We were worried about the weather as it was raining heavily on alternate days since Monday. However our worries were unfounded as it turned out to be a beautiful day.
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| Beautiful sunrise... a good sign for things to come |
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| In the bum boat on the way to Tanjong Pengelih |
From the jetty, we rode to Sungai Rengit, dropped our bags at the hotel and proceeded to have our breakfast. After breakfast, we started our journey at 10.40 am towards Desaru as usual. There were some clouds and as we proceeded further, a slight drizzle started and helped to cool down the weather. A slight head wind made the ride a little harder but still manageable.
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| Stanly cutting watermelon for us..Thank you Stanly |
Stanly, our support vehicle, met us at the Desaru circus with drinks, watermelon and banana.
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| The watermelon sure taste sweet and juicy |
After a short break, five of us decided to ride further up to Sedili while four other members decided to go into Desaru and then head back to Sungai Rengit.
The road to Sedili was quite good as there were very few vehicles. There were a few more climbs and then the road seemed to go on and on and on. Our thighs were starting to ache and we were hungry. We did a bit of calculation error in terms of the distance. We thought Sedili Besar Jetty was about 40km away from Balau but after 40 plus km, the traffic light we were looking out for to turn to the jetty was no where to be seen. The way things looked, we didn't seem to be anywhere near the town. Finally, when we reached Jason Bay Resort, we stopped to make a crucial decision whether we should push on or turn back. It was already 1.30pm and we were seriously tired and hungry. BC said that since we have come so far, we should push on or we will regret it later. All of us agreed and we decided to push on. It turned out to be the right decision as a few km later we reached the outskirts of the town and subsequently the traffic light that we were looking for. We finally reached Sedili Besar Jetty at 1.54 pm.
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| At Sedili Besar Jetty |
After taking a precious photo at the jetty with the help of a local guy, we proceeded for lunch. We managed to find a zhi char place which serves pretty good food. It was during lunch that it dawned on us that we had just covered almost 100km. Our thigh muscles were tight and aching badly and we still had to ride back to Sungai Rengit which is another 80km away. We joked that we have to go back anyway, even if we had to crawl back. However the idea of hitching a ride from a bus or lorry did crossed our minds.
After lunch, we began our ride back at 2.45pm. The first 5 km was extremely tough as our thighs were aching badly. The long flat stretch was putting a huge strain on our muscles as we had to keep pedaling. We tried to look for counterpain or something like that for our aching muscles. We found one shop but they did not have any and the shopkeeper's directions to another shop was a bit confusing and in the end we did not manage to get any.
Without any choice, we pressed on and tried to go as easy as possible. After a while the aching somehow subsided and it got better. Although a slight tail wind helped but it was getting hot as the sky cleared and the sun came out. Ironically we were looking forward to the slopes as after the climb we could rest our legs on the down slope and gather momentum. We tried to take more breaks but it was also a dilemma as after stopping, the muscles tend to tighten up and cause some of us to get cramps.
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| Another rest break with the long slope in the background |
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| Rest break |
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| Trying to look happy even though we were dead tired |
Enduring muscle cramps and sore behinds, we managed to ride back to Sungai Rengit at 6.30 pm and went directly to the seafood restaurant to meet the rest for dinner. We were all happy and relieved that we finally made it back in one piece. We had a good dinner and shared our adventure with the rest of our team. The total distance covered was 180km. It was the longest ride we have ever done in a single day.
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| Pushing our bikes back to the hotel after dinner 'under supervision' of Raymond |
The next morning, although we planned to have an easy ride to the jetty, somehow it turned out to be a race again. Oh well, couldn't help the adrenalin rush.
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| Our happy team at the jetty waiting for the bum boat to take us back |
This was a great and successful trip with wonderful memories. The weather was fantastic, there is great camaraderie among the teammates and the food was fantastic. What more can you ask for?
Maybe just one .....When is the next ride?
