Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

PCC, Your Perfect Cycling Companion

This issue
M+D Director’s Recipe The week ahead M+D P2
The week ahead T+G P3
Why is it that after a few weeks off (like 3-4), the Rules of road riding P5
laziness sets in and the idea of cycling feels Guidelines to Trail Etiquette P6
The week that was P6
slightly less appealing. Feels a bit like a chore to
Spare wheels project P7
wake up early, pack the car etc. Then once you Club membership P7
do make it out and start riding you have a
brilliant time and can't wait for the next
opportunity!

Must be something to do with memory - it

probably forgets how enthralling a ride is and
how good the post ride food and banter can be.

Dr. E. Nose's prescription: 1 ride weekly before

food, to be taken with 2l water.
 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

The week ahead – M + D Sunday ride 22 November 2009

Mud + Dirt by The English Nose

RRI - the place where so many of our riders began their careers, where so many have donated blood to the betterment
of the mosquito race, where our entrance and start point has kept changing, where I got lost on my first ride. It's been
with us for as long as I've been with the club and the route has remained the same - give or take. So, not liking to
stagnate, I propose a little mix up in the route. Come to the Segi Uni start point to try it out. Excellent mamak at car
park for pre and post ride food.

Date: 22 November 2009

Location: RRI

Ride distance: 18km

Ride description: A beginner’s trail through rubber plantations with gentle climbs and some interesting down hills.
Bring plenty of mosquito repellent or don’t stop riding, as we are a smorgasbord for them. A
short ride, we should be done relatively early for a talk cog session after at the kopi tiam.

Time: 7.30 am

Contact Person: Rob (012 6191 308) / Adrian (012 383 2618) / Alvin (012 307 0830)

Meeting place: Opposite Segi University – Kota Damansara. (No.9, Jalan Teknologi, Taman Sains Selangor, Kota
Damansara, PJU 5). We normally ride past this place when starting from The Strand. Park
outside this Mamak opposite the university and ride from there

If coming from LDP/Ikea – head under the underpass going towards Kota Damansara. Go straight until you see a Petronas station on
left. Turn Left here. Go straight for about 200m. Uni on right, Mumak on left.

If coming off the NKVE at Kota Damansara, after toll go to end of road and bear left. Take first right turn at traffic lights. Petronas
station is on this corner. Go straight for about 200m. Uni on right, Mumak on left.

Date Ride Distance

29 Nov KLMTB HASH ??

6 Dec Penang Jamboree ??

13 Dec Kemensah 21km

20 Dec Kiara 18km

No Helmut No Ride
 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

The week ahead – T + G Sunday ride 22 November 2009

Tar + Grime by The Don

After that incredibly cool ride to Bentong last weekend, let’s

pray for the same good weather for this Sunday’s ride. We’ll
be riding to Batu Arang town via Kuang. A total of 96km of
rolling roads & some “pfft!” climbs near Batu Arang &
Guthrie Corridor.

Date: 22 November 2009

Time: 730am sharp (please be ready 15mins before)

Start/End: Centrepoint Car park (CP)

Route: CP-Kota D'Sara-Jln Sg Buloh-Jln Kuala Selangor- Kuang- Desa Kundang- Left at Rawang junction-Batu
Arang (Regroup & RnR)-Guthrie Corridor-Kg Subang-Kota D'Sara- Tropicana- CP (96km)

Ride Leader: Teik (012-379 8292) & JK (012-302 8050) Call them if you have any queries. See yuh on Sunday!

Safety & general comments:

Jln Sungai Buloh stretch has moderate traffic, so advise alert & single-file riding. Be courteous to other road users, don’t hog
the road & offer hang signals to fellow riders. Pace yourself, ride at your own tempo & at a good cadence. Riders are
assumed to be proficient to ride alongside motorized traffic. Not recommended for riders who are not comfortable riding
with traffic.

What to bring: 2 water bottles, hydrating salts sachets, energy bars, spare tubes & pump, hp & $$. No helmet, no
ride.
 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

Rules of Road Riding – T + G

Change positions correctly Rules of Road Riding

• Slower moving traffic stays to the left; faster traffic to
the right. Never overtake on the left of the group! By The Don
• Pass slower moving vehicles on the right; announce
your intention to do so
Announce hazards
• Most cyclists do not have a full view of the road while
riding in a group
• Announce potholes and other hazards so others can
avoid them
• Call out the hazard and point down to it, either left or
right. No need to yell like a maniac tho.
Watch for traffic from the rear
• The last rider should frequently check for overtaking
cars
• Announce "car back" clearly and loudly
• It is also helpful to announce "car up" on narrow
roads or when riding two abreast
Watch out at intersections
• Leader should announce slowing or stopping at
intersections, if necessary Practise Good Peloton Etiquette
• Cyclists should not follow others through
• Everyone in the peloton has to contribute to the
intersections without first looking for themselves
workload. That means taking your fair share of pulls at
• Each cyclist is responsible for checking cross traffic; if
the front. It’s ok to do shorter pulls, especially if you are
you must stop, signal tired. Just do a token pull, indicate and pull off to the
Leave room for cars right & back after you’ve established it is safe to do so.
• On narrow road or during climbs, leave space • When you go to the front, always keep a constant &
between every three or four riders steady speed. Do not accelerate or show how fast you
• Motorists will utilize the shorter passing intervals to are. It is not a race, moron!
pass the group • Typically everyone climbs at their own pace. So after a
• Good relations with motorists is the responsibility of climb, recover & regroup before setting off again.
every cyclist. Remember, we share the roads with • Do not pull too long at the front. Always reserve some
others; it’s not our Grandfathers’ road. energy
Stop off road Ride single file
• When stopping for mechanicals or regrouping, always • It is illegal in some areas to ride more than two abreast.
move clear off the road Avoid doing this.
• Always indicate you are stopping with your right hand • In our country, the roads are narrow and winding. It is
asking them to overtake you on the right. better to ride single filed in this case, unless it is safe to
• Always yield to traffic in the roadway ride a double pace line.

Impromptu Saturday M + D rides

Spare Parts Choy with his ever willingness to ride, be it morning, noon AND night will be taking calls with his mistress
Rachel from the Yeti Clan by his side, he would certainly ride anything and everything as often as he can. So contact him
for the Saturday Goodness at +60123955255. All levels and ride suggestions are always welcomed.

Weekday T + G rides

TUESDAY NIGHT SPECIAL – TAMAN TUN (SUITABLE FOR ALL LEVELS)

NO HELMUT, NO RIDE
Ride distance: 25km (TTDI – Damansara Heights – TTDI)
Time: 830pm (check in 15mins before)
THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE – NEW (SUITABLE FOR ALL LEVELS)
Meeting place: In front of KSH (Taman Tun Dr Ismail)
Ride distance:
Contact person: Shang(016 209 2999) / Amanda (012 659 3838)
Time: 700pm (70km) / 830pm (35km)
Meeting place: Putrajaya Mosque Car park
Contact person: Vong 016 287 2066
COMPULSORY TAIL LIGHTS Ride Guideline: Well maintained flat to undulating
roads.
FOR ALL NIGHT RIDERS Objectives: Improving endurance,leg strength and
road bike skills (eg. Drafting technique,
signalling, road safety)
 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

Guidelines to Mountain Bike Trail Etiquette

FROM VARIOUS SOURCES IN RELATION TO SHARED TRAILS AND NON BIKE

SPECIFIC TRAILS.

PERSONAL SAFETY
- Wear a brain bucket (yes..that’s a helmet) whenever you ride.
- Do not travel into remote areas without informing others
- Ride within your capabilities. Ensure that if you want to push your
limits, your buddies are around to support you.
- Know your bike and bring the necessary/essential spares.

RIGHT OF WAY IN RELATION TO OTHERS (NON RIDERS)

- Give way to non motorised trail users, i.e. hikers, horse riders, because
people judge all cyclist by my actions.
- Give way to motorised trail users, i.e. motor cross bikes etc, because
generally we will end up worse off in a an accident.
- Alert others when approaching. Get a bell, or “Excuse me” works quite
well.

RIGHT OF WAY IN RELATION TO OTHER RIDERS.

- Riders have the right of way. If you are pushing your bike, leave the
riding line open for others to go past.
- Rider up hill has the right of way.
- Allow faster riders to past

SPEED
- Approach turns and bends in anticipation that there’s someone there.
- Make your presence know when approaching someone or any turns.

IMPACT ON THE TRAIL

- Leave the wildlife and fauna alone. Magic mushrooms are bad for you.
- Stay on designated trails and avoid destroying vegetation if possible
- Don’t take short cuts over/around technical sections. If you can’t ride
it, walk it.
- Learn how to use your front brakes so that you minimise skidding your
rear wheel. If you refuse to learn, then ride only in bike parks where
people are paid to maintain the trails.
- Do not litter. Take out whatever you take in.
- Practise minimal impact riding, take only photos and memories with
you.

FUN
- You are to have loads of fun, talk lots of cog, and make good friends on
your ride.
- Develop of sense of humour. Some people say it’s good for the soul.

FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO ADD TO THIS? DROP US A LINE. WE WILL ADD IT IF IT MAKES SENSE.
 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

The Week That Was – T+G

Teik had a choice. Boiled down to the basics, it was simple: fall and
dent knee, or fall and let the bike take the brunt. And that’s how Teik came to
be nursing a bruised knee when we stopped for makan at Bentong. On the
other hand, the paintwork on his uber-cool Colnago EPS was unblemished.
The things a cyclist will do for his bike…

The morning was cool and cloudy, with mist uncoiling in giant skeins from the
valleys below, and wafting in white sheets across the road as 33 of us started
off from the Genting Sempah rest stop for Bentong town, some 35 km distant.

The road was wet from the night’s rain, the forest dripping with moisture, as
we unwound like a giant snake, and headed down the mist shrouded road.

I found myself alone, tyres hissing sibilantly on the road, and cold fresh air
pressing up against my face. I was beginning to enjoy the solitude when Don
Chan, Chris and another cyclist came from behind, and suddenly there were
just the four of us, chasing each other down the twists, the esses, leaning deep
over the bars, leaning into corners, pumping the pedals, closing in, opening a
gap on each other. The road flashed by in a blur, until Don dropped his spare
tube on the road, and our pursuit ended in a more leisurely pace, as we rolled
into Bentong town.

Our regular wantan mee stall was closed and the ice-kacang shop hadn’t
opened yet – it wasn’t even 9am – so we ended up at a cluster of roadside
stalls selling nasi lemak and hot drinks.

The ride back shaped up early with the front-riders keeping the speeds sane in
the mid-twenties until one, two, then more and more riders became impatient
and made away on their own. That just spurred everyone else on, and the
pace picked up.

A lead group formed as the rest of the peloton fell behind. As always,
consistency at a steady cadence trumped early spurts of breakaway speed, as
the road began its slow and inexorable incline upwards. The peloton sorted
itself out in a sort of natural selection, breaking up into smaller clusters.

I was in a group of three, with WongCC and Chris, working together to take the
lead, until, as Chris put it “It’s every man for himself guys, the hills cometh…”

Sweat and grunt – that’s how the climb was, but the encouraging thought that
I didn’t have to climb the McDonald’s hill (which a fellow cyclist calls
“Hamburger Hill” in a backward reference to a particularly murderous episode
during the Vietnam war) was enough for me to speed up, ending in an
exhausted, sweat-soaked relieved heap at the end of the ride.

Freddy Mercury put it eloquently that pain is so close to pleasure. And so it is,
the pain from the legs seduces the brain into the falsehood that this is
pleasure, and that keeps us coming back each week for more.

YK Lee
 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

The Week That Was – M+D

In our hunt for longer rides to prep ourselves as Penang’s infamous

Jamboree approaches, we found ourselves heading South towards the
unknown playground of Plentong in Johor Bahru...well, it’s more or less in
between JB town and Pasir Gudang. Having checked out the contour of the
area, the little elevation change would mean a steady paced ride that did not
involve massive hill climbs. Well that was true in a sense, but little did we
know that this little gem of an area brought some of the sweetest most flowy
cross country single track I’ve ridden in a long time.

Huge Kudos to the Cyclemotion team and the Singapore Hash chapter for
putting together a great ride, and some beautiful trails. We look forward to
perhaps a joint PCC ride with you guys there in the near future.

In the mean time, we do hope that the Plentong Epic Ride will be a permanent
feature on our mountain biking calendar from now on.

And one thing for sure...we were spun out to see the famous “shit bike” that
we have only read about. Super !!

Ed – This is 2 in a row...not bad...

 Weekly Newsletter – 18 November 2009 / Issue Number: 467-46-2009

Spare Wheels Project

Your friends have heard you rant about the drops and
the endos and have seen the breathtaking scenery
from your flickr, Facebook and not to forget the fridge
door photos.
They finally want to get off their bum and join you for
a ride but running behind you, sitting on your top tube
or dinking them are probably not the best ways for
them to experience it with you. Of course, he/she
could be shit hot, then no one would probably say
anything.
In all SERIOUSNESS, if you have someone who wants
to join us for a ride, please do not hesitate to drop us
a line and we WILL do our best to get them a bike for
the next suitable ride. Take note that there will be a
$15.00 charge to cover expenses such as ferrying the
bike around (only if you are riding with us), washing it
and of course its ongoing maintenance.

In any regards, PCC has the SPARE WHEELS PROJECT

underway. Currently made up of generous owner's
bikes, they are available for people to borrow and
ride. Some of them have been ridden more than the
village…er…never mind. They've been ridden a lot.

Boon Foo has recently offered his assistance to put

Rob (012 6191 308) / Peter (012 227 4443) /
together a few hard tails, and together with what we
have now, we should be able to cater for height Alvin (012 3070 830) / Adrian (012 383 2618)
ranging from Snow White's pals to the Yang Mings
who want to give this ago.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL US AT THE 11th HOUR ASKING FOR A BIKE. ALLOW 2 DAYS NOTICE MIN

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