RFL flagged off on the 4th of June from Kota Bharu, and ended at a Welcome Rally in Singapore on the 10th of June. About 900km along the eastern coast of Pennisular Malaysia was covered in 7 days.
The stronger riders took part in the 'Super Challenge' which started 3 days earlier in Penang. This idea was borne out of the complaints of several riders from the '99 ride, who had complained about the lack of hills and challenge.
People may be entitled to their own opinions about Aids and PWAs (People With Aids) but I think that if there is a problem, the worst thing to do is to try to sweep it under the carpet, which unfortunately is the attitude of the general public. We should try to offer solutions and help for the PWAs, not condemnation.
A common attitude held by society is that PWAs deserved it, or that they have brought it upon themselves with the lifestyle they lead. Following that argument, then wouldn't many of the common so-called affluent diseases fall under the category of "something one brings it upon themselves too"? Heart disease, lung cancer, liver problems etc. are not conditions which suddenly afflicts an unfortunate fellow. It is often the case that such sufferers have been indulging in a lifestyle which puts them at high risk. The irony is; it takes only one occasion to contract Aids, but it takes many years of cummulative high-risk behaviour before the mentioned affluent diseases show up.
Yet society is generally tolerant of people with such conditions and the charities which support them. Why the discrepancy?
The challenge here lies in the fact that riders would have to cross the moutains that make up the backbone of Pennisular Malaysia, and that there is a 180km stretch in between of almost pure hills and no hotels. Mostly in the sun. Not all the riders who did RFL took part in the Super Challenge, only about 10 (out of 25-30?) mad cyclists.
The hills on the first day were quite bad but it is the hills on the second day that most remember (err..or try to forget?). Very briefly, it can be summarised into 5 hours of almost continuous uphills and an exhilarating hour down. There were two main peaks we had to cross, the second being the higher at 3000+ feet.
We started in the wee hours (7+, 8am) where the air was still cool and misty - it almost felt as if we were cycling into the cloud level. The hills were not steep, but they went on for kilometers. Before the sun rose, I felt strong, like I could go on (almost) forever. The first peak wasn't too high and soon (about 9+), we started a quick descent and crossed this beautiful lake that separated the two peaks. Then, it started to get really hot as we struggled our way up the second peak. There was virtually no cloud cover (clear blue skies all the way, beautiful if I wasn't cursing) and very sparse shade from the roadside vegetation. Those on moutain bikes and recumbents were spinning away, while I was grinding torturously up at 8-10kph, on my lowest gear (39x23), at 40rpm. Never have I cycled so slowly for so long... I'm surprised I did not fall over and my pride was relieved that I did not have to push my bike... John was extremely smart to have fitted a 29-tooth cogset on his road bike.
We eventually reached the summit at around 12:30, and after drinking in the view, and of course a round of picture-taking, we got to the fun part. Descending. At speeds from 40 to 70kph. The recumbents claim to clock up to 80kph, but the maximum I achieved is only 65kph, probably because I was the lightest rider in the group. Shucks. The turns were wide and we need not apply our brakes at all. We descended for about an hour (there were a few flat and small uphills, but it was mainly down), and this had to be the first time a group of cyclists can complain they descended downhill untill they were tired of it! My arms were aching from maintaining an aerodynamic position! We covered about 50km (almost a third of that day's distance) in that hour.
The rest of the day was pretty flat after that. We were just counting down the distance to the hotel, and as expected, the mood that night was extremely jubilant and festive.
I do not know about the rest of the Super Challengers, but I started the actual charity ride aching and tired. My quads were terribly sore, my shoulders was wound up as tightly as a bow and I was plagued by minor saddle sores. All these woes resulted from the second day of the Super Challenge, but I did not regret it at all.
The first four days were thankfully quite flat. And hot. Swelteringly hot. Though it did rain heavily towards the end of the fourth day. The pace was decent and steady at about 26-30kph; many of us were recuperating.
On the fifth day, Friday, we started to cut inland, towards Johor and the terrain became more hilly. For some unknown reason, the pace also picked up to a brisk 30-35kph. At some points in the afternoon, I recalled panting along and drafting the group at 36, 37kph! While the previous days were hot and flat and windy, now it became cloudy, with rolling hills and still windy.
The route on the sixth day, Saturday, was also hilly. Contrary to the briefing we received in the morning, the hills were steeper and longer than those from the previous day. Still, most of us didn't mind - the hills were fun. =P The mood on Saturday, as we head from Kluang to Johor Bharu, was eager and slightly competitive as we were nearing the end of our journey. Of course, the fact that the JB Hyatt was waiting for us was also a strong motivator.
We also got to pig out without guilt cos we're burning calories by the thousands - it was buffet dinner and breakfast almost everyday!
The scenery was fantastic, especially when we crossed from the west to east coast along the ranges, and there was a good mix of hills, long flats, windy coastal roads...really searing hot weather, cold rain, cloudy skies...some polluted and congested towns so we got our diesel fix (kidding)... we saw all sorts of road kill (dogs, cats, rats, birds, cows, monitor lizards, snakes, etc. etc.) and amazingly disgusting toilets. Our kampung kids supporters were really cute too.
The company was very interesting - cyclists from all walks of life, and with their own style of cycling. There was some friction (of course) but I think that towards the end of the ride, most were working together. It was an extremely social and fun group, and it was the camaraderie that really made the ride enjoyable. I've made many new friends and I've learnt a lot, and not just about cycling! After dinner conversations were especially entertaining and enriching. The most amazing thing is the way many of the guys (who incidentally are from the faster group) who drink _every_ night. Stout, beer, whatever. Liquid carbohydrates, someone called it. Me, I think it justs numbs them to the pain...heh heh... We even had a masseur (Eileena) as support, and her waiting list was really long.. I particularly cherish the friendships formed - to MK, John, Bruce and many others who kept me company and "pulled" me along (I am a shameless wheelsucker), and kept meal times lively. Our support ladies, Eileena & Vas, were also greatly appreciated, not just for the expert hands but for their wit and good humour too.
This trip was many firsts for me : first time I climbed so high on a bike (3000+ feet), first time I travelled so far in a day (180km), first time I cycled for so long (10 consecutive days), first time I've been in a jacuzzi...
Would I go again? Definately. Though the fund-raising bit is a pain in the neck. =P
Pictures, hopefully, will be added soon.