BIKING IN RAMADAN

I mentioned in passing something about balance in life in my two previous posts. I was interested to know once whether it is advisable for us to exercise during Ramadan or to just take a break from any physical activities during the said month. I then read something about the importance of exercising during the fasting month. It states that it is important for us to exercise during Ramadan in order to maintain balance or what is referred to as 'mizan'. It explains that mizan is achieved when our spiritual, mental and physical life is maintained. During Ramadan, the spirit is kept healthy by purging the self of all negativity including the negativity that is associated with the fast while the mental self is maintained through regular reading of the Koran. As for the physical self, it  is kept strong through a light workout.

I do not intend to delve further into the subject about this balance or mizan. Suffice for me to say that I can't disagree with that statement and in respect of the physical life, believe that I do need to keep myself moving not only to keep up with life itself, but to keep myself alive as well. Didn't I read somewhere that says that life is about movement and one who doesn't move or words to that effect, is just as good as, errr...Well, you can finish that sentence for me. I therefore like to believe that the more I can move, the better it is for me, Ramadan or otherwise, unless of course, for some reasons, I can't.

Somehow, the approach of Ramadan did not cause me to review my physical activities with the aim of reducing them or their level of frequency or intensity, but instead, to find ways how I could go on maintaining my routine activities without too much disruption. I am referring, of course, to my biking activities. For me, those activities have to go on as long as they can go on and for which, I have no desire to see them being relegated to a lower frequency or intensity even during the fasting month.

I suppose the light workout is recommended while you fast and that is only sensible. But a few hours after breaking your fast, I don't see why more than just a light workout could not be done unless of course you feel that one should not be exercising at night during Ramadan. I am referring to the same kind of workout just like the kind  that I usually do during the day and with the same kind of intensity as in the non-fasting months. There's still a way to make the necessary adjustments to enable the level of my exercise routine to remain unchanged. Now that it is advisable to only do the light exercise during the day, I will do the strenuous ones at night. After all, I have been doing those workouts at night too during the non- fasting months. I am unaware of any medical or health related drawbacks that can result from such action. For me, I only need to listen to my body to know whether it is up to it or otherwise.

So, my biking activities have remained very much the same during this fasting month and I am enjoying them just as much as I do as in the non-fasting months. I still do those same workouts more or less; the light kind during the day and the heavier or more strenuous type at night. But you need to listen to your body and that is highly important. What you think about the whole idea too is also important. As for me, I love and enjoy what I do. I could do some other things other than biking but I know I will never enjoy doing them. 

So, it has remained a status quo for me with regard to my biking activities during this fasting month. The urge to cycle has not ebbed the slightest for me. I do the light workouts usually between one and a half to two hours before breaking fast and the strenuous kind at night at least four hours after the fast-breaking meal. There have been three long hard rides at night since Ramadan started ranging between 30 and 60 kms and there will be a few more coming before the blessed month ends.

That's how much biking can really bite you or is it a case of bikers simply crazed by their biking that nothing seems to be able to slow them down, not even Ramadan? But one good thing is certain about their involvement. Their level of fitness and stamina and their power of endurance seem to have become limitless that they are able to ride long and hard almost every night -- as some of my biking friends seem to do -- without showing signs of being burnt out. That's what biking can do for you, not to mention what it can also do for your cardiovascular health other than your mizan.

So biking in Ramadan, anyone? Emmm...sahur or suhoor has never tasted this good!

BUKIT DINDING: A REFLECTION IN RAMADAN

The month of Ramadan gives me an opportunity to reflect on many things. Amongst them ...well, you guessed it, my biking of course.

That brings me to the subject of a hill, 300 metres high, located in our neighbourhood that serves as a constant feature in my pursuit for a healthy, balanced life -- the humble and unpretentious Bukit Dinding.

It's just a hill; a plain one I would say, with nothing really attractive to offer except for some overaged rubber trees as its vegetation and a pair of telecommunicationns towers atop its peak as its landmark. Coincidentally, some E.T. friends and I happened to cycle up that hill night before last. Since strenuous workouts during the day are not recommended during the fasting month, we opted for a night ride instead and Bukit Dinding provided the means for us to do so..

When was the first time I got associated with Bukit Dinding? I really can't recall the exact day it happened. I wish I had noted it somewhere  in some sort of record or diary. If only I had done so, things could be much easier for me to remember or  refer to whenever there's a need for doing so as in this case right now. That way, I suppose I could be more specific and perhaps, more convincing.

The one thing that I can remember quite clearly about Bukit Dinding the first time I tried to get close to it was during the course of my search for new trails to ride. And I didn't like what I saw.

Maybe it was sometime in early or middle of 2009 when I started to give the hill a closer look. I had by then been passing by that hill numerous times in the course of my daily rides but never gave it more than just a passing glance or thought. I was already well into biking then and enjoying what I was doing and realized  the many benefits it brought me. I felt fit and wanted something more physically challenging. I thought the hill was now worth a peek to find out what could be up there for me that I could use to improve my fitness and enhance my biking pleasure. 

I had by then, more or less, settled down with all the surrounding hills that I could find around my area. Cycling up those hills had ceased to be a challenge to my fitness and stamina. They could not push my heart to the level I desired and I noticed that I had a few more beats to spare that I thought I could use for more strenuous rides to bolster my heart health further.

Outside of the neighbourhood, there's the much-talked about Steroid Hill in FRIM where I used to ride regularly over the weekends and still sometimes do. Trying to get up Steroid the first time did not prove to be so much a challenge to me. My only problem was my lack of stamina which prevented me from riding the hill in one go where I was forced to take a pause in order to enable me to continue. Still, I managed to ride up that hill the second time I tried.

But it was different with Bukit Dinding. Its starting slope really gave me the scare the first time I took a close look at it. I thought there was no problem with its first 100 metres but it was its next 100 that erased the idea about trying to ride it out of my mind. I thought the gradient was so stiff that there was no way I could ride over it without risking a wheelie and a  backward fall that could end up in some kind of injury either to my head or my body.

Still, I made the attempt despite the uncertainty and ended up with a wheelie on approaching the second 100 metres as I had expected. My second attempt some days later ended up with the same result. I can't recall what I did following the two failed attempts, whether I pushed the bike after that to continue with the ride or stopped the attempt completely. But I did realize later that the steep gradient would only last for 250 meters after which the track would level out to an almost even ride. I wasn't sure what the trail was like ahead of that but decided to ride it all the same, either then or later, to find out. As it turned out, the rest of the trail proved to be a relatively easy ride, though an ascending one, but all manageable for the next 2.0 kilometers or so until the top.

It was during my third attempt that I finally succeeded in taming the dreadful slope.There were not many cyclists riding Bukit Dinding back then but there was one young one that I used to bump into quite regularly either while on my way up or coming down the hill. I was about to approach the dreaded second 100 meters during my third attempt when this young cyclist, suddenly appearing from behind me, overtook me at quite a pace. He was pedalling his bike standing with his body leaning low forward and taking the slope in what appeared to be slow steady strides. I still considered myself a neophyte cyclist then having taken up cycling only sometime in 2008. Taking it as a cue, I instantly copied what he did, albeit quite clumsily and without the ease and finesse he seemed to demonstrate.

Thanks to him, I finally managed to beat that dreadful slope on that day. However, trying to beat that awful (or awesome, depending) stretch continues to give me that uneasy anxious feeling that is certain to race my heart a few beats faster in advance everytime I cycle up the hill. 

Now that I had finally suceeded in overcoming the dreadful slope, my subsequent goal was to try to beat the hill's initial 250 metres and its overall trail in the shortest time possible. I rememember setting the limit of under 3 mins for the hill's first 250-metre stretch  and less than 25 for the overall 2.6 km trail. I managed to achieve both these objectives. On 5 December 2009 (I have this on record, somehow), a day before my birthday, I succeeded in completing the 250- metre starting climb in 2 mins 57 secs and the whole trail in 22 mins 50 secs. My best time for the whole trail, however, stands at 21 mins 21 secs which was set much later when I was tempted to keep up with a much younger rider who happened to ride the same hill with me one particular day. Nowadays, however, I just pedal up the hill enough to exercise my heart and lungs to the level recommended for my age

I am happy and thankful that at my age, I can still cycle up Bukit Dinding and doing it in one continuous ride without the need to pause. However, the hill's awful and awesome second 100 metres still continues to haunt and intimidate me even until today.

Wonder when I will ever get over that feeling. Or, will I?

RED BERET CHALLENGE 2012

So, after what felt like quite a long lay off, I finally managed to participate in another mountain bike jamboree, the Red Beret Challenge 2012, in Paroi, Negeri Sembilan just a week before Ramadan. It was a challenge-cum-jamboree. This would be my last jamboree until sometime late September after the end of Shawal when there will be a chance for another two jamborees each in Rawang and Serdang, respectively.

The Red Beret Challenge 2012 was organized by mountain biking enthusiasts from Unit 7th of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) of the Royal Malaysia Police, a component within the police force responsible for the task of maintaining public order and security. Being what they are and with the resources available to them, a high standard was expected of them in their organizing and running of the event. They too, I believe, would not expect any less than what we all hoped for.

A total of three hundred and fifty mountain bikers were there at the jamboree. I have been made to understand that more could have participated but the organizers had chosen to limit the participation to ensure a smooth and orderly running of the jamboree. Eight bikers from our group, E.T. Riders, were there to participate in the event. These are the regular bikers that you can expect to see at almost every jamboree unless for some reasons, they are unable to be there.

The Red Beret trail was thirty-eight kilometres long, a balanced mix of sealed and and offroad tracks that included some stretches of oil palm tracks and single trails running along the foot of a range of forest-clad hills that overlooks part of the trail area. Although there were not many hills waiting to challenge the bikers during the ride like in some previous jamborees, there were two relatively stern ones that we had to contend with. For me, these two were enough to get my heart pumping well above its maximum rate and which had finally caused me to dismount and forced me to push the bike instead to get over them. The trail, however, was not totally alien to me though since I had the opportunity of riding a part of it in a previous jamboree I attended  early last year. That trail was much harder and much more demanding than the Red Beret Challenge's. Nevertheless, the Red Beret trail was still an interesting trail to ride. It is, after all, a trail that I don't get a chance to ride often.

So, how did it go? Well, I guess those men in blue with the red berets did it. That's by my personal reckoning since no complaints nor protests were heard related to the jamboree; not at least from members of my own group. They had only good words to say. It was a smooth jamboree and a well organized one that went well without hiccups. The trail was well thought out and the administrative and logistic arrangements satisfactory. There was enough water to keep the bikers hydrated and plenty of bananas to keep them re-energised while riding. Of course, the marshalling and the traffic control were laudable to say the least. That was to be expected. The ride started on time and there was no delay in waiting for some top brass or some bigwigs to arrive to flag off the event or listening to some long speeches before the ride like in some previous jamborees we attended. Long speeches and anxious bikers at the start line all ready and raring to go make for poor combination at jamborees.

How did we fare and how did we take it? Not too bad, I reckon. Although we were there just for the ride and not the challenge and doing it at our own pace, we still did not do too badly. All except one completed the ride. We were there only to challenge ourselves and enjoy the ride. We are happy to note that we did and got the enjoyment we all sought for.The one who did not was only because of some mechanical hitch beyond his control which prevented him from completing the ride.

Now that the holy and blessed month of Ramadan has set in, the question about exercising during this month of self denial begs some consideration. Reading from somewhere, it is stressed that exercising during Ramadan is important in order to maintain balance. Balance is achieved when our spiritual, mental and physical life is maintained. The physical self is kept strong through a light workout.

You need not lay off your bike during this fasting month. You can still do some light cycling or whatever other workout that suits you in order to maintain your balance. So see you cycling somewhere sometime this Ramadan.

TILL THE NEXT JAMBOREE

It has been more than eight weeks since my last post in May. Although I have not posted any biking activities in this blog since then, that does not mean that I have forgotten about my biking during the eight weeks or so. For someone who tends to subscribe to the saying that a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work, I just could not help it. With the kind of fishing waiting to be explored and the kind of fish waiting to be caught, I just could not give the opportunity for such a prospect a slip. No, not me; one, who has found that fishing is not only good as a way of spending time outdoors, but also for a chance of escaping from the stress and strain of everyday life and for some relaxation. So, I had been away fishing, twice, in between those weeks and had somehow been so carried away by it, before and after, that I failed to find time for some posting in this blog.

Like mountain biking, I feel there are also the physical, psychological and spiritual benefits that I could gain from fishing and the company I am with. Does the catch matter? Well, it does and it does not. Sure, it's good to catch some, and more so, a lot of fish although there were more times that I ended up catching very little than a lot of fish. But that has not deterred me from continuing to pursue this number one favourite hobby of mine whenever such an opportunity exists. Fishing happens to be one pursuit that I got hooked on well before I got dragged into biking even though fishing in our waters, be it salt or fresh, isn't such a prolific affair anymore. You could still catch some fish though if you tried hard enough. Overfishing and lack of awareness on the need to preserve are some of the reasons that  have contributed to the depleted state of this valuable resource.

As I said, I did not forget about my biking completely during those eight weeks or so and in fact thought quite a bit about it even while fishing. Once the fishing over and I was back on terra firma, it was back to my bike again. A day after the first fishing trip, I was out mountain biking with friends the whole morning over a trail nearby which happens to be just a stone's throw away from where I live. I am fortunate because I have a trail close to home where I could be on it in under five minutes and spend half a day or more mountain biking over it whenever I wish. The trail has all the challenges a mountain biker needs more than I could take. Welcome to Kemensah, one of the favourite trails among mountain bikers residing in or around Kuala Lumpur.

The Kemensah trail referred to is that part of the trail which includes the paved and offroad tracks and paths located immediately north of Zoo Negara. The paved trail, per se, is the sealed road extending from the zoo northwards which also serves as a public road  for the local population residing in and around Kemensah. The offroad trails which are located in the cultivated and the deeper forest-clad areas of Kemensah and which form part of the overall Kemensah trail network, are not exclusive to mountain bikers but shared by other outdoor enthusiasts such as trekkers and campers. The trails are also used by ATVs and scramblers. The paved trail is a narrow meandering up and down dead- end tarred track about four kilometres long which can be expected to link up with other roads soon as a result of the relatively rapid development in housing taking place in the nearby areas. Half way up the trail, it branches off left for about five hundred metres towards another dead end and where these two trails end or thereabouts, the offroad trails begin . There are a number of offroad trails in Kemensah that you could choose for your rides.

So, how long has it been since my last jamboree until now? Feels like quite some while ago and I am already antsy for another one. So, until then, it has been Kemensah and some other trails and hills nearby, almost daily, for my rides these last few weeks. Bicycle it seems, has become a part of me.

The next mountain bike jamboree that I will be participating in will be the 'Red Beret Chllenge 2012' in Paroi, Negri Sembilan (NS) this Saturday. The last time I participated in a mountain bike jamboree in NS was sometime in April last year. It was a well organized jamboree that turned out to be quite a challenge as well as an experience for me since I was the only biker from our group participating in the jamboree. I hope this coming jamboree will be just as good if not better than the one I went to last year. I should not be expecting any less since this jamboree is organized, I believe, by some mountain biking practitioners from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) of the Royal Malaysia Police in Paroi, NS. I understand some bikers from E.T. Riders will be there to participate in the jamboree and I hope to have some good words to say about it when it's over.

So, see you in Paroi this Saturday. Until then, keep biking!

Regards.



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KUALA LANGAT MTB JAMBOREE 2012

So, I went to my last mountain bike jamboree for this month last Sunday. Nothing has been planned for this coming weekend as yet although I am sure that our fellowship would not just let the precious week go without some sort of mountain biking activity being thrown into it. Even if there's none by the group, I will still have mine planned for me. Didn't I say that I always look forward to my day and to my biking? More so over my weekend.

How much should one cycle a week? Once, twice, thrice? Can one cycle once every day for seven straight days a week? Well, I suppose only you and your body can tell. They may recommend you a certain number of days per week that they believe is right for you. This is to prevent it from becoming counter-productive to your health instead. You need a day or two of rest for your body to recover and rebuild. Over- exercising they say, is bad for you. But then if it doesn't seem to hurt you and without a day of cycling life seems incomplete or even unbearable for some of you, who's to say no to you doing what you love to do most? So go ahead and cycle to your heart's content if that makes you one happy and healthy person. I will be with you.

So Sunday last the 13th of May 2012, I went to the Kuala Langat mountain bike jamboree as  I had earlier planned. Rather than remembering and predicting the worst like some are wont to do for this most unfortunate day in the history of our country -- I was a young army cadet then when 13 May 69 happened and had the opportunity of passing through the city some days later and seeing the destruction it wreaked-- we decided to do something more rewarding to ourselves instead. As set out by the organizers, the objective of the jamboree was to promote the healthy habit of cycling and to bring all kinds of mountain bikers in our community together to share their common passion in the spirit of comradeship, goodwill and unity. I can't say the exact number of participants who were there to take on the challenge, but it was quite large; maybe close to five hundred participants or more were there judging by the crowd size. I was also aware of another mountain bike jamboree which was being organized on the same day somewhere not too far away from our venue and this could have affected the overall participation at the jamboree. Mountain bikers will go all over the country to join in the jamborees they like to participate in.

Since this jamboree was to take place somewhere close to to coast, I had the hunch that it would not be one roller-coaster up and down affair like the last jamboree that I participated in although the organizers could still chart a hilly course for us if they chose to. We could tell this from the little knowledge we have of the geography of the area. Still, it didn't matter too much to us but thought that if it was, it would be one easy ride for all of us. If it was not, it would not matter still. After all, it was the challenge we had all agreed to seek for ourselves or we would not have waken up in the early hours of the morning to be where we were and in good time so as not to miss the chance for an adventure over the weekend.

So, how do I rate the trail after the ride? Well, I guess we mountain bikers are still a lucky lot. We have choices and don't have to rely on tarmac or paved trails alone all the time doing what we love to do. Being mountain bikers, we can enjoy the best of both worlds -- on or off-road. Nowadays, there is always more than one jamboree going on at any one time each week and at different places  that you could just choose where you think you would enjoy your ride most. You can thus choose the venue, the type of terrain and trails whether near or far that you wish to ride according to your liking and preference.

In the Putrajaya jamboree, I had a relatively easy and an almost level ride around the wetlands, a hard and challenging one with its unforgiving hills in Shah Alam, and a flat though far from drab ride in Kuala Langat. But what Kuala Langat might have lacked in intensity and challenge, it made it up well in distance and character. Flat as the course might have been, it was a fifty-one km plus ride recorded on my cyclometer ( the organizers claimed fifty-seven and I like to believe them) across country over some newly cultivated areas, oil palm plantations and population centres. The trail was a mix of paved and gravelled tracks as well as single paths travesing across country ending with a beautiful stretch of paved track by the sea side. It was to me a beautiful and most gratifying ride set in a completely different environment and style. Most of the trail in the oil palm plantations is of peat soil, soft and moist unlike the drier or hardpack kind that one usually finds in hilly oil palm areas. Peat soil also known as mire tends to bury and suck your wheels and get you mired down as you ride; more so if you happen to be a heavyweight. Because the area is close to the sea and low-lying, the soil is always damp requiring plenty of ditches -- which also form the obstacles to your ride -- for an efficient irrigation or drainage system to keep the soil cultivable.The damp soil becomes easily mushy and slithery after a few rides and can become challenging to some riders. However, good tyres would still keep their grip and the skilful rider steady while riding over it .

To me, Kuala Langat was a relatively forgiving trail with no reason for me to stop pedaling except by my own design which I did but only once at one of the check points for water and a banana. I had enough water with me not to stop at all the other check points. Only the obstacles and the actions of riders ahead of me would force me to stop and dismount which happened several times during the ride. I took it easy and all in my stride yet managed to push my heart to its maximum limit by virtue of my almost continuous pedaling until the end. I heard the same sort of remarks from others in the group stating that the trail was so flat that it kept them pedaling and going drawn by the momentum and challenge with no desire to stop until the end. The trail at Kuala Langat was certainly a new kind of experience for me.

So, it has been another satisfying and rewarding weekend for me. I believe it has been the same for the others who were there with me. Already I am thinking of what it's going to be next this coming weekend although the one following that has already been set well in advance where I will be away from terra firma -- and my bike -- for a few days and will be riding the not too high seas instead. You may know for what reason if you have been following me closely.

So see you then. Happy mountain biking.

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.