A mountain biker in the making ... NOT

The only bike rides I do these days are the stationary ones in the gym. And what's worse, I have a slave driving instructor! :p

In any case, thought to share musings from my past with you. This was my first and last ride. It was great fun but asking too much of me on a beautiful Sunday morning that's meant for sleeping in. :D

---------------------------------------------------------------

The New Year brings with it new resolutions, which unwittingly screws up a perfectly logical mind into thinking that … yeah, this is THE experience that would add spice to this newbie’s life for 2002! And that was how I ended up at Ulu Yam last Sunday albeit erm ... a little late … ok, ok a lot late. Sorry folks! I really wanted to make an impression …

Should I pause here and mention that waking up at 6.30 on a Sunday morning is totally against my religion??? Driving for miles after that towards the godforsaken end of the city and leaving my entire being at the mercy of fanatic bikers bent on racing like bats out of hell through jungle terrain … yadda yadda yadda … Help! I must be certifiable! Yeah, yeah … I am exaggerating but it does make for good reading!

The first inkling I had of how serious these bikers are about the sport was the absolutely cool outfits and accessories they wore. And there I was in my t-shirt and my totally un-canggih “ah sum” shorts. Nevertheless, I persevered. The show must go on … fashion be damned!

Riding the first few kilometers on dirt road was easy enough. “What is so difficult about biking anyway?” I remembered thinking to myself. A few more kilometers later and the path started to slope upwards and became more uneven and gravelly as we progressed.

Now, having ridden on chopper bikes and ancient grandfather’s bikes all my life, had not really prepared me for the shifting of gears in this modern day contraption disguised as a bike. A 3-gear chopper compared to an 8-speed bike with 24 gears – now how complicated can that get?!! Well, I would have taken to it like a duck to water but …

I was given clear instructions the day before on how and when to use what gears. Easy! I remembered being told specifically to keep my front gear at 2 since I am a beginner and play around with my rear gears to adjust to my riding on the terrain. Being the good little Girl Scout that I was, I listened to instructions carefully and followed them to a T!

Little wonder that I huffed and I puffed and I … pushed the bike up!!! I had to push the bike up 2 slopes before I finally discovered the wonders and joys of using the low front gear. Hallelujah! I can finally ride up a slope! Applause please, folks!

The rest of the ride went past in a blur. As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. And “weeeee”, did we go down! It was exhilarating! It was amazing! It was well worth all that huffing and puffing!!! And thank god for full suspension bikes!!!

The trek led us across streams where we had to carry our bikes and towards canopies of trees. Paths that heretofore only meant (to me) to be trekked on foot had me carefully balancing myself on two wheels. The ledge had never looked narrower from that vantage point. At some point, foliage seemed to grow all around us and I felt like a clumsy elephant trudging and crashing noisily through them.

Approximately 3 hours or so later, after some pretty hard riding (for me), being led down the wrong path, back trekking that wrong path, having an almost face to face encounter with the ground, stopping by the hot spring, resting, eating and exchanging friendly, verbal abuses … we finally arrived at the water falls. Oh, what a perfect end to an incredibly butt numbing and muscle aching morning. Well, almost. We still had some ways to go before we arrive at the entry/exit point.

Three days later, with butt aches and sore muscles in places I never knew existed, all I will say is this. When I next go biking, butt pads, sunglasses and gloves are a must! And hey, at least my 2002 began with a blast instead of a whimper!

Kudos to the organizers! Thank you for making this ride enjoyable enough for the newbies without us feeling pressured to hit the high speed. Would I come back for more? Probably. Would I take up biking regularly? Here, I will once again pause and think about the fact that waking up at 6.30 on a Sunday morning is against my religion. Then again, when there’s a will, there’s a way.

Happy Cranking! (hope I got the lingo right … )