#260 - BP Giant Jamboree

You know you've been a fixture in Malaysia Jamborees when
the DJ recognizes you already. - pic from Cycling Malaysia

One of the hills of Batu Pahat in the background
- pic from AirTime Mark

Batu Pahat on a sleepy Saturday afternoon.

A condemned shop house in Batu Pahat.

As has become the custom among my team mates,
whenever the travel time from Shell JB to a
particular race site in Malaysia reaches two hours,

we decide to go on a Saturday, stay at a nearby hotel

and show up at the race site on Sunday feeling fresh.

 

Well that's the ideal scenario. But what happens
normally is that you can't sleep on an unfamiliar
bed ... and when you are finally drifting to sleep
your roommate starts to snore ... and then your other
roommate (3 to a room) starts to join in the snoring.

 

Ok! Now that my excuse is out of the way, here is what
happened at the Giant BP MTB Jamboree in Batu Pahat :

 

We requested the Landmark Hotel in Batu Pahat to serve
the buffet breakfast at 6:30AM so that we can check out
at 7AM. So after eating our breakfast, we all piled up
into the bus. There were only 12 of us and so our bikes
also got their own seats. I guess nobody among my group
will ever put our bikes into the side compartment of the
bus anymore as BadLuck Kid Ryan lost his front wheel

when the side compartment door opened on it's own...

while on the highway ... and we only discovered it

was open in Batu Pahat!

 

All manner of camera equipment was shoved into Ryan's
face as he won't be racing without a front wheel (unless
he wheelies for the whole race). Lots of requests were
also made on when to shoot, the best angle, etc.

 

With the camera equipment all sorted out, everybody rushed
to the starting line and we met lots of familiar faces from
Singapore. There are around 1300+ racers on the starting
line. So lots of jostling for position was happening. We were
quite far off from the starting line and so I didn't hear what
the announcer said this time.... All I know was lots of people
were whooping and we were off !

 

Or so I thought. We were stopped at the starting line and the
organizers stopped NoLights Louie on account of being a girl
and also Enrico on account of being old hehehehe. The race
organizers wanted the Open Cat participants to go first.

 
One organizer saw Ironman Randy and decided that he looked
to old to be in the Open Cat and stopped him. Randy had the
presence of mind to point to his Race number (blue in color)
showing that he indeed is young enough to go with us.
 

 

 

Me! 30 minutes before the race start. Note new jersey and
Kali helmet - pic from Efren

Start !
...and now we are really off! Later on my friends Fast Pao
and CrestPursuit Owen told me that we were going at around
50kph on the road leading to the trail. I didn't know my speed
at that time because I took out my speedometer since I get
nervous when I see the speed creeping upwards of 40kph. Nyahaha
now that I can't see my speed, I managed to stick with my
friends! I also didn't see any accidents on the road this time.
Maybe because I reached the trail head in record time? But I
did see two guys on a TANDEM bike!!! Crazy guys. I also saw
two guys on cyclocross bikes wearing checkered shirts !

 

At the start of the first climb, I can still see my friends.
I told myself that I will never ever dismount and so I persevered.
I lowered my head and spun my granny gear. Near the top, I
shifted up to my 2nd ring. When I was about to crest the climb,
I shifted to my big ring hoping that when the ground levels,
I will be in a position to sprint and leave the pack behind
... and then when I pedalled, I was pedalling air ... my chain
fell outside the big ring !!!! Grrrrr !!!! I went to the right side
of the trail and fixed my chain.

 

After fixing my chain I just sort of went with the flow ... that
is until I got to the second climb. The second climb started
easy and so I approached it on my big ring. A third of the way and
I went to my second ring. At the half way mark, I went to the
granny ring .... and then I was pedalling air again! My chain dropped
again! Argghhhh... this time I had to push my bike up. Sigh
that should be it. It's not my day.

CrestPursuit Owen being pursued by Bal
- pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

IronMan Randy - pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

Soooo many people pushing their bikes.
See how small the people are at the bottom
of the climb? This gives you an idea of how long
the climb is - pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

CheckPoint 1

Lots of climb happened before we even reached CheckPoint 1.
There was another longish climb where I was doing ok but then
the guy in front of me suddenly stopped and dropped while clutching
his right calf : cramps! So no choice for me but to push the bike up.
On the way up, I saw one of those guys I was chasing at the Millipede
Jamboree talking to his team mate (same jersey). Imagine that? They
were talking while lots of people were overtaking them?! I took a
cue from them and decided to pee at the top of the climb hehehehe.

 

Anyway, when I finally got to CheckPoint 1, I told myself the race
is "over" for me. No point going all out. I will stop, eat bananas,
drink lots of water and take a rest. But as I approached the Checkpoint,
one of the marshalls quickly came over me and put a sticker on my
race number and said "GO!!!". Huh? Ok! So I snatched a bottle of
water from another marshall and sprinted out of CheckPoint 1.

 
That has got to be a record for me. Zero seconds wasted. I didn't
stop at all. The thing is I sprinted right smack into a very very
long climb. Sigh. Here we go again. By this time, I am already
spinning like a zombie. I think this is what roadies call the
"mindless pedalling" technique. However, in jamborees with lots
of participants, you can't really spin mindlessly. Imagine : you
are climbing using your granny gear. The climb is steep such that
your chest is already glued to your stem. The climb is very long too.
You can see from photographs of the race how "small" the people are
at the start of the climb. Also, there is someone in front of you,
who is going to collapse any time soon. There is someone behind you.
There is someone pushing his bike on your left. There is someone
on your right as well. My friend Bal, said he can't even spit or
clear his nose because he will definitely hit some one hehehehe.

 

CheckPoint 2
How I got to CheckPoint 2 was a mystery to me. I just know that
after CheckPoint 1, I managed to clear all the other climbs.
Again, when I was approaching CheckPoint 2, I told myself that I
will stop, eat a banana, drink lots of water and eat my first GU
Roctane. But again, the marshalls have other plans for me! As I
was approaching CheckPoint 2, one of the marshalls again stuck
a sticker on my race number and said "GO!!!!". Me being conditioned
to start pedalling whenever I hear "Go!", did just that! I sprinted
again after snatching a bottle of water from another race marshall.

 

Around this point I was wondering when the "Technical" Section will
come. There normally is a "Technical" singletrack in these Jamborees.
There was also a short road section here and I was wondering if that
is already the "U-turn" point? Normally, the race starts and ends at
the same place. The u-turn point is a short road section which leads
to the trail that leads back to the start/finish line.

 

CheckPoint 3
While I was pondering these mysteries, I saw CheckPoint 3 looming.
I gritted my teeth (really!) and told myself : this time, I will
ignore those marshalls when they say "Go!". Again, the marshalls
didn't wait for me to stop to stick the sticker saying I cleared
CheckPoint 3 and said "Go!". Hehehehe I was ready for them this
time, I slowly inched my way to the left side of the trail and
let some cartons of bottled water stop my bike. The girl near the
carton must have thought I was going to collapse and quickly gave
me an opened water bottle. I took out my GU Roctane and swallowed
it slowwwlly while sipping water as if it was wine hehehehe.

 

I cycled slowly after that and I looked around and told myself that
FINALLY (!!!) the racers seemed to have spaced out. There were a
few of us only and we were on a road section. In the past jamborees,
the racers space out even before we reach CheckPoint 2. This is the
first jamboree that I attended where the racers are all packed even
when we were already in CheckPoint 3. Now, there are fewer of us and
we were on the road, I can use my mindless pedalling technique ...
but not yet! I realised that even when we were on the roads, these
roads where all still uphill! You can still see people pushing their
bikes on the left side of the road. There were very few of us
(at the most 5?) who were pedalling. I think the only thing that
stopped me from pushing my bike is my ego. All the while that I was
using my granny (on the road?!), I was telling myself : this can't
be worse than Vigilante Drive right?!!  

 

While I was having this thoughts to myself, I saw a wondrous thing!
I saw in front of me that the road went vertical and there were
cyclists that were going up that vertical road very fast without
pedalling. It's just like a scene from the movie Inception. As I was

approaching it, a cyclist flew by my right side ....Oh, so, that's how it

is done. I sprinted and didn't put a finger on my brake levers. The speed
was scary fast but I did manage to climb that vertical road without
pedalling. Later on, Fast Pao said that his GPS registered his speed
at that section as 68kph!

NoLights Louie got 11th position in the
Women's Cat - pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

More people pushing their bikes - pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

Anton - Highest placed guy in my team (#72) ...
and he was using a Giant Reign and flat pedals!
- pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

Fast Pao still smiling - pic from Ultraman Bintang's FB page

Now that seems to be the last of the exciting stuff. I was looking
for the entrance of the trail leading back to the start/finish line.
I was also pedalling mindlessly now. I was just looking at my race
number and checking it if the marshalls really did stick the stickers
properly ... I was also looking at the text "CP3" ... CP3 ... how
come there's nothing more after CP3? I lifted my head and saw from
a distance this "small" policeman directing traffic and there were
vehicles going from left to right ... CP3 ... then no more ... CP3!!!

 

Finish Line
Oh Sh*t! CP3 is the last checkpoint! I am actually going to the
start/finish line NOW!!!! Argghhhh!!! My enthusiasm and energy was
renewed and I remembered all those road rides I did in Coastal
and Mandai Road. I pedalled furiously and managed to overtake lots
and lots of weary cyclists. I entered the compound where the
start/finish line was and I was still hammering it. A cyclist smiled
and gave way to me. I signalled that he can draft me. He raised his
two hands and shook his head. He spoke in Malay. I think he is
saying that he's got nothing left in the tank. I managed to overtake
easily 12 more people inside the compound.

 

I was given a medal saying I finished 408th in the Giant BP
Jamboree and my friends all shouted at me from their vantage point.
I was too weak to eat or watch the lucky draw but it was still
a very enjoyable experience.

 

The Giant BP Jamboree was the hardest race I have

joined to date. Lots of people were comparing this race

to Nusa-Iskandar Jamboree. Judging from what I heard,

it seems the climbs are more difficult in the Giant Jamboree

BUT it was a very hot day when the Nusa Iskandar Jamboree

was held. Also, the Giant Jamboree was NOT 45km as advertised.

Lots of Cateyes and Garmins were compared and we all agreed

that the total distance was just around 30KM. Now compare this

with the Nusa Iskandar Jamboree which was around 68KM!

 

Anyway, I'm just comparing the two Jamborees just to

gauge myself whether I could survive a Jamboree harder

than the Giant Jamboree ... and it seems that the honest

answer is NO. So, I need to throw more $$$ at my bike

to lighten it.... either that or I need to train more ...

Whoever heard of training to get faster ???

 

As for the goodie bag! The dryfit shirt that came with the

goodie bag is quite nice indeed. They also gave a water bottle

which is always a welcome and useful item :-)

 

 

This was taken at around 4PM in Pontian where we took
our 'lunch'.