.... the jackal rides and run....

It started out with a 42km Marathon 'Feeler' run where I did the entire PCN of the East including ECP. It was really tough but I completed it nevertheless, never once stopped to walk because I was tired. I just pushed on in my Puma H-Streets. It was quite a feat for me! Then I embarked on my 12-week Marathon Training Program. 2 key exercise per week for 12 weeks. Its beginning to heat up now as I am hitting the 25km workouts. The next few weeks this will progress to 30km, 33km up till 36km, as lead-up to the Sundown Marathon in May. Then there was the issue of getting ready for the inaugural 1st ever Kuantan Century ride, covering 160km on a bike under the baking hot 35+deg celsius sun. I made myself do a long solo 115km ride a week prior just to get my ass ready. I survived this ride and in pretty decent time as well (finishing around the top 30% of participants), considering I waited a few times for me mate and also had to deal with a rear tire puncture halfway throug...

Total participants : 762 Total Finishers : 562 Total DNF (or outside 7hr time limit) : 200 Complete Results HERE (I'm not sure if this link will stay alive for long!) I'm placed at position 249 registering a finishing time of 5:30:51. First group came in at 4:25 (huge peloton). The course is indeed slightly tougher than Ipoh Century last year, judging by the timing of the front guys. I'm placed 53 amongst SIN entries (173 riders : 43 of which DNF).

I came into this ride with very low expectations but nevertheless set a target of under 5hrs completion, using last year's Ipoh Century as a benchmark. However, this was not to be! A dastardly puncture, brutal headwinds and just basically poor cycling form gave me a 5hr 28mins elapsed time. Average moving speed recorded was 32.3km/h which brings my total moving time to be about 4hrs 58mins for 160km (In Ipoh, it was 33.2km/h). Participation seems to be just below 1000 riders. 160 riders came up from Singapore and some from Thailand and East Malaysia as well. Here's a rough km-to-km account of my ride... 0km : Wow, the starting point is just like 500m away from where we were staying (Ben's friend). Had a nice breakfast before setting out at 6.50am. 0km-20km : A short 4-5km round the town for show and we are headed off to the outskirts. Basically for this stretch it was with police escort and speed controlled. This was a bad idea and the police should have let go a bi...

The 12 week MTP has been quite challenging the past 3 weeks, especially in anticipation of the Kuantan ride this weekend as well. I've not been putting much saddle time since Bike Rally and only managed 3 rides since then, 2 of which are 30km Coastal rides and 1 long solo 115km ride last weekend. I guess I'll survive the Kuantan Century...just not hopeful for a good timing like what I got from Ipoh Century last year (under 5hrs). Anyway, any ride taking place outside of Singapore is fun. Cycling over here on this tiny island has grown laborious and painfully boring over the past years....not to mention more dangerous as well with the increased traffic these days and more people thinking they have the right to run you over just because they pay road tax for their cars. Just finished my last cycling prep for Kuantan this morning. Basically a 30km ride....started off lazy but in the end pushed a bit on the 2nd half. Decent speed and the bike is in good condition. I just remedied...