Cylcing on the rolling Hills of Bintan :)

Last weekend, met up with a group of cyclist to 'conquer the rolling hills of Bintan. (Okay, before I went, I was told about the nice scenery and the food, that's it)



In the wee hours of morning, made my way to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal ( To be frank, I felt like I was in dreamland. )
With the help of our guide, we checked in our bikes. And got our tickets.

And off on the ferry, we boarded.

Once I boarded the ferry, I entered into deep lala land. Only woke up when the ferry sounded its horn to announce arrival.

Welcoming back our bikes :)

We loaded the car with our bags and loaded our body with spare tubes, money, passport and water.
 
And from this moment on, it was "OMG" for me.
Not having sufficient breakfast, my stomach started to churn acid juice and cramps start to come (AND not go!) Then the hills appeared in my view. "OMG OMG OMG!"
Cyclists call this part" The dragon's Back"




Thankfully there was a rest stop for lunch. Food was good! But I only managed to push some food down my throat.
Nasi Goreng.
Tahu Goreng.


After what truly seemed like eternity, (Probably 5 hours of riding under the very hot sun)  we reached the resort. The end of my first day - down with heatstroke. Started having headaches and vomiting spells. Felt like a weakling (haha)

Sad! Did not manage to taste the chili crab, fried calamari etc. because of my churns. Tumbled into bed - close to losing consciousness. At 7pm.

Thankfully, woke up at 3am. Felt lots better. Drank loads of water to keep myself hydrate.
And lovely, at 7pm. My stomach was growling and I quickly made my way down to breakfast buffet.
Here's the picture of our wonderful resort "AGRO BINTAN RESORTS"

 

By God's grace, I felt strong and dandy on this second morning and had the mood to appreciate the scenery around me.

 The joyful thing was that 2nd day ride was much shorter and its felt much easier.
Within a blink of an eye, our acommodation for 2nd day came into sight
Comfort Hotel

 

And we also had the opportunity to go shopping at Ramayana Mall and did a massage opposite the mall which they said were fantastic.

 

At night,
Fire crackers sold at the store opposite the road.

 

Good food!

We were crazy. Tried many different flavors mix.

1. Cheese and Chocolate chip - My favorite because of the mix of sweet and salty

2. Pulut Hitam  - The coconut in it were so fresh. But it was a bit too heavy for me. Alot of them loved it though.

3. Condense Milk and Chocolate - Sugar High. Enough said.

4. Banana and Chocolate - I like bananas. And it being hot bananas. Nice!

 

Then the satay Madura.

I like the taste of the sauce. But this street food stall were a little stingy with its meat.

And each day it gets better.

Body conditioning.

 

I'll be back Bintan :)

 

Ace Adventure Challenge IX - Come along on this exciting adventure!

I've been wanting to join this for ages!
And this year! Took the plunge and joined this with my friend and his friend.

Ace Adventure Challenge IX

Saturday, 21 September 2013 08:00 - 18:00 (GMT)

Ace Adventure Challenge, first held in 2003, is the leading local adventure race that challenges participants to go the distance and realize their full potential, and in the process, discover the fun of adventure. In the tradition of the race, participants can expect physically demanding elements that test the teamwork of the group as well as perseverance of the individual.

Adventure racing is a multi-sports race, and you cannot escape the two most grueling disciplines, run and cycle. In some races, Kayaking (or Canoeing) form a major part of the race distance and endurance. As the name suggests, "adventure" racing is a race that brings you through a series of adventures that are exhausting yet exciting. Apart from running, cycling and sometimes kayaking, participants of adventure races will engage in other adventurous activities like rock climbing, abseiling, modified climbing related obstacles, mud crawling etc. The types of activities varies, some races even include handling or even eating some gruesome creatures. 
(Just reading this paragraph is making me feel the excitement!)

Most races will take place in some wilderness areas, or a combination of urban and rural areas. Sadly in Singapore, there's not too much for wilderness, and so there's going to be a combination of the park connections and urban areas. 
(The previous adventure race I did included Pulau Ubin)

 

 

Online Registration is closing on 29th July 2013.
So hurry if you're interested!

Race Registration

Adventure Race

The registration fee is S$280 (Singapore dollars Two Hundred Eighty only) per team.

Trail Adventure

The registration fee is S$140 (Singapore dollars One Hundred Forty only) per team.

 Summary of Race Format and Categories

Race Details	Ace Adventure Challenge
	Adventure Race (AR)	Trail Adventure (TA)
Team Formation	Team of 3	Team of 2
Categories	Men / Women / Mixed	Any combination of 2 people
Age Group	17 years old and above (born on or before 31 Dec 1996)
Race Distance	TOC	TOC
Disciplines (Tentative)	1.          Abseil 2.          Cycle (road / off road) 3.          Navigation 4.          Rope Ascend 5.          Run/walk (road / off road) 6.          Sport Climbing 7.          Team Biathlon 8.          Team challenge obstacles (water, land based activities) 9.          Test of teamwork, strength and endurance	1.          Abseil 2.          Navigation 3.          Run/walk (road / off road) 4.          Team challenge obstacles (water, land based activities) 5.          Test of teamwork, strength and endurance 6.      and more to be confirmed
Cut-off Time	3pm or 6th hour after the last flag-off time (9am)
Mandatory Equipment per competitor	1.         One (1) climbing harness (UIAA/CE certified) 2.         One (1) Figure 8 descending device 3.         Two (2) climbing sewn slings (minimum 60cm in length) 4.         Two (2) locking carabiners (auto-lock are permitted) 5.         One (1) mountain bike 6.         One (1) bike helmet with chin strap 7.         A (1) pair of fingered gloves suitable for abseiling 8.         Minimum two (2) litres water or hydration fluid system 9.         One (1) whistle 10.     Footwear - running shoes/ cross trainers/ trail shoes (toe revealing shoes are not recommended)	1.          A (1) pair of fingered gloves suitable for abseiling 2.          Minimum two (2) litres water or hydration fluid system 3.          One (1) whistle 4.          Footwear - running shoes/ cross trainers/ trail shoes (toe revealing shoes are not recommended)
Mandatory Equipment per team	1.         For bicycles a.   2 x spare tire tubes b.  1 x bicycle pump c.  1 x tool kit  (allen key, spanner etc) 2.         One (1) compass 3.         One set of first aid kit	1.            One (1) compass 2.            One set of first aid kit
Fees	S$280 per team	S$140 per team

I am so excited!
Till September.......

 

 

My first time with love on wheels