MY FIRST MOUNTAIN BIKE JAMBOREE

There will be a few more mountain bike jamborees before 2013 comes to a close. I hope to participate in at least one or two more before the year ends.

In September, I managed to participate in a jamboree, the 'Hypertrax Rampage MTB Jamboree', in Dengkil, Selangor. Dengkil is a small town 41 kms south of Kuala Lumpur. And just last Saturday, I participated in another one, the 'Otai MTB Challenge Round 2', in Sungai Buaya also in Selangor. 'Otai' is short for old-timers or oldsters and the jamboree was specially organized to cater for bikers aged 40 and above. I wonder if it was actually a misnomer or otherwise to name the event such. After all, it's still moot whether being fortyish means being old. As some would want to believe, middle age occurs between the ages of 41 and 60 while others  feel that it actually only begins at 50 or slightly after. Middle age is defined as the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. This is a matter quite relative as well as subjective in nature I suppose, and one could go on debating about it without the benefit of a conclusive end.

Now that 2013 is coming to an end, it reminds me about ageing and of my very own age itself when I first started  biking and participating in jamborees.

When did I actually start mountain biking and when was the first time I participated in a mountain bike jamboree?

I wrote something about how I got myself involved with (hooked would be better word) mountain biking in one of my earlier posts and I don't intend to touch on it again. I started mountain biking sometime in late 2008 when I was advised by an orthopaedist  to do so in order to bring my left leg back to size and strength  after it went through  some surgery for some tear of my meniscus I suffered during a golf game. I have never looked back since getting involved with the activity.

As for my participation in jamborees, the first time I did was almost three years ago -- on the 5th of December 2010 to be exact.  It was in Bernam Jaya, a small township 85 kms north of Kuala Lumpur.

E.T.Riders at the Bernam Jaya Jamboree 2010 (BJJ10)

How old was I then when I participated in that first jamboree? 

I was just a day short of my 62nd birthday. How nice and how apt it was for me to welcome my 62nd birthday by mountain biking in a jamboree! I didn't even realize it until later. I don't celebrate my birthday much but I would have gladly celebrated it this way if I knew!

What was it like for someone my age going mountain biking in a jamboree on a trail 45 kms long 80 percent of which was going to be off-road?

I did realize it wasn't going to be all easy or all flat for.for me. I knew that I would have to pedal over uneven terrain and up and down hills on a trail that would be strewn with all kinds of impediments one would usually  find while mountain biking.

Other E.T.Riders at BJJ10

Somehow, it didn't really bother me much I would say. I was quite  fit then having started biking sometime in late 2008. By the time I decided to participate in the jamboree, I had already managed to tame the much dreaded -- by those less fit -- Steroid Hill of FRIM known for its notorious 250- metre heart- beating climb and the popular Bukit Dinding in our neighbourhood for its lung-busting 200- metre almost- 40-degree starting climb.  At my age then -- and now --, these two hills could easily push my heart to its maximal limit and my lungs close to the point of hyperventilation. There were times during the early stages of taming these two hills when my heart rate shot up beyond its maximum limit. But fortunately by then, my heart could already take a few more beats without causing me to hyperventilate or gasp for breath. I could still pass the conversation test, a way of determining whether my heart and lungs could take the beating beyond the limit or that I should immediately stop to avoid any possible complications. Thanks to the consistent biking I did which I believe was responsible for the extra heart beats and extra air in my lungs I had which I could use whenever I needed.

BJJ10 was a good and well organized jamboree. Not only did I find the trail challenging, it was also a joy to ride though I failed to record some impressions of it caused perhaps, by my new- found excitement and enthusiasm.

I was satisfied and happy with what I managed to achieve. To be able to mountain bike for the first time in a jamboree at my age as I did for 45 kms with very brief stops at only some of the check-points along the way was something to be thankful of. The fact that I had never at any one moment felt threatened by the trail nor the ride was itself another blessing. I was also happy that I did not end up as the last participant to arrive the finish line which also told me something about the state of my physical and mental wellness in relation to other bikers at the jamboree all of whom were younger than I was. Thanks to the almost daily cycling I did. I still do.

After the first jamboree, other jamborees came easy although some were much harder and tougher than the first . But the harder the rides, the more I wanted to challenge myself to know how far I could go. I guess the same spirit still remains in me albeit with the realization that I do need to take the ageing process into consideration. It's there no matter what you do or how hard you try to slow it down. Sooner ar later, it's bound to get at you. But then for me, biking is something that I just simply love to do and a way for me to keep myself fit and  healthy for as long as I can, God willing. While I do acknowledge that ageing does take a toll on performance, I would prefer to 'wear out' than simply 'rust out' out of disuse as some would choose to put it.

I am looking forward to my next jamboree this middle of December and perhaps one final one towards the end of the same month. One or two more from now and in between the two would be very welcome, if I could somehow manage. God willing, I will be there with you.

And about the old-timers jamboree and the one that I went to in September, I will have to leave that for later when I may decide to post another entry on this blog.

In the meantime, keep biking.

Regards.