot of false trails...I thought that was what a has was about...anyways..


With a lovely warm up to start...yes uphill and more uphills, we rejoined the main group after taking our time to get on our bikes, only to start doing the MTB thing again (Mari Tolak Baisikal). Some people just got tired of doing this and chose to wait for the trail to clear before attempting it...well, we never really saw them again. Fools...you never pull over and double park your car when you are in a traffic jam!!


The mud fest continued, with several nice downhills and a lot (well felt like it) of uphills that followed. Instead of riding the downhills, I felt like I was sliding down it where occasionally the rear started overtaking the front. Release the back brakes fool !!! That generally worked for most of it.

Finishing the 1st loop, we called it a day...packed the stuff in and left Pat to wait for the last rider of the group as we headed back to centrepoint. My head was throbbing and I fell asleep before some retard decided to cut across 3 lanes in front of Alvina causing the Ranger to come to an almost stop. I almost french kissed the windscreen, which of course followed all sorts of hand signals and colourful renditions of loser and idiot.


Shame about the rain...but perhaps one day I will head back to that area again when it's not so wet and muddy.

 

Tar & Grime

Imperial Century Ride – by PCC Wong

With the Ipoh Century Ride coming in 2 weeks time, this ride was just right for us to have a taste of what it meant for the "century ride", at least for me.

The turnout for last Sunday was very encouraging. About 60 riders (inclusive of the TBB animals and the Kepong groups) joined in this challenge. Again, this proved our theory of "the longer the ride distance, the better the response will be". We pushed off at about 7 am with quite high pace after Sungai Buloh. The peloton moved smoothly like a train and soon we reached our first R&R i.e., Ijok Petronas at around 9am.

Few riders lead by Ariff turned back and the rest continued our journey to Pekan Sg Tengi. The weather was extremely kind to us and we were able to keep the pace around 30-33km/hr until Pekan Sg Tengi. After a short break in Pekan Sg. Tengi, the train lead by PK aka Pain Killer headed back to Ijok Petronas. Weather was still very nice and the peloton managed to keep up the good speed all the way to Ijok. Along the way, one rider broke his spoke but was able to continue his ride. The journey back to Centre Point after Ijok was split into 3-4 pelotons when some stronger riders decided to hammer all their way back. Of course, for me, I opted to ride at my own speed and took it easy. The drizzle around Guthrie corridor was a pleasant surprise for me as it cooled me down and freshen me a bit. Reached Centre Point slightly after 2pm. A check in my cyclometer shown that mileage achieved was 162km in 5 hours 40 minutes (riding time). All in all, it was an uneventful ride but really a pleasant ride despite the long distance. Thanks to the weather and the team.

For me, this was the second ride to Pekan Sg Tengi and the last time was also just before last year Ipoh Century Ride. It was definitely easier than the ride last time as the weather was much better this time round.

7hrs of Relentless Pedaling! by Jan

Just over three months ago was my first ever Sunday ride with PCC - Jacqui had promised Vong and Mac that she would convince me to join the group. Paddling 16 kilometers up a mountain at a continuous 3-4 % seems ridiculous, especially if you come from a country, which is as flat as a pancake, and has only one hill of 100m high. Slowly grinding away up and up towards the halfway point with the promise of 100-plus and Roti Canai - with egg, garlic, lemon and sugar, or even M’n M’s foremost in my mind. I ate everything to charge my muscles for the much-revered McDonald Hill - no way was I getting off and pushing, and of course the death defying descent, for what else had we all been huffing and puffing uphill for an hour and half?

This Sunday however (K.D'Sara-Sg Buloh-Ijok-Btg Berjuntai-Pekan Sg Tengi- Btg Berjuntai-Ijok-Guthrie Corridor-Kg Subang-K.D'Sara- Tropicana), was something quite different, a century, nice and flat, no killer McDonald hills or Dragons to face, just nice and flat, as it turned out – at times seemingly endlessly boring flat and at others seemingly unpredictably, treacherously flat. Clocking in at just under 7hrs of relentless pedaling, Sundays ride was just a taster – of the Interstate 08, yikes! and a pre-run for the not so distant Century Ride, without the t-shirt of course!

Going back to hills - as a newbie, uphill is a challenge believe me - I weigh in at 92Kg, if you are lucky a kind of rhythm takes over your legs and breathing, this gets you up as long as your mind doesn’t start to play tricks on you - "who am I trying to kid" come to my mind as I cranked up my last gears only half way up McDonald Hill, not too much danger involved in the ascend I guess as long as I keep an eye on my heart rate!

What about the flat rides though? This Sunday - I only had to worry about my cadence and speed; "got to keep a steady pace with these fast boys and girls" I don’t want to be dumped! For the most part I am in the middle of the peloton concentrating hard, it is a fast steady pace - it feels fantastic, adrenalin pumping, legs and heart cope, no problem, I say to myself "this is easy, almost effortless", I am having fun, everyone is happy, I can hear chattering in different languages, and laughter, this is just the beginning though, only another 120km to go!

What is true for hilly rides can also be said for flat rides, words like ridiculous, dangerous, thrilling, fun, exciting, exhilarating, pain-full come to mind, the main challenge is the same though – to have fun but also get back to the car in one piece. The decent or return journey is where the blood starts to circulate again, what hurts most? is it shoulders, hands, feet or dare I say private parts! When speeding down hills I try not to dwell on the later extremity, and likewise try even harder not to dwell on the fact that I am now the human bullet with the potential to reach 60 km per hour if it wasn’t for the power of my hands clutching at my brakes – "please do not fail me brakes"! I am now concentrating on the hairpin bends, that white line which I must not cross, no weird road kill or road-crossing snakes to negotiate, monkeys jump out of the bush - I scream they scream back - as I hurtle past, no cars buses or motorbikes on my side of the road "thank you o-mighty protector of cyclists", I am now thinking did I really manage to cycle all this way up and surely it wasn’t this steep! On the flats – I am thinking similar thoughts – did I really come this far? This Sunday I got to take my turn at the front, a chance to give a little something back to the heroes who had been dragging the peloton for the last 6+ hours, my 2 minutes with the headwind full on felt like 30! And then, as with all rides there it is again, the parking-lot, "hallelujah", I’m still in one piece, as are lots of other similarly relieved and happy fellow Pccan’s - they are smiling at me and I am smiling back – we shake hands congratulating each other.

I may have gotten carried way reminiscing over the challenge of going up and down hills, which most either love or hate, the reality is that long flat rides, with the inevitable road traffic, potholes and sink-holes! are just as challenging in their own special way – There is one guarantee though the effort you put in is well and truly rewarded in terms of great personal achievement, excitement, fun, companionship, not to mention seeing parts of Malaysia from a totally different perspective. I love riding with PCC.

Flats Are Not My Favourite… by Jacqui

I’ve been riding with PCC since February, on such notorious rides like Broga and having touched the clock face at Frasers Hill – I have come to expect my fare share of pain and suffering riding with PCC and I can tell you I love it. Having scaled the dizzy heights of Genting Sempa two Sundays in a row, I was delighted in a sadistic sort of way when I saw that option 3 on this Sundays ride was a relatively flat 165km. Flats are not my favorite thing dare I say "I love hills", it was the distance which intrigued me and since I cannot do the Century Ride at the beginning of July, what more could I have wished for - here was my chance to do a century, with all the glory, pain and suffering in true pcc style, just with out the t-shirt at the end to prove I’d been through it.

My challenge checklist for this Sunday was as follows: - First and foremost, I must not to fall off bike either in car park or at any time during ride. To stay with the pack, not get dumped in any way shape or form. To work on my cadence. To have Fun. At 40+km - not let the voice in my head convince me that "I must be mad for getting up so early, leaving my 7 year old in front of the television with the maid, in order ride my bike? At 80km I must not get too excited about the return journey being down hill? At 120km not get too worried about The Wall which is promised at 140km. I must not think to myself that flat is boring, because that’s when potholes, craters, sink-holes for which there were many this week start to appear. I must try and dodge not ride over or through road kill for which there was also lot this week. I must practice my peloton riding skills to best ability, give audible signals of oncoming hazards such as snakes, shoes, motorbikes, holes of all shapes and sizes, at least when I can safely cycle with one hand. I must drink while cycling taking care not to swerve, make too many jerky movements or just stop without giving due warning. Try not to give myself a headache by concentrating so hard on the tire in front; try not to touch the tire in front. Try not to get dumped in the last 20km, get lost, do a few extra km or hills and then find ones-self at a local wedding! I must not give any reason to call out a search party.

Sundays ride re-inforced my belief that, in cycling, where there is pain there is gain! I fulfilled a great personal goal this Sunday, thanks to PCC, 165km is the furthest I have ever cycled - or ever dreamt I would cycle. In so far as my checklist, I managed to stick pretty closely to most of it, and enjoy myself. Only one thing I must add to the list for next time - Make sure correct front wheel (not my husband’s), is attached to my bike – check Ö .

TENGI TWISTER by Don Haider

The tiny sleepy town of Pekan Sg Tengi was jostled awake by the silent arrival of about 45 PCC Mat Rempit gang. These hungry Mat’s (plus some Salleh’s, too) roamed the short stretch of the town in their multi-colored bikes & jersey’s in search of food.

Located 32km north of Bestari Jaya (or famously still known as Batang Berjuntai) in Ulu Selangor, the place rarely receive visitors in such numbers. The only restaurant open there all of a sudden had a long que for its pre-cooked fried kueh-teow, kueh’s & buns. All of which were cleared out within minutes !

The PCC train departed as schedule at 7am fm Centrepoint, Bandar Utama last Sunday. 11 of us hopped in at the Cineleisure ‘station’. Along the way several more cyclists boarded the train. My count of bikes at the initial Ijok Petronas stop was about 53, with 8 turning back to Centrepoint.

Indeed an awesome sight to see so many racing bikes of numerous makes & models being parked at one spot. Even more awesome for non-cyclists, is to see its owners in their skin tight jerseys & shorts covering the contours of their body parts. Good thing cyclists wear their heels in the front & don’t use lipstick, too. Otherwise, we would be banished from Kelantan for good !

Did I mention the weather ? … it was PERFECTO for cycling. Overcast skies & pleasant all the way. It was absolutely gorgeous for our 160km long ride. Except for a few stretches, the peloton kept intact at a steady average pace of about 28-32km/h @85-95rpm most of the way. Even the usual culprits kept in toe to pace for the long ride. None of the usual break-aways. But, I knew it was a ‘ploy’. They stayed lurking quietly, silently, within the peloton. Pulling only occasionally, for short periods.

The pace picked up to 35-38km/h on the return flite after BB. However, after the last stop at Ijok on the home run, the ‘Tengi Twister’ broke loose. The train broke to pieces as the usual culprits up the tempo & along the way left a trail of cyclists pedaling beyond their lactic threshold.

With the overwhelming response to PCC’s ‘tough’ rides, perhaps the Torture Master needs to prescribe a stronger dose of his Pain Killer, no .. ?? :D

One long haul - by signora sulla bicicletta

Last Sunday's ride started off with 60 plus passengers on a cruising train. With the maximum being 160km everyone is taking it easy for the first 40km to Ijok.

The weather was overcast and many of us (I believe) prayed that it stays that way till the afternoon.

The ride to Sg Tengi was faster paced with the 40plus riders riding in one peloton thus forming an extremely long train that made it difficult for vehicles to over take. Upon sensing the danger we are causing the other road users and our selves, PCC ride leader Vong break the peloton into two. As usual the sleepy town was a buzzed with riders looking for food and water. After refuelled/refilled, the train left as quickly as it arrived.

The return journey was pretty much eventless except for one unlucky cyclist who broke a spoke in his hind wheel when running over a pot hole.

The Sunday ride also proves that good weather makes a lot of difference for a long haul so be good and hope that we will be rewarded another fine Sunday on the 13th.

 

 

4. 2008 PCC CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

As always, it’s subject to change as we add or delete moving ahead!

Date	Event	What
March 23	Ipoh MTB Fellowship (MTB)	Completed! Well done, Ipoh Roadrunners!
April 19-20	Telemong Sleepover (Off Karak) Ride-n-Camp (MTB)	Completed! God blessed us with great weather!
May 17-19	HOB: Pulau Ubin Singapore (MTB)	Completed! We had a blast, including a night ride on those fabulous trails!
June 29	KLMBH Epic Hash (Ulu Rening) (MTB)	Coming up at the end of June is a monster of a ride. If you think the usual KLMBH rides are tough, well, here’s a tougher one! Catch details below.
Postponed!	Sg Sendat Family Camp-n-Ride (MTB)	Seems most regulars are busily booked for all the weekends in June. Coupled with the bad weather of late. New date to be announced.
July	Sg Liang Sleepover (Raub) Ride-n-Camp MTB	Great campsite sandwiched by 2 rivers. Not to mention one of the best trails in Malaysia! We were last there in 2005 but a recent recce says everything is still great!
August	InterState 2008 (Road)	PCC’s much anticipated annual multi-day tour! Destination??
October 25-27	MUDD Camerons (MTB)	Mountainbike until drop dead! Not really. A great trail up in the hills!
November	PCC Annual Dinner	That time of the year when we leave behind the bike for fun of a different kind!
December	Penang MTB Jamboree (TBC)	Annual gathering of MTB’ers up north for a weekend of fun, food and pain!
June 2009	Presidential Ride (MTB)	We are skipping this year so that we can find new trails and thrills if not a totally new location!

 

 

5. THE ART OF DRAFTING

Why do roadies draft?

Drafting is one of the best road riding techniques that can be taught. If done properly, a group of cyclists can work together to increase their overall speed and distance for less effort by sharing the load and taking turns pulling at the front for short periods. The theory is a single rider has to ride against the wind, thus working about 20-30% harder than a rider sitting just behind him/ her. The rider behind will enjoy the vacuum formed behind the front rider. Just look at pro riders in the Tour de France. They always ride in a peloton. Solo break away from the main peloton rarely succeeds unless the peloton allows them to get away.

The best way to learn good drafting technique is to pair up with an experienced rider. So if you're an old hand, do help a new rider. If you're a newbie, find an experienced rider who's willing to help. It’s perfectly okay to ask if you are unsure how to. Better safe than sorry.


How does one draft?


Let’s assume you're a newbie to drafting.


Ride at a moderate pace on a low-traffic road. Put your front wheel about 3 feet behind your guru's rear wheel. As you feel comfortable and confident, get a bit closer; maybe 2 feet, then 18 inches. Eventually, you should try to keep your front wheel about a foot away from the rear wheel of rider in front of you.


Notice how the draft is stronger when you're closer to your partner's wheel, weaker as you drift back. Notice how you feel more draft when speed increases.


Feel how the draft moves slightly to the side in a crosswind. Protection increases to the right of


Good drafting depends on smooth, even pedaling. If you pedal and coast, pedal and coast, you'll find yourself getting too close to your partner, or too far back. Try to keep the crank turning and use slightly more or less pedaling force to maintain a constant gap. If you need to slow down slightly, try using your body and arms, instead of grabbing your brakes. Sit up; spread your arms and legs open. This will catch the wind like a parachute and will slow you down slightly without you having to touch your brakes.


Now practice rotating the lead.


1. The front rider checks over his right shoulder for traffic, drifts a couple of feet to right
(determined by wind direction, road conditions or traffic) and slows slightly by soft-pedaling. He will use his left hand signal to wave the peloton to take over from him. Make sure to only move to the right once you have ascertained it is safe to do so.


2. You take the lead not by accelerating but by keeping your speed constant as your partner slows and peels off. Pedaling will feel a bit harder because you're bucking the wind. Glance at your cycle-computer to make sure your speed stays steady.


3. Stay close as you pass each other while rotating the lead. The closer your shoulders are, the less wind each of you will be pushing and the narrower your combined width. That's important so motorists can deal safely with your presence.


4. When you're the person dropping back, begin accelerating slightly when your front wheel is beside your partner's rear wheel. Then you can slip in behind before a gap opens. Use hand signal when merging back in.

PCC has a newbie ride every first and third Thursdays of the month. Drafting techniques are taught & practiced and safe road riding practices taught. Before you proceed to join the Sunday ride, it is recommended you come for our night rides in PutraJaya. Once you feel comfortable, do come and join us on Sundays as well.

 

Tips for safe drafting

1. A good peloton is one which rides predictably, consistent in pace and smooth changeovers at the front.

2. Always use hand signals to warn of potential road hazards like potholes, slatted drain covers, speed humps, parked vehicles and incoming traffic on the left. If there is no time or unsafe to remove hands from your bars, then just shout out a warning. Remember, the rear riders cannot see the road hazards and rely on your warnings to avoid them. If time doesn’t permit you to use hand signals, then just yell out a warning.

3. Take turns in leading the peloton and do your fair share. If you feel fatigued, then do a little less before peeling off the front. Always look out for traffic before moving to the right and waving the rear rider on. Always ask if you can join into a peloton, and it’s nice gesture to thank a rider who has done a good pull in front.

4. Keep your hands on the hoods for quicker access to brakes to slow down, if necessary. However, never perform emergency braking maneuvers while in a peloton. This will cause a pileup. It’s better to try to anticipate by looking a couple of riders ahead.

5. Try keeping your wheel slightly to the right of the rear wheel in front of you. So, in the case of an emergency stop, you can avoid the front bike by moving slightly to the right. But again, beware of vehicles on your right.

6. If you find you cannot hang on to the peloton’s speed and can’t contribute turns in a peloton; let them go. There will be another peloton coming along which you can always team up with. It’s always better to ride in a peloton which you feel comfortable riding in, and not in one which you are struggling to keep up with. People will do silly things when they are fatigued.

7. Never overtake on the left of the peloton, or between riders. It is dangerous, unexpected and just plain stupid.

8. Take shorter pulls in front. Newbies always fall into the trap of pulling for way too long and then dropping off the rear end of peloton; a spent force. Always keep about 30% in your reserve tank.

Remember, you can agree with a group of cyclists to ride together at an agreed speed (say, 25-30km/h) and stick to it. It’s especially more enjoyable if they are your mates. But you’ll find riding together with new riders and sharing new experiences is a good way to make new friends quickly. In fact, I met my best friend while we were riding in PCC.

Always ride safe and have an awesome ride!

 

6. PCC INTERSTATE 2008

2. PCC CLASSIFIEDS

If you have extra bike parts cluttering up your house or an overflowing parts bin, this is the column for you. Just mail to us at pcc_news@yahoo.com particulars of parts you wish to unload as follows and we’ll publish them for the whole world to see:

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