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

Hazy October,2015

IMost of the days,we the residents of Klang Valley,Putrajaya and Selangor had to live in the haze.A few of my cycling events had to be cancelled when API has gone more than 150!

Raining season has begun and I hope the dusty air from Sumatra will be washed away.Now,API has gone down to below 50.I hope it will remain that way as long as possible.I hope to cycle more in the coming months.

POTLUCK RIDE AT TAMAN SAUJANA HIJAU(TSH)

First let me thank Allah for a good weather to ride after we had a week of bad haze in Putrajaya and other parts of the country.A dozen riders turned up with too much food to keep and eat.Thank you everyone for your participation and contributions.

We began riding on the TSH for about 3km.On the way down,one rider had to give up because he came with empty stomach.It also happened to another rider who became giddy on the way back.As I reminded everyone,we must eat something solid before we come to ride.

From TSH,we rode downhill to Putrajaya Wetlands.There,we took some nice photos and cycled back to TSH.Along the  way back around the TSH ,one of us had a bad fall.She suffered some bruise on the face but got a cut on the chin.It needed 6 stitches.Pak Amin drove her to the hospital.Take a rest my dear friend...It happened to me nine months ago.Accidents just happen no matter how experience and careful we are.That is why I insisted everyone to wear a helmet at least.

Despite the incidents and accident,we did have a good family potluck among friends.We had good conversations and we ate and share our food.We are fellow Malaysians of different races who chose to live in peace and happiness with one another.Let us stay that way together all the way..

Below are some photos..

MERDEKA DAY RIDE 31.08.2015

Initially,my group of riders were invited for a Merdeka Ride organised by Dave Ern.But it was called off because of the Bersih 4 event.To replace it,I organised a Merdeka Day Ride.Only 11 riders turned up because many of our members were already committed with other rides.

Any,we did about 20km -starting from Masjid Putra,Taman Botani,Taman Wetland and Taman Saujana Hijau.Later,at the end of the ride,we had our drink and nasi lemak at Laman Perdana Putra.

Below are photos taken at Taman Saujana Hijau:

WEDNESDAY RIDES

Wednesday was chosen because it is the middle of the weekdays.It is meant to be a break for those are working on weekdays or on weekends.Today is our first Wednesday ride and six persons turned up.Just a right number for us to ride any where we please.We did 22km around the Core Island with some extended ride to Pulłman Hotel area.

Half of us are senior citizens.We have to create our own ride to suit our age and health profile.