BANTAI RIDE

The word BANTAI scares many people.So,from next month,I won't use the word but stick to SANTAI.By the way,I chose "bantai" to mean ride as we please.

Only eight riders came to the ride this morning.Many of our members had chosen to ride at other events.And a few of our members decided not to come due to heavy rainfall in their areas of residence.Pak Amin and me are holding the fort.We prefer to ride in Putrajaya for our comfort and safety.

Initially,I planned a 25km ride but I cut it shorter to about 20 km because it was getting too hot.We ended at our watering hole at 10:30am and returned to base at 11:30am and cycled 21.7km.

The weather was great-overcast in the first hour of ride.It was cool and breezy.Later ,the sun came out shining.The sky was blue and white clouds hanging all over the city of Putrajaya.Looking at the weather,I prefer to stop cycling and going for photowalk instead.I regreted not having my Fujifilm XT1 with me.

Leading the ride

My hobbies are photography,cycling and reading.Cycling is my weekly Sunday activity where I go out with my peers and cycling friends-most of the time in Putrajaya.Once a month,I go cycling in KL during The Care Free Morning days.Putrajaya is my place to cycle since October,2008 when I rode more than 24km for the first time in my whole life!For the record,I cycled 1809km in 2009.Now,I cycle about 1000km per year.Nothing great to shout about but I keep myself active at the age of 60+ years old.Thanks to Allah that I still could ride and stay keep and healthy.

Riding alone is easy but leading a group of riders is a great responsibility.Different riders have different ability,capacity and experience.On top of that,everyone has their own behaviours and reasons for riding.Every ride is an event management training for me.There were occasions that we had accidents and riders got lost.Communication and discipline are critical.

Our PCC(Putrajaya Cycling Club) was formed about three years ago and the membership has grown to almost 900.The majority belongs to their own smaller group but they chose to join PCC to join in Putrajaya.PCC is actually not a cycling club,but more like a cycling community.

Ride leader is like a shepherd.You must know where you are going,the terrains,the dangerous section of your route,where to stop for water and ensure every sheep is in the flock.

Leading and managing are both science and art.It is a good exercise for me but I am getting old.More new leaders need to come to the front and learn about leadership.The oldies must guide and slowly fade away..

Discovering new route to Cyberjaya