CYCLE 4 CARE 2012 CHARITY RIDE

So, as I said earlier, I did go to the Shah Alam jamboree last Sunday -- three mountain bike jamborees over the weekends in a row with one more to go this coming Sunday. The ones after will be scheduled accordingly. Enjoy it while you still can.

For me, life after retirement has never been better than what it is today. I always look forward to my day and that includes biking amongst my other pursuits. Didn't I read somewhere that most great people didn't even come into their own until they were in their 80's? Well, this is not saying that I am great at my age or will be great when I get to become 80. I am only saying that life is great for me and has never been better and more wonderful than what it now is. I love that bit of motivation about refiring your passion instead of retiring it and the reminder that people who think that age has only negative consequences such as decay, disease, degeneration etc will only help to create those outcomes for themselves. As they say, we are what we think and I strongly believe in that wisdom. In the same breath, I also remind myself that for all the good things god has granted me, I should not forget to count my blessings, always.

I like to think that I am 64 years young instead of 64 years old. That helps to create in me the spirit and attitude to keep me going through whatever life there is left for me; something I can't be certain of but must try to make the best of as long as I continue to breathe. I believe in the wisdom that aging is not optional and that if I love life and want to enjoy it and keep it going, I should not get old; at least in my mind and spirit if not in my body. I should instead grow old which I have learned to interpret it to mean to continue to seek new wisdom, new passions, new things that can excite me; to create new relationships as I continue to keep cherished old ones and to learn from my mistakes and not to be afraid to make new ones. I should take care of my body and health by exercising, eating right and taking risks. In other words, I should continue to live. That brings me to the subject of mountain biking, a new passion I discovered after my retirement as one of the ways for me to keep going.

Listen to some of these motivating words about aging I read from some books that came from people who know what they are talking about: 'Before you decide you are too old to run across mountains, rock-climb in canyons or take up scuba diving, remember: It's never too late -- muscles never lose the ability to improve, no matter how old you are'; or this: 'I may be over eighty in age, but I will never be old in mind and spirit'. Or, how about this: 'We are raised with the idea that when you hit fifty, you should relax and take it easy. I think this is a mistake. The more energy you spend, the more you get back. I get more tired sitting all day then when I run fifty miles'. You can replace that last quote about running with mountain biking the same distance or more instead for the purpose of this posting.

Okay, back to the Shah Alam jamboree. Oh! what a great jamboree that was. Never did I have it so good as this one. Sure, there were other equally exciting and challenging jamborees before this but this one was different in the way it gave my heart and body the thumping and beating that they went through. Although the response was low (still, close to three hundred bikers participated in the jamboree), it was a great jamboree nonetheless and a well organized one including the trail that they drew up for the bikers. Since it was a charity ride aimed at raising funds and support for an orphanage, some welfare homes and the needy in the state, no prize money was offered as incentives. This could have contributed to its relatively low response. The overlapping jamborees that were being organized at other places the same day could have also contributed to its reduced participation. Still, the organizers did not lose heart and gave the bikers their money's worth which was the fee they paid for their participation to enable the organizers to initiate and run the activity.

The trail was great; a mix of everything in true mountain biking fashion and in the right proportion that one can expect from a good mountain bike trail. The organizers promised us a great ride with some sections and nature of part of the whole trail being kept secret until it was ridden to provide the bikers the excitement and thrill they were looking for. What a surprise I had when I rode the trail. Just when I thought the hills were finally over, more came to challenge me further. So were some sections of the single trails with their roots, rocks and ruts going either up or down that had me pushing my bike more than pedaling and the freewheeling downhill over some parts which proved treacherous and menacing (crashed again at one rutted section because I missed the line) both ways up or down with their twists and turns which stretched and challenged my skill and endurance to their highest limit  For me, it was certainly a torturous ride as they promised and a tortuous one as well as I later found out. It has got hills more than I had hoped for that really tested my fitness and endurance to their highest level and rocks, roots and ruts (some quite deep) for my skill and reflexes.

In any jamboree, I try to pedal as much and as long as I can and refrain from putting my foot down as a way of meeting the challenge and for the purpose of improving my fitness and stamina. Only when it becomes impossible for me to continue to do so would I put my foot down and push my bike. Such a situation may arise as a result of insufficient fitness on my part or caused by the nature of the trail itself or other factors such as being forced to dismount by riders in front of me .

I have to admit that I did more pushing this time than I did in previous jamborees. Reason being, there were just more hills to climb compared to previous jamborees. The hills in Shah Alam really sapped my energy and took the breath out of me forcing my heart to beat beyond my maximum. Curse as I did, still I think it was an exciting jamboree to ride. The hills were most challenging and the single trails, beautiful and almost pristine as they are, proved tough and trying. But then, that is what mountain biking all about: a test of your fitness and stamina as well as your skill and reflexes.

The areas around Shah Alam are fast developing, At the rate development is taking place, I am surprised, though glad, that there are still areas where mountain bikers can still exercise and enjoy their pursuit. How I wish for some of these areas to continue to be preserved so that mountain biking and other outdoor related activities could continue to be enjoyed by bikers and other members of the public alike. But such a possibility may seem remote or even far- fetched considering the manner and the rate by which development is taking place in the country. Perhaps, one way to achieve this is to increase our mountain biking activities as much as we can and to make our presence felt and our voices heard so that the level of  awareness amongst members of the public and those in authority can be increased. Development isn't just about economic consideration alone but also the well being and interests of the public at large.

I pray that Shah Alam will continue to provide us the ground and the trails for us to enjoy our pursuit in future. I believe there are still some good trails remaining there capable of providing mountain bikers the challenge and the thrill they need. I hope to be able to enjoy them again next year and the years after for I still owe Bukit Ramlee -- so far considered by me to be the mother of all my cycling hills -- the challenge I failed to meet.

See you there next year.