New Route Over the Weekend
Went alone on Saturday on usual ECP-Changi Coast route. Managed to do a 29.9km/h average over 30km (and that's including starting out from Macs) so it was quite good for me. Overall a 35km ride only, short but intensive. Ave HR was about 170 or so which is quite high!
Dropped quite a few groups of riders at Changi Coast until of course a Red Cannondale (in tri position) passed me whilst I was pushing at 35-36km/h! I drafted him for quite a distance, my conclusion is that he was a good rider and maintained 37-38km/h leading me on without faltering. From experience, most pass me and slow down quite a fair bit after a short while (like myself!) but this guy was good and I could just feel he had the reserves to do more.
Anyway on Sunday, Mr.Alu joined me for the planned 80km with his new tubulars built on old rims....however, after 4km, his rear got a little warped and I found at least 3 spokes went lose. I called Mr.Ti to bring a spoke tool to see if I can rectify when we meet up at Lor Chuan. So with my meagre truing skills i failed. The wheel had at least 5 spokes loosened by the time we reached the meeting point with Mr.Ti. I managed to get the wheel into a more 'ride-able' state though but couldn't get it trued. It seems like it is both laterally and vertically un-trued due to the spokes loosening. Mr.Alu went cycled the 8km back home while Mr.Ti and myself decided to try out s different, shorter route.
Along Old Upper Thomson Road which is more or less a gradual uphill, we were quickly overtaken by a group of ang-mos. The leaders were huge guys on huge road bikes with couple of ladies at the back of the group. They were going pretty fast along that road, about 27-28km/h. We followed a distance at the behind them until Upper Thomson Road. We were hesitating whether to overtake (which we could have done) but I told Mr.Ti to draft them and if they go the Mandai route, we'll take them on the up-slope (bridge over the highway). They did take that route and I told Mr.Ti to get ready. I took flight, sprinting to 40km/h very quickly up the slope passing the entire group in a flash...upon the end of the slope, I looked back, expecting to find KL far behind but I was surprised to see him just right behind me!
On Mandai road, there we are a few guys who passed us. One on a black roadie with campy stuff and was going quite fast. 2 Pinas (i think) passed us soon after and drafted the black roadie. We were right behind. One of the Pinas lagged a little and I soon went in between them. The guy in the Pina in front of me kept looking back maybe a little concerned that I was between him and his friend. So, I decided to let him worry less.....overtook the Pina and the black roadie on the upslope (I try not to overtake on downslopes, not sportsman-like) and went like a bat out of hell for a couple of minutes. There was a red light so I stopped and thats when the black roadie caught up and overtook me.
I drafted him for the distance until the Shell Station where Mr.Ti and I will meet up. The black roadie was looking back to check on me too....but I kept a safe distance of one bike away in hope of allaying his fears. However, he could not shake me off despite speeding up to 39-40km/h at one point. I figured that unless he made a quick break to the right (to break my draft) and sprinted to 45km/h in a jiffy, he wasn't gonna be successful in shaking me off. In any case it would have been interesting if that happened!
So we made u-turn at Shell and went on Mandai Road in the opposite direction. There are 2 long slopes there which we tend to take for granted coming from the other direction! So we proceeded along this road until Yishun Ave 1 and straight on we reach the 'bridge' between sea and Seletar Dam. Quite a nice un-singapore-like view with the misty surrounding....kinda reminded me of Myanmar, on a boat along the Irrawaddy back in the days. A huge pina group dropped us at Seletar airbase area. We stopped for a break at Jalan Kayu, decided against prata though it was quite tempting. We split ways and I made a left towards Jalan Eunos and back to Marine Crescent. Traffic was ok along Eunos (Sunday, slightly before 9am).
Well some of the shorter weekend rides I did of late but I am kinda tired of the 80km route!
Dropped quite a few groups of riders at Changi Coast until of course a Red Cannondale (in tri position) passed me whilst I was pushing at 35-36km/h! I drafted him for quite a distance, my conclusion is that he was a good rider and maintained 37-38km/h leading me on without faltering. From experience, most pass me and slow down quite a fair bit after a short while (like myself!) but this guy was good and I could just feel he had the reserves to do more.
Anyway on Sunday, Mr.Alu joined me for the planned 80km with his new tubulars built on old rims....however, after 4km, his rear got a little warped and I found at least 3 spokes went lose. I called Mr.Ti to bring a spoke tool to see if I can rectify when we meet up at Lor Chuan. So with my meagre truing skills i failed. The wheel had at least 5 spokes loosened by the time we reached the meeting point with Mr.Ti. I managed to get the wheel into a more 'ride-able' state though but couldn't get it trued. It seems like it is both laterally and vertically un-trued due to the spokes loosening. Mr.Alu went cycled the 8km back home while Mr.Ti and myself decided to try out s different, shorter route.
Along Old Upper Thomson Road which is more or less a gradual uphill, we were quickly overtaken by a group of ang-mos. The leaders were huge guys on huge road bikes with couple of ladies at the back of the group. They were going pretty fast along that road, about 27-28km/h. We followed a distance at the behind them until Upper Thomson Road. We were hesitating whether to overtake (which we could have done) but I told Mr.Ti to draft them and if they go the Mandai route, we'll take them on the up-slope (bridge over the highway). They did take that route and I told Mr.Ti to get ready. I took flight, sprinting to 40km/h very quickly up the slope passing the entire group in a flash...upon the end of the slope, I looked back, expecting to find KL far behind but I was surprised to see him just right behind me!
On Mandai road, there we are a few guys who passed us. One on a black roadie with campy stuff and was going quite fast. 2 Pinas (i think) passed us soon after and drafted the black roadie. We were right behind. One of the Pinas lagged a little and I soon went in between them. The guy in the Pina in front of me kept looking back maybe a little concerned that I was between him and his friend. So, I decided to let him worry less.....overtook the Pina and the black roadie on the upslope (I try not to overtake on downslopes, not sportsman-like) and went like a bat out of hell for a couple of minutes. There was a red light so I stopped and thats when the black roadie caught up and overtook me.
I drafted him for the distance until the Shell Station where Mr.Ti and I will meet up. The black roadie was looking back to check on me too....but I kept a safe distance of one bike away in hope of allaying his fears. However, he could not shake me off despite speeding up to 39-40km/h at one point. I figured that unless he made a quick break to the right (to break my draft) and sprinted to 45km/h in a jiffy, he wasn't gonna be successful in shaking me off. In any case it would have been interesting if that happened!
So we made u-turn at Shell and went on Mandai Road in the opposite direction. There are 2 long slopes there which we tend to take for granted coming from the other direction! So we proceeded along this road until Yishun Ave 1 and straight on we reach the 'bridge' between sea and Seletar Dam. Quite a nice un-singapore-like view with the misty surrounding....kinda reminded me of Myanmar, on a boat along the Irrawaddy back in the days. A huge pina group dropped us at Seletar airbase area. We stopped for a break at Jalan Kayu, decided against prata though it was quite tempting. We split ways and I made a left towards Jalan Eunos and back to Marine Crescent. Traffic was ok along Eunos (Sunday, slightly before 9am).
Well some of the shorter weekend rides I did of late but I am kinda tired of the 80km route!
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