Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Most Enthusiastic Member

Why I took up cycling

Huh, huh, huh, hun............. I was panting heavily. I looked up and surveyed the whole of the track, and oh, my gosh, it was such a huge round. I was only into it after 300 meters I was out of breadth, and felt my legs were wobbling. Younger joggers overtook me and ……… aaaaaah, older and elderly ones also overtook me. I felt humiliated.

That was twenty years ago and it was the first time I took up the challenge to run around Bedok Reservoir, and, before I embarked on the run, I told myself that no matter how slow I am, I will not stop until I complete the round.

Since that "hard to digest" incident, I made it a routine to jog, and how happy and satisfied I felt when it was my turn to overtake not only older joggers but younger ones as well.

Jogging has its benefits as well as shortfalls, and unfortunately, I received the latter.

I developed heel-spur on both my legs about 3 years ago but only stopped jogging about 2 years.

Being an active man and a sport aficionado, I cannot afford to do nothing. It was one of the window shop day while moving around Carrfour, I spotted there were promotional bicycles for sale. Why not take up cycling, I thought, and after browsing for awhile, I ordered one that cost me $69.90 with a delivery fee of $8.00.

That was the beginning of my cycling activity. The most memorable cycling trip I had was to Sungei Ringet with Victor Loh. In spite of my struggling to ride faster, I was way behind him. He was riding a racer. That prompted me another issue to solve!!

Eventually, after some competition within the Changi cycling group, I bought myself a racer in order to keep pace with the rest of the pack. We have such good fun to outpace one another at the same level playing field.

What are the benefits of cycling?

As opposed to jogging that risk health hazard like heel-spur and knee injury, cycling not only promotes group camaraderie but also enhances good health. Every part of the muscles and body are well synchronized and orchestrated in the actions and reactions while cycling. The leg peddling, bodily bending and movement, arms stretching and retracting, head lowering and raising, turning and the controlling of breathing are in tandem with all the actions, and what a way to distress.

Regular movement of the body and muscles is like lubricating the bones and joints, thus helps to dissipate bone fractures and sprain making the bones less fragile.

Cycling also sharpen one’s senses like, when someone crosses one’s path suddenly, he or she reacts and responses instantaneously to avoid collision. It also enables one to anticipate a correct course of action when confronted with carefree and jay-cyclist in the front.

Break-fall will train one’s reaction and becomes easy with practises. In total, the mind is been trained, adjusted and always at the ready to tackle all eventualities with instant precision. It leads to proper bodily action at the proper time and at the proper place.

Cycling as a form of exercise is man’s best medicine. It promotes healthy lifestyle. Like any other exercise, cycling gives one a pink of health, conjures a protective field of resistance, enhances and reinforces the body immune system against all sicknesses, illnesses and more importantly, eradicate lethargic complacency. After a session of cycling, one feels fresh and rejuvenated.

Does material wealth involved in cycling? Is it positive or negative? Of course, it is a definitely a big positive. How? With a active lifestyle in cycling, improving on our health in mind, body and soul, visiting the doctor will be rare or maybe no more in existence. Savings on these medical bills can be enormous and especially so when the cost of health is getting more expensive. One can cycle into his or her twilight years and still stays healthy. To fall sick easily is terrible.

How to get started in cycling? If one sow a negative perception it will reap a mental block. When mental block sets in, it sows a character and that reaps a lazy personality, and cycling will never get started.
On the contrary, one must have a positive mindset and looking at all the benefits, it is not difficult to get started to cycle. While at work, I was approached many times to take up challenges by my superior.

He used to say, “Raymond, take this as a challenge”. He is of course partially correct and to stay challenging, it will never end in one’s life time. Are we going to challenge throughout our lives? So boring, but, it can be done once and it will stay in one’s life time.

Challenge and conquers others is definitely not difficult, but it is never easy to challenge and conquers oneself. Conquering oneself is the best of all conquerors. This achievement is the pinnacle of all challenges and when oneself is been conquered, there will be no more challenges in one’s path.

While cycling faster than the others in a group, it is not so much of an ego. It is only a challenge to oneself as to how fast and far can one go. If everyone have this self challenge, then cycling in consistency within the group is possible.

In conclusion, like any other form of exercise, cycling gives benefits to our body in terms of health and well-being. If our body feels good, our mind also feels good and if our mind feels good peace prevails within and around us. Peace sets in our mind and we look forward to another great session.

Written By Raymond Yow

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Veteran Cyclist

Among Changi Cycling Group kakis (members), I can claim to be the "Lau Chiau" (veteran) as I have been cycling since the late 80s' or more than 20 years of road biking experience.

I have also taken part and completed 4 triathlons from 1988 to 1991 locally covering the total distance of 108km with 2km Swim, 90km Bike and 16km Run. Thus, I have some credentials to talk something on road biking.

Briefly, I will tell of how I was introduced to cycling, the physical and social benefits and some safety tips on this activity.

Quote "Good Health is the most excellent of achievements"

Sometime in 1986 I was at East Coast Park with my children who were 5, 10 and 12 years old for a period of bonding.

There I met an Air Force colleague who was cycling with his kids and his bike cost only $150. The following week I got a white Shimano Racing bike costing $150 but weighing a good 20kg and started cycling to Changi.

Then regularly, I bought my children to East Coast Park for cycling with my kids renting the bikes and my Shimano in the car boot with the front wheel hanging out and secured with elastic ropes.

Then in 1987/88 I started participating in Biathlons consisting Cycling and Running or Swimming and Running. Then I got hooked on the demanding sport of Triathlons in late 1988 which I completed with my white Shimano racer.

Some cyclists whom I met at Sungei Ringgit coffee shop were surprised to see me coming back from Desaru with a $150 racer.

At that time I also managed to get my youngest brother who was an Air Force technician interested in Triathlon and we both cycled to Desaru going in the morning and returning the same day.

Once we stayed longer than usual at Desaru and realised that we would not be able to reach Tg. Pengelith Customs/Immigration Checkpoint by 4.00pm, and that we will missed the last boat.

With no other alternative we decided to cycle to JB via Kota Tinggi. It was the most harrowing experience as we were sandwiched between vehicles along some stretches of the single lane road. It was very risky and dangerous.

In 1989, I upgraded my bike to a $300 red Shimano weighing about 15 kg and took part in 2 triathlons with it. Sometime in 1990 I bought a 6 month old second-hand Raleigh weighing about 9 kg for a whopping $1000 with a pair of cycling shoes thrown in. That's how I got hooked on cycling.

Benefits of cycling.

1. Cycling is a low impact form of exercise as it is less or very little stress on the joints at the knee, hip and ankle areas as compared to running.

2. Good aerobic exercise in building strong vascular strength and thus more stamina if done regularly and with enough distance and speed.

3. Good family bonding with young children.

4. Good social bonding with colleagues and friends when done on a regular basis and especially with different venue/time and periodically with nearby overseas' cycling trips.

5. Good form to distress from work, family, financial and other personal problems.

6. Life is more interesting when one has an interesting hobby rather than just work, eat, sleep and work, eat, sleep on and on which at times seems meaningless.

Safety is of utmost importance.

As with all physical activity, one has to assess the dangers one faces with road cycling.

1. The tag line is "See and be seen". The risks involving road cycling is accidents with vehicles. I have heard of cyclists smashing head-on to stationary vehicles.

2. The most important piece of safety item one must wear is a reliable safety helmet. It protects the vital part of the body - HEAD in the event of fall or collision with any object, moving or stationary.

3. To see, cyclists must be able to see what are in front for at least 50 meters in order to react in time for any emergency. This is especially at crowded areas like East Coast Park where many children nonchalantly move about onto the bicycle paths. Switch on the front blinking light when cycling along such places even during the day.

4. Be seen, cyclists must wear brightly coloured shirt and switch on the rear red blinking lights to warn motorists.

5. Other items like hand gloves, cycling pants, sun-glasses, helmet liners and shoes will enhance this activity.

6. One should know in advance the route and the traffic condition before embarking on the ride. If in a group, the start/finish point and stop points should also be made known before starting.

7. Finally, when cycling outside Singapore, we should always maintain a 50m distance gap for security and to deter highway robbers.

8. In conclusion, we hope to keep on this healthy, happy and interesting activity on and on.

"Happy Cycling"


Written By Victor Loh

Sunday, December 14, 2008

One Year Later.....

Along the way, members bought new and better bikes. At first it was Hybrid, some still stick to their foldable bikes. Then it was on to racing bikes.

Those who bought newer bikes and better bikes realized the different in terms of distant and speed that these bikes are capable of.

We started visiting bicycle shops during lunch time, from East, to West, literally all over Singapore.

They more we visit these shops, the more curious we become, and the more information we acquire. But one thing very obvious, it that some of us are become very interested in getting good racing bikes.

So what do we have now…








3 Members with Giant racer bikes








2 Members with Specialised racer bikes



More of us will soon get one. It will depend on their comfort and budget.



Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Begining



This is how it started.

Sometime in Dec 07, where we realised that at our age we can't keep on running cross-country at Mac Ritchie Reservoir. Our joints are wearing out.

But we want and we need to keep fit.

Well, one of us got a old racing bike - classic Raleigh, good bike. The rest of us no bikes.

So one day we went to Changi Beach Park, rented a bike each and off we go, cycling along the Changi Park Connector Network (PCN).

Immediately we fall in love.

The next few weeks we started looking for bikes. At that time our intention was just to cycle, have fun and keep fit.

We also take into consideration the convenience of carrying our bikes in our cars. So after surfing the web, I bought a "Foldable Bike". Reasonable good bikes - Dahon D7. It just fit nicely into the boot of my small little Hyundai Getz, without a need to fold my seats.

So what did we have at that time. One with a good classic racer, two with foldable bikes and another with a mountain bike - good enough just to commute to MRT Station, others with rental bikes.

Every twice a week without fail, we paddle along the Changi PCN and we venture further and further, all the way to East Coast Park.

We got "hooked" - literally hooked to cycling. And as time passes, more joined the group.

This is how it started. This is where our story begins. This is where we wish to share our adventures and why cycling is one good way to to keep fit and healthy.

Let Keep Fit & Live a Good Life.

Written By Chew Gek Cheng