cycled with Jon and Kiat yesterday night. It wasn't that long ago that all 3 of us were riding mountain bikes. But now, both of them have converted to roadies, with Kiat even having sold his bike to earn some cash after he had paid more than $4k for his absolutely stunning Argon (which never fails to attract envious stares). I don't have that kind of money, man. Jon, on the other hand, didn't show any signs of wanting to get a road bike; i was therefore quite surprised when i heard from him that he had got one. I was told that Treknology is now displaying roadbikes instead of mountain bikes. That's really not surprising. The popularity of triathlons has really caught up with many here and, therefore, there is increasing interest in road riding. It seems these days many people i know have taken part in some kind of sports race, ranging from the annual marathon and triathlon to biathlon and duathlon. Others who have not seem determined to take part in one in the near future, the most popular being the StanChart marathon.
Notwithstanding my competency level, now i'm one of the few people who form the ever shrinking 'non-roadie' camp, who is doomed to trailing far behind the roadies - if i ride with them in the first place. Jon and Kiat were nice enough to maintain a comfortable pace yesterday for my sake - they had insisted that it wouldn't be a far and fast ride - though at various times they really picked up speed and had my leg muscles burning trying to catch up with them. This was especially so when we went along Nicoll Highway.
Later, while taking a leisure ride through East Coast Park and chatting with one another, i felt inspired by the late-night joggers and the breezy beach to remark: 'If i live in this area i swear i will be motivated to come and jog everyday.' This was of course met by derisive laughter and wisecrack from Jon, who let the statement 'you might as well say if i stay in school i will be motivated to study everyday' show the 'promise' of my remark. I rest my case and went on cycling.
From ECP Mac's we turned back and headed down towards Orchard Road before coming to a stop at Holland Village. There, we bought two 100plus Big Glups ($2 each) from 7-11 and sat at the food centre opposite. The food centre was previously closed down for renovation but has now reopened. Though it is relatively small and offers little variety in terms of food, there's no doubt the large space and adequate ventillation provide for a pleasant environment. If an expensive cuppa from Coffee Bean is not to your liking, you can still enjoy an al fresco setting sipping tasty teh across at this food centre. Not bad.
Anyway, we were supposed to continue the ride and head down to Bukit Timah after the break, but as we had sat down for too long and it was already past 2330 by the time we got going, we ended the ride there and headed home. I headed west. Halfway through the journey, i was fortunate to be able to draft against a SBS bus which was going at a pretty slow but good enough pace for me to catch up. I was able to ride comfortably at nearly 38kph without exerting myself (save for the worry that the bus would brake suddenly and i would crash into it). The bus helped to block the wind which otherwise would have made my ride tougher.
I haven't been diligently cycling. Hopefully i can find time for that before work catches up - almost there, sigh - on me. Cycling with roadies is always tough - but the good thing is this: their going fast makes you push yourself to go faster, pedal harder. Any form of motivation for training ought to be welcome.
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