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This morning, I rode out into the pre-dawn darkness at 5.15am to catch a morning bumboat to Desaru, Malaysia. There, a motley team of about 13 riders covered about 140km of rolling roads. It started with cool temperatures, and then it heated up considerably by noon. For those of us who have not been riding every fortnight overseas, this proved to be quite intimidating and challenging, what with the far distance and mainly for the rollercoaster route. We broke for a quick re-fuelling session at a driver’s pit stop that was a welcome respite as we were running on fumes – okay, water. Dehydration saps us quickly of our pedaling power and ushers in fatigue quickly. The experienced riders ate muffins or sucked on energy gels, which nourishes the aching muscles under such debilitating conditions.
As it is less than six weeks to my race at Ironman New Zealand, this stretch of my mind and muscles was appropriate and relevant. The more you test your body, the more it can adapt and become adept at handling similar conditions in the future.
I was pleased, that despite the variance in fitness and goals, our riders took the initiative to assist each other along. Riders took turns to lead, allowing the riders behind to enjoy the draft effect – shading the headwinds and creating a mild suction effect that drew the followers towards them. It was not a day of competition, although we did egg each other on when we inched near the leaders. These playful distractions allow us to refocus on other healthy aspects instead of the pain and discomfort.
It was a fantastic way to end the weekend, and start the new week!
Photo: Taken by JP-Empire (Mervyn) and Matthew's camera.
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