The MUCH awaited day on 4th March 2012 dawned dark and drizzling.It was a veritable exercise in logistics where 13 team members had to make their way down in 6 cars to the F1 pit staging area of the OCBC Cycle event. Woke up 3 am. We had to get there early enuf for Arv, Cheryl and Dan to start their 59km super challenge. The rest of us were up for the 39 km challenge which only flagged off at 6.30 am.
We had our team CYCLOSPORE jerseys ready - Arv only having got his at the driveway outside my house in the wee hours and donned it there and then. We had Arv, Cheryl, Gabs, Winst, Jay,Clem, Vic,How, Matt,Reuben, Dan, Andy and yours truly in this gp outing.
We didnt get to see everyone at the start there, but we maintained phone contact and agreed to meet post event at a certain meetg point for gp pics and makan post event. With us was Dr Cliff Tan, who was one of our sponsors. He would be taking pics of us in action...:) The post drizzle weather was cool and the route ahead looked promising!
The flag off was done in several waves, with a route up Bayfront Ave Bridge through the underpass near Marina Bay. The 5 of us were in the same wave under gp D. (Matt, How, Gabs, Reuben and me) . Winst, Clem, Jay and Vic were in the first wave of the 39 km challenge, having made their way to the front much earlier. Andy was on his own in gp B, and he hadto filter off to a separate start fr us. It was strange riding thru red traffic lights. - but hey the road was all ours!!
After the underpass, the route took us past the construction sites at the Marina South area. It was rather slippery at this point and roads were not fully asphalted - with metal plates bridging whatever lies beneath, and everyone was cautioned to slow down with cyclists dutifully repeating back. I think it was at this point poor Matthew suffered a puncture. Gab and How who was nearest him stopped to help him change tyre but as it turned out the tube cldnt fit and Matt had to return all the way back to the start to get a replacement tube. Matt - pl share your story that turned into a 73kmh top speed challenge ride for you!!)
The iconic Benjamin Sheares bridge loomed up next for me and the youngest member, Reuben (at 16 years) who was riding by my side all this while. The ride up was easy - we were fresh and raring to go, tho' I kept looking behind to see where the rest were. But Reuben and I nevertheless went on, thinking that the rest wld catch up sooner or later. After the crest, the descent down was really superfast. I wasnt used to that kind of 50kmh speed and braked to slow down the carbon speed machine I was on. Reuben did the same - we scaredy cats were the same ones who also braked going downslopes at the training rides we did at Upper Pierce the week before! LOL!!
The whole ECP stretch leading up to Tanah Merah was entirely closed for the OCBC ride. This made for VERY WIDE, super smooth flat course tarmac to literallly tear down with no stops or braeks save for negotiating past slower cyclists and giving way to overtakers- we were happily crusing at 35 kmh here - not pushing too hard, and frequently looking back to see where the rest were who started in our wave. Reuben was grinning ear to ear - " shiok, right? " I shouted across to him. He grinned wider....
Till about the 20km, it was a beautiful ride with the dawning morn and rain scented air. We started to overtake the mtbs and foldies tho' some were still charging at full speed. We overtook quite a number of earlier start gps as well. It was quite orderly save for a few chargers who whizzed past us on left and right , some shouting to get right of way as overtakers. I made it a point not to ride on the right side as that side had a lot of whizzer-pasters. I really didnt fancy a high speed crash at 30 kmh!
Near the U-turn point at the 20 km mark, we slowed down as the gp ahead slowed as well - to avoid a horrible sight of a bloodied cyclist lying on the left, bloodied face and all - I shuddered at the sight and averted my gaze to gingerly cycle safely past the bottleneck. I whsipered a prayer for the hapless victim and also wondered where the ambulance was. After the U-turn, it was a ride down the ECP service road. This narrower stretch featured speed limiting strips that rattled our bikes, numerous humps that cautioned our speed and corners which dictated a slower pace for safety's sake as it was also gettg kinda crowded. We decided to skip the first rest point, having had sufficient drinks on the go (which we sipped from our bottles whilst on the move - a manoeuvre i am still as yet not too chai at!). Matt whizzed by on the ECP on the opposite side and shouted my name - ok - he was fine......and prob catching up on his speed machine.
My phone rang and I didnt answer it. As I found out later, it was fr Clem who also suffered a flat but was pumping it up at each of the two rest stops so that he cld soldier on. That's the spirit!!
We rode past the second rest point as well, after all - its close to finish and hey - we were not tired tho my lower back was aching n my neck too. In fact my left leg was numb (since Parkway Parade on the ECP)- which I knew to be the tell tale sign of my prolapsed disc impinging on my sciatic nerve...... but it was still mangeable so on on on the pedals go. Strangely, my legs were still fresh!
Fresh enuf to climb up Benjamin Sheares bridge without abatement. Iwas surprised to see pple walking and pushing their bkes along...hmm....(I was also so tempted by the PO - photo op of taking a shot of my ride agst the skyline of S'pura but no..no..no!) I think I lost young Reuben there as I went on....maintaining my momentum..... up the return leg on the bridge and sweeping down the Rochor ramp - this time again chickening out to brake brake brake cos I am really kinda fearful of the 50kmh speed whizzing down...I had memories of my own Subaru Impreza skidding at this same stretch almost two decades ago which had me ending up in a 180 degree turn...with nary a scratch on the car body - I wasnt about to relive that on my bike which had no ABS!! After that , it was an easy ride past pom pom wielding OCBC girlie cohorts and the Suntec Fountain and to the finish line at F1 Pit Building!
For a first outing, I didnt want to push it, and it was a relatively relaxing ride at 1.21 hrs as my net timing. Yippees!! Av speed - 29.62 kmh. Not bad :)
Watch this space for more pics :)
Thanks to
UNIMAX CREATIVE (Andy and Agnes Tan), KAI MEDICAL CLINIC (Dr Cliff Tan)and ODE TO STUDIO ( Jay Ong) for your kind sponsorship in ca$h and kind to put together our team wear, nutrition and photo-studio shots. You make us feel pro in a special way:)
Rupert
for and behalf of TEAM CYCLOSPORE
looking spiffy in team colours....
FDJ BigMat - Lapierre Xelius
