Its such a surreal feelng, to be writing about an event of which one of the stars of that event is no longer around. Its been almost 3 days already... and I just can't take my mind off her. There has been some progress with the claims. Hopefully, my need for speed is met again.... anyway, I owe it to her, that I should write how she became a part of one of the biggest event of my life.
The day started early. I met up with Kuen, and we were looking sharp in our jerseys. I was pleased that the colors suit her colors. We were a matching pair. At 545am, we were already whizzing pass Cecil street and moving towards Fullerton. The streets were empty and at the Fullerton bridge, the road block was already up, with our jerseys on, the police had no problem identifying us as participants... we cut through the road block and then did a turn into Raffles Boulevard. The 50km participants were alrady there.. getting ready to start... we reached our destination and were rewarded with some 100 plus... I messaged the rest of the gang, that we were at the Neutral Services booth... one by one, we met up... lo and behold, Mr TC Teochew came along.. and all the time, he chattered about how good his son was, he very clever and hardworking very kind to join him at the cycles, doing well at the university, and that he is going to Australia for fishing for 14 days.. yada yada yada... the fact that he was yapping so much about himself, was perhaps he was sore that he couldn't get a road bike like me and Ee Tiong.. he was still adamant about the mountain bike.. look.. I love mountain biking.. and I am a cyclist at heart.. give me rolling hills, and give me offroad.. just give me the right bike... and there my heart will be... he just dun get that!
Time came (and I was so glad), that I had to move to my line.. together with Ee Tiong we went to our respective starting lines... the adrenaline was pumping, and it was getting to be brighter now... it looked as if it was going to be warm too... there were thousands upon thousands of people. We waited.. chatted nervously, and scouted around to see who may be the trouble makers... least of our worries actually... the time came.. everyone jockeyed their bikes to the front, there so many people, you could feel the electrifying aura around... Joel started appearing on my left... hah! Fate had to be so cruel.. TC Teochew will get to see my poweress! air horn blew.. and off we went.. my starting group was cool, everyone was very considerate.. 5 metres ahead, I could see TC ahead, he flicked the GD post, to get a better leverage, but that didn't matter at all, in 2 shakes of salt, I was up ahead and doing 30 plus.. no one tried to do any crazy stunts, they stayed their line and knew their limits... once out of the F1 area and onto Raffles Boulevard, things got pretty wild, but still manageable... on Clifford road nearer the U-turn, several water bottles on the road, but I manage to steer clear out of trouble and remain on the left and outside.. I kept my speed at around 30... around the Uie, it was about 22.. then up to about 35.. I sprinted abit to get back to Raffles boulevard... there, it began to become abit of wild party, some folks didnt like being cut, and would actually fight back... and then there was that sandy left turn back to Nicoll highway, that was narrow and some fatty on a cervelo was really close and was shouting at me, I was keeping my line.. I didnt really know what all his shouting was for... he and his frens start to sprint ahead.. I thought it was to soon for me to turn on my juice.. so I just mainted at around 34.... after the Uie at Nicoll some groups started to pull away, and I tried following them, the crazy fat Cervelo guy had a mini group with him, I drafted them for awhile, they were going too fast, I ended up being alone, the front group was way ahead and the behind group was way behind.. with no one to pull me along, I was hammering it up the gentle slope at Nicoll... I completed Nicoll at an average of 34... that was pretty neat! I eased off abit at Guillemard as I made the right turn towards Tanjung Rhu... once I hit the straights.. I started hammering again, 34-35... it was quick and easy.. My GAL was having fun and so was I... I felt faint... and soon.. Ee Tiong caught up with me.. and he was urging me... faster faster...
in 10 seconds he was up ahead... a quick glance at my comps, and it was only 12 kilos down so far.. still too early for the turbo... time for a swig at the bottles... and the cool, orangy elixir brought some relief to the already warm morning. At the straights towards the service roads, I turn on the turbo... 38... cut about 15 riders.... made a fast but smooth left turn into the service roads... my GAL just loved to carve... she carved silently and efficient, the wheelset spinning in perfect unison.. as both rider and bicycle became one unit, cutting through air, leaning into the curve as the centripetal force sent both into the tangent of the curve... once on the straights.. turbo again... 38... I didnt want to raise it to 40.. not yet becuase at the speed it will expend my reserves very very quickly.... once on the service road.. it was a very strange feeling... it was as if I have done this a thousand million times, it became so familiar.. every thing, the buzz on the road, as rubber tires rolled on rough tarmac, the shadows of the trees, the speed stripes... the blurring or the curbs, white black white black... I concentrated only on one thing... the sound of my breathing.. a quick glance at my HRM, my suunto T3.. 183... optimal.. I am definitely at my race pace now... the east coast will be the biggest obstacle.. I had to maintain as high a speed as possible... I hammered on... remember Lance Armstrong's technics... I kept my shoulders very still and just focused on hammer my legs.. it was strange too, that my knees were holding up so well... left right left right.. pound pound pound... left right left right.. pound pound pound... Carl's junior... speed hump.. speed stripes... Road safety park... chalets... Macdonalds, bowling alley... tennis centre...it was a straight but punishing road, as the surface was not smooth... met up with crazy fat cervelo guy and his group, they were crushed, I zipped past them, not an aggressive in your face kinda pass, more like a ha-ha-ha-you-bonked! kinda pass. As I was reaching the hawker centre, I was familiar with the slope... I pounded harder... 37... I did the slope and at the down slope.. I took another swig.. but this time there was no relief... that was when I realised that I was depliting my energy quite rapidly... suddenly, I felt my first pang of fear... fortunately, adrenalin pushed it aside... there was some riders bunched up... a quick hammer session.. and they were left behind.. the stiff BB on my Gal was amazing.. no wasted energy.. every stride was efficiently translated into forward motion... there will be another slope up.. this will be a longer and steeper slope.. here I remembered what Kuen had advised me.. when you take them out.. take them out fast, far and long... I turn my turbo on.. 40... and I blasted the slope... I left Ee Tiong behind... coming down the slope.. the comps registered 42... I was fast... but without sacrifice.. by then I was pretty exhausted.. 24km already.. wow.. less than half to go!
Up ahead was the final Uie.. I pounded for a while to maintain speed above 30.... made the Uie at around 26... and then hammer it up... again.. caught up with several riders.. and pounded away... as I was reaching the Yacht club, I had to regroup my strength... Ee Tiong suddenly came from behind... faster faster he urged me... I was hurting.. and I decided to stay behind... I watched him as he approached that short steep slope, strange... he stopped pedalling! I wouldnt do that.. you dun stop pedalling moments before you enter a slope! I started hammering again, 34... 35.. I passed him on the way up the slope.. and as I came down, I was doing 43... there was to be a gradual slope again past the sunset boulevard bar... I had to maintain smart gear changes to continue at an optimal speed.... Ee Tiong was left.. far behind.. could tell he was exhausted. Past the gradual slope..on the way down.. drinking time... towards the hawker centre, up the slope, down the slope, past the water skii lagoon.. back on the east coast parkway cycling track... usually we would turn left.. but this time we had to go up the slope... and there were a bunch of mountain bikers slow poking on the left, so I took the right... suddenly, there was road compression right in front of it.. crap... immediately, i loosen my grip on my handle bars, my front wheel jacked violently up... but my rear wheel absorbed it well, I was standing up by this time, so my body took most of the shock! I shouted to the jokers on my left to "stay your line"".. meaning dont sway too much... and they were obedient enough, I powered past them.. 44... and then i continued going at that pace... upon nearing the futsal place.. I slowed down.. 30... 29.. omigosh.. I was going flat! I had to engage mind power now..manage to only bump it up to 32... I was slowing down for sure... I just continued to focus on my breathing, I didnt really feel the lactic burn, so i forced up the pace. The tarmac below me blurred as I bowed to watch the cyclical movements of my thighs, my SIDIéd feet. Left right, left right, pump pump pump... suddenly I was using the term pump instead of pound... scary.. even the vocabulary that I used was showing signs of weakness! Once pass Carl's Junior, I know, the East Coast leg was drawing to a close, that probably released some endorphins, becuase my speed started to increased, could be the elixir taking it effect too. Down that stretch towards the sandy right turn, I slowed down again, that turning is treacherous! I stop pounding, and instead drank a little bit. The bike carved a nice line and I am back on the straights, up ahead, another slow peloton. I cut them on the right, this was where I met Mr SEVEN and his leather Brooks seat. He looked like a strong rider. And his cadence was smooth and effortless. I passed him and carved a beautiful arc back onto Tanjung Rhu bend, en route to Stadium for the U-turn... he started to draft me. Now I had a puller on my tail! I was surprise that fat cervelo guy didnt catch up as I was really slowing down, I tried really hard to keep up the speed. But I had to keep up the speed, there was the crawford tunnel up ahead and that need alot of energy. I was really glad that kuen and I had done the practise runs, it really helped with the gear changing strategies.
At the stadium Uie, I was surprised that they temporary close the bus terminal! Making it alot easier to do the Uie, 27 on a Uie.. somehow, more endorphins, and I surged ahead, taking out more riders. On the straight, it was a good couple of hundreds of metres before a left turn towards a short stretch on the Nicholl to go back under the Mederka bridge. Somehow, the endorphins didn't last long, and on Nicholl turning into the stretch towards under the Mederka Bridge I was really really tired. The sun was up and the heat was getting to me. I triggered my mind for happy thoughts, hoping that they will give me some strength. Under the bridge the roads were pretty sandy and suddenly there were many riders?! There was this guy, he started to chase me, and it was hard for me to shake him off, I wanted to break free so that when I reach the left turn to Sims Drive, I would have space, as the surface at the part is really bad with plenty of that dried up concrete. I couldn't shake him and also I was getting so tired. A quick check at the speedo and I had about less than 7km more, wow, I actually completed 33km alrady... back on Sims, the roads were alive with traffic, but of course we were riding on a closed road, so we were riding alongside the buses and cars, and it felt good.
By that time, the sun was already up and the heat was getting to me. My legs were tired and honestly, I was eagerly waiting for this race to finish! The turn back to the F1 pits were quick and trecherous.. its all a blur to me now.. but all I can remember is that really really tight 90 degrees corner.. and the amazing last couple of hundred metres.. that dash was really fun.. had a guy who was egging me and sprinting with me... we high five'd each other when we crossed the finish line... It was pretty amazing.. to actually have to wait all these years for this experience..
Would I recommend this piece of crap to anyone? NEVER! DUN BUY A SUUNTO!! I am trapped. Got 2 Heart straps, one GPS, one FootPod (that really works well!) and a PC pod (good for nothing!). I guess I will use this until, the darn thing dies or malfunction... maybe it never will? I dun really care anymore. To me, its just something that gives me information that I value for the time being...
alot more sturdier...
Would I recommend this piece of crap to anyone? NEVER! DUN BUY A SUUNTO!! I am trapped. Got 2 Heart straps, one GPS, one FootPod (that really works well!) and a PC pod (good for nothing!). I guess I will use this until, the darn thing dies or malfunction... maybe it never will? I dun really care anymore. To me, its just something that gives me information that I value for the time being...
alot more sturdier...
