In April 2006 I entered the Malakoff Duathlon where I took the biking leg for the team relay. There were supposed to be three parts to the race, but I found out I was pregnant the following month and that was the end of my rather short-lived biking career.
Despite not having participated since, my name remains on the duathlon mailing list and this was what I received about this year’s Malakoff Duathlon activities (for those who might be interested to participate):
Saturday, 19 July 2008
MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi
Distance: 3km run / 14.5km bike / 3km run
Saturday, 26 July 2008
MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series at Universiti Malaya, Petaling Jaya
Distance: 3.5km run / 14km bike / 3.5km run
Saturday, 2 August 2008
MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Bandar Tasik Selatan
Distance: 4km run / 20km bike / 4km run
Sunday, 10 August 2008
MALAKOFF 26km, Penang 2008
Distance: 26km run
Sunday, 9 November 2008
POWERMAN Malaysia powered by MALAKOFF, Seri Manjung, Perak
Distance: 11km run / 64km bike / 10km run
Sunday, 21 December 2008
MALAKOFF 25km, Johor 2008
Distance: 25km run
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MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series
Run – Bike – Run (Sprint Distances)
This was created to encourage more young and new athletes to start multi-sport and stay healthy. The distances are DU-able for most people and we even have the Team Relay category for those who are currently single-sport athletes but would like to be part of a multi-sport event. This is your chance to make new friends and also try a new sport. The event is powered by MALAKOFF and fueled by PowerBar. For more information about this event, please log on to www.duathlonseries.com.my or drop us a line.
MALAKOFF 26km, Penang 2008
Run
If you are looking for a new venue to run in, come race the inaugural MALAKOFF 26km, Penang 2008.
Penang is the Pearl of the Orient and for many good reasons:
Great run course with some hills at the beginning, a coastal section along Gurney Drive and historical tour of the city under shady bits towards to end
Great hawker fare everywhere
Take your family or friends for a holiday run
We are organizing hotels and buses from Kuala Lumpur to Penang return so if you are interested we suggest you book early to avoid disappointment. The event is powered by MALAKOFF, organized by Pacesetters, Athletic Club Malaysia, co-sponsored by PowerBar and CounterPain. For more information about this event, please log on to www.pacesetters.com.my or drop us a line.
POWERMAN Malaysia
Run – Bike – Run (Endurance and Sprint Distances)
This annual event since 2002 has been the ‘hottest’ duathlon in the world where top international duathletes come challenge each other for top prize. We will see an even larger number of racers this year in Seri Manjung. The event is powered by MALAKOFF. For more information about this event, please log on to www.powerman.com.my or drop us a line.
MALAKOFF 25km, Johor 2008
Run
This will be the 2nd run after Penang and this time it will be held in Johor Bahru. We will be organizing buses to transport runners from Singapore to Johor return.
The event is powered by MALAKOFF, organized by Pacesetters, Athletic Club Malaysia, co-sponsored by PowerBar. More information about this event will be up soon, please log on to www.pacesetters.com.my or drop us a line.
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We look forward to seeing you all at our races whether as a participant, supporter or volunteer. For those who have upcoming events, all the best and for those who have been thinking of participating – what are you waiting for?
It makes me feel somewhat comforted that all these people look very “bin tai” and super fit. Since I’m just a Sunday rider, I no longer feel so bad clocking in at 2 hours and 20 minutes (thus making me the record holder for the slowest rider in the race).
I slept early (well, sort of) the night before to make sure I would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but mainly to make sure I didn’t end up flying another airplane after the Power Run incident. It would seem that my one slip-up has made me infamous, for even my team mates decided to add a little measure of security by giving me a wake up call.
For the preparation the night, I roped the unwilling hubby into pumping up the air pressure in my tyres. DT had suggested I get it up to 50-60 Psi but we couldn’t figure out why the pump was so hard to use, so we only managed 40 Psi. I figured that would do it. 40 or 50 Psi, what was the difference? I also filled up my High Sierra Lumbar Pack and stashed a few sachets of Powergels to keep me going. I guess I must have been rather anxious because I was awake a full hour and a half before the alarm went off. After tossing and turning with no respite, I decided to get up and start loading my bike onto the car. Even if I made it out there early, I figured I could put the time to good use by familiarising with the gear shifts again because December (the last time I tried riding suddenly seemed a long time ago.
It was probably a good thing I got off to an early start because I forgot how to attach the bike rack to the car. I must have been quite a sight standing at the boot of my car turning the bike rack around and around as I tried to figure out which way was up. A fifty per cent guess and I managed to get it wrong. I sort of realized when I was holding up the bike and the bar was tilted at an odd angle.
Despite the delay, I was on the road by 6am so I took the hubby’s advice to pump up the tyres a little more by using the air pumps at a petrol kiosk. It was probably not one of my smarter decisions, especially considering that I had no idea how to use those pumps. Instead of pumping air in, all I managed to do was let out the air. Figuring that it couldn’t possible get any worse, I tried again to see if I could get it working. After letting out most of the air, I gave up and drove to the meeting point where I could rope someone into helping me pump up the tyres the hard way.
Shortly after I arrived, T’s car appeared. He helped me tag my bike and helmet while I tinkered around with the bicycle pump DT had lent me for the race. I don’t think I was inspiring a lot of confidence in my fellow Red member because it was clearly evident that I had no idea what I was doing. Even so, he kept his silence and I was grateful for that for my nerves of steel had been shattered the day before as I struggled to keep in control of DT’s road bike.
SKT, MT, G, T, the Pilot and I made up two relay teams, while D went out for the full race on her own. I have to salute her. What a brave girl! Especially if you take into consideration that she landed with a flat tyre halfway through the race and had to come back to the start twice! This iron lady is simply amazing! I am in awe…
Team: The Reds (a.k.a. Liverpool)
Team: ClimbXmedia
Individual: Superwoman
As we walked out to Dataran Merdeka, I became acutely aware that there were no mountain bikes to be seen. Suddenly feeling rather self-conscious, I regretted my decision to decline the use of DT’s bike. Even if it gave me sores, at least I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb (pardon the pun).
According to T, there were 8 mixed teams for the relay. To demonstrate the confidence of the Reds (never mind the fact that Liverpool won the match last night), here’s a conversation I had with T:
Me: 8 teams? Our goal should be not to come last!
T: (pause) Er… It is?
I think that said it all…
7:30am sharp the real duathletes flagged off while we stood by the sidelines cheering D on.
7:40am the relay flagged off with G and T taking the rear. Wonderful, we had barely begun and we were already coming last.
(G warming up before the relay flag off)
8am MT, the Pilot, SKT, A (our resident photographer), and I went off for breakfast. I ordered a roti telur and retracted the order when SKT decided he wasn’t eating anything. Never having biked in a race before, I figured I had better do like the Romans.
8:20am we made it back to the starting point and waited for our boys to come in from the 10km leg.
8:25am D completed the 10km and picked up her bike
8:30am D returned with a flat and had to borrow Op’s pump. He gave her a tube as well in case her tube had blown.
8:35am G came in making good time.
8:40am T arrived and I took off.
I felt a little wobbly taking the corners but otherwise glad that I had been elected to take the biking leg. This was a lot easier than running, or so I thought. I had barely started pedaling down Jalan Kuching when my thighs were starting to burn. Even though the road looked flat, it seemed like a lot of effort to keep pedaling on the large front gear.
By the time I hit the off ramp at the Duta round-a-bout, my legs were ready to give way. I must have been barely moving when I rode past the policemen and marshals because one of them shouted out to me that I should go faster. After more ragging about my pace, I was stating to get annoyed by the misconception of non-bikers that biking is easier than running therefore you should be able to keep going flat out. Attach a motor to my bike perhaps…
The difference in comments from the marshals:
When running: C’mon! You can do it!
When biking: Eh! Cepat lah!
The other problem I faced was not being able to ride with one hand (yes, I know, I’m unco). That meant I couldn’t reach for my water tube, let along my Powergels. When I passed the water station, I had to decline the water with a shake of my head because I couldn’t even hold up a hand to say, “No, thanks.” The only way I could drink was to get off my bike, so I held off on the fluids for the first lap.
I guess I must have been the only one who couldn’t drink and ride because when I got off my bike by the road side on the third lap, the first aid van stopped to check if I was okay. Even a rider checked in on me. How kind these people were.
The next major hill was somewhere along Jalan Duta. It’s funny how I fail to recognize the roads when I’m on a bike because I knew I’d been on this road many a time in a car. I had to drop down to my granny gear just to make it up the slope otherwise I would have been walking it. It’s amazing that I never noticed how steep the inclines on these roads were despite having driven them countless times.
All the way through, bikers were overtaking me from the left and right and I felt like a kid on a tricycle being overtaken by the big boys on their 10-speed racers. On my third lap, the bikes had stopped overtaking which I knew it was bad sign. Either I was one of the last bikes on the road, or worse, the last bike. I certainly didn’t feel any better that one of the marshals was following me on a motor bike either.
The downhill run after that climb was bliss. On my first lap, I was rather hesitant and cautious, tapping on the brakes to keep my pace in control. By the second and third lap, I was tearing down that hill because there was no way I was going to waste a precious meter of momentum on fear.
After rounding up on Jalan Duta, we cut right into Jalan Sultan Salahuddin. On the second lap, SKT lapped me as we approached the traffic lights - bloody fast, he was… I thought of the poor Pilot waiting for me at Padang Merdeka and I tried to pedal faster, but it was only for a minute before my body gave out to fatigue.
(SKT means business)
The track at this point was familiar. I had been through it on many a race before so I knew I was close to home. As I approached the round-a-bout, I received a nasty shock when I was turned away from Padang Merdeka onto Jalan Parliament for an extra leg. Jalan Parliament is another one of those deceiving stretches that seem like a flat road but is really inclined. Don’t believe me? Take your bike out there and try it. I never noticed it before either.
I made the first lap in 50 minutes. At this rate, I figured I would be lucky to finish in three hours. I really felt sorry for the Pilot having taken the last leg because he would have to run in the full heat of the approaching noon-day sun.
I would like to say I flew down that stretch along Dataran Merdeka, but it was more like the equivalent of a jog than a sprint. Somebody spotted the Liverpool jersey that I was wearing (for my team had sported the jersey to signify the meaning behind our team name – The Reds) and shouted, “Go Liverpool!”
I ought to thank that person for the support because the next thing I knew, the
Liverpool song started playing in my head and I felt energized to keep pushing. Regrettably, it was not for long. By the time I hit the uphill slope, all inspiration had drained out of me and I had to stop for a drink of water. I must have been really dehydrated because the water tasted like an elixir from heaven and I just couldn’t get enough of it.
My bum was also starting to throb and no matter how I shifted it, I couldn’t find a comfortable position to continue riding. My rear end was extremely grateful for the opportunity to get off the bike and protested vehemently when I tried to get back on to continue. Had it not been for the Pilot waiting for his 5km run, I probably would have quit at that point.
It wasn’t that my legs couldn’t take it. I mean, sure they were tired, but the fact that I maintained a constant lap time of 50 minutes was indicative that I was keeping my pace fairly steady. The part that brought on the thoughts of quitting was due to one badly aching behind. The stiff wrists might have also had something to do with it, though I think my backside was complaining the loudest.
As I rounded onto Jalan Sultan Shamuddin for the final time, they had sealed off the road to the Padang. Still at my top speed, I shouted, “Hey! Coming through!”
Magically, a portal opened up in front of me to let me through and I heard one of the race assistants mutter sheepishly, “You the last bike lah…”
For a moment, I felt quite bad making them all wait until I turned to see another bike approaching and then I felt mad that they were making excuses for closing the road early.
(While I was still out there MT hits the finishing line)
The pilot took the bib as I apologized profusely for being so slow then he ran off for the final leg of the race. MT had already completed the 5km and waiting at the tag point so I knew we were really far behind. Even D, performing the full race, had overtaken me in the biking leg despite being delayed by a flat. In essence, there was really no need for the Pilot to run, but it was all in the name of team spirit that I he took off when he did.
(The Pilot runs with great team spirit)
I wobbled onto solid ground and was surprised that my legs felt like Jell-O. My behind was on fire and even as T offered me the chair he had been sitting in, I couldn’t bear the thought of resting on my delicate bottom.
(The climbers/marshals)
All in all, it was a great race. Another one those events that I can add to my tick list of “first and lasts”. We ran into a lot of familiar faces; the marshals who appeared more like a climbers’ congregation than marshals of a duathlon race; Op, the embodiment of the boy scouts’ motto; the team from KSH biking shop.
I caught sight of DB and P from FYC before the race - DB when she ran up to me to greet her beloved bike that was on extended loan to me, and P again later when he was approaching the finishing line. DB and P both entered the individual full duathlon - excellent stuff!
(The Team from KSH and others)
(Op after the 10km coming in to commence the biking leg)
Lucky for D that Op and KSH were there for Op had brought a spare tube and pump (mine was in the car – fat lot of good that was), while KSH kindly lent her a device required for her to replace the tubing in her flat tyre. Poor dear was almost in tears when she came to an abrupt halt in the race. I don’t think enough can be said about how well she performed in the race despite the tremendous odds working against her. D, you’re my hero!
(The Superwoman, herself)
Final thoughts? If I ever get stupid enough to ride a long distance again, I’m going to strap a cushion to my tush.
Note: All photos were courtesy of our resident photographer Ayamanna- thanks for the photos! Sorry I didn’t ask your permission to use them, but I know you’d let me anyway ;o)
Call it stupidity, but I agreed to join a three person team for the Malakoff Malaysian duathlon series. When I agreed to it, I had the idea that I would be taking on one of the running legs. Somehow or other, I ended up with the 45km biking leg. Perhaps it was by default since I was the only one in my team who was in possession of a bike.
We are The Reds – dubbed after Liverpool because I happened to be watching the match against Blackburn when G messaged me for a team name. Laugh it up, but someone had actually suggested “Power Puff” – good grief! I might have survived the name but I doubt my two male partners would ever be able to face the world again without being taunted about “Brokebacking”.
Anyway, Thursday night, D came over for dinner and I told him I was in the race for this Sunday. He looked over my bike and raised an eyebrow about whether I was seriously thinking of riding a trail bike for a road race. I had been feeling fairly calm about the race up until my exchanges with D.
After some measurements for crotch clearance (no, it’s not really as crude as you think – I’m talking about the distance from the ground to your crotch, a measurement used to determine the height your bike should be at), we discovered that I have fairly long legs. With a 1.5 inch difference in crotch clearance between us, I should be able to use his road bike.
On the eve of the race, I went over to D’s house to test ride the bike and to familiarize myself with the gears. Before I’d even begun, I’d nearly catapulted myself onto the ground because I couldn’t remember how to get on and off the bike. When I finally got moving, I ran into some difficulties pressing the front gear shifts. I couldn’t move the chain to the larger gear because my left hand fingers didn’t have the strength required.
Okay, skip the larger gear. I was pretty sure I could survive on the middle gear just toggling up and down on the rear gears.
After about 2km, my rear was starting to ache and the webbing between my thumb and fore finger was hurting from being jammed against the handle bars so I could hit the brakes when necessary. I powered up a short 500m hill and found my quads were burning by the time I had reached the top. I could hardly imagine having to ride another 43km of this.
Suddenly, I found myself questioning the wisdom of being so agreeable to enter the race with effectively zero training. The last time I rode was in December last year… I ought to win an award for stupidity.
So in the famous words of Cover Boy: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
My paternal grandfather has been declining in his mobility for some time. Even though he has an upright stationary bike at home, but he’s been reluctant to use it due to the difficulties of swinging his leg over the bike through an effort to get on the seat.
He’s got high blood pressure and swelling in his ankles. The latter is very likely due to stasis of his blood from being extremely inactive.
I suspect he suffers from “sleep apnoea” because he has a tendency for falling asleep during the day at any time and any place, and when he snores, he can bring the house down.
A few weeks back, my dad sent me hunting for a new stationary bike for my grandfather in an effort to encourage him to start exercising again. The model that my dad had scouted out in Australia was not available in Malaysia, so I had to find an alternative with all the features that he wanted.
1. The bike had to be a recumbent bike so there was less stress on his back.
2. The bike had to have “easy entry/exit”. What he wanted was a bike that did not have the bar in the middle so my grandfather could walk in between the handle bars and the seat without having to climb over anything.
3. The seat had to be sturdy with a well supported back.
4. The back of the seat had to be made with some sort of mesh, not unlike the mesh on the back of a deuter back-pack designed to provide airflow.
5. The bicycle computer functions should have easy level exercise programs so my grandfather would not stress himself up.
6. The bicycle seat had to be adjustable by a hydrolic pump.
After much searching, I managed to find a suitable model from Fitness Concept in KLCC. The model was a NordicTrack SL 728 Recumbent exercise bike. It came with most of the features my dad wanted, except the “hydrolic pump” adjustable seat. It cost about RM1600.
My father, ever the bargainer, wanted me to get the price down by ten percent. Try as I might, I couldn’t even get the salesman to budge for five percent. Fitness Concept operates on a fixed price policy, or so they claim (anyone who discovers other wise - please tell me about it).
Luckily, they were running a special offer where they were giving away a free gift valued at RM150 with every purchase over RM500. I called my dad and triumphantly announced that even though I could not secure his required ten percent off, I did manage to twist the salesman’s arm for some freebies.
What was good and bad about the Nordic Track SL 728?
The main difference between a recumbent bike and an upright bike is that recumbent bikes are better for people who have back problems while upright bikes encourage more movement and therefore a more intensive workout. I would also venture to add that for an elderly person, the recumbent bike is a safer bet.
The Nordic Track SL 728 has movable handle bars that can be tilted forwards out of the way during entry and exit of the bike. The bar connecting the seat to the front wheel runs along the floor so there is no need to lift your leg when getting on. This feature makes it extra friendly for an elderly rider.
The seat is quite large and well-supported although my grandfather complained that it wasn’t sufficiently padded. He adds a cushion to sit on whenever he rides the bike.
The back of the seat is covered with a “mesh” which helps to keep his back cool by allowing air through, while the seat position is adjustable by releasing a latch and sliding it backwards and forwards on a diagonal axis. That may be simple enough for most people however it was still a task beyond my grandfather because the latch is difficult to release.
The computer console comes programmed with several exercise functions, though in all practicalities, I seriously doubt my grandfather would ever utilise any of those programs. My grandfather’s gripe was that the computer doesn’t allow setting a timed ride on a countdown program. Additionally, there is no option to allow the time to remain on the screen.
Generally, I was quite happy with the product and I think my grandfather was as well for he rode it for an hour on the day it was delivered. That was probably more exercise than he had had in the last month!
I did have one minor gripe with Fitness Concept. After spending RM1600 on this bike, I couldn’t believe that they were too stingy to throw in four miserable “D”-type batteries for free.
Le Grunt called me the night before asking me if I was going to go biking with them on Sunday morning. As tempted as I was to give it a go, I respectfully declined.
My Dad had called me the day before to request a stationary recumbent bike for my Ah Kong, giving me a spec list that was a mile long. After some internet searches the night before, I noticed that there was showroom selling a model meeting most of these requirements located at Midvalley. Midvalley being Midvalley, I was not about to confront the throng that would have implanted themselves at the shopping complex by mid-afternoon on a Sunday.
As MT and I were walking back to our cars, I spotted Le Grunt lifting his bike off the roof rack of his car and pointed him out to MT. Cheekily, MT broke into a jog with mock concentration on his face as he ran past Le Grunt. MT “accidentally” brushed his elbow against Le Grunt’s ribs. Le Grunt emitted his usual string of expletives for the audience in the car park.
Since I was not joining them, the bikers had decided to hit a much harder trail at Kiara instead of the baby trail they would have taken me on at FRIM.
K arrived shortly after and she and Le Grunt exchanged some comments about their bikes. Le Grunt proudly pointed out his new bike seat and for the first time, I realised that his whole bike looked new. Since the first time I saw his bike until then, he had changed every single part but one.
Yes, Le Grunt was a great customer. If I owned a bike shop, I am sure I could survive if I had just one customer like Le Grunt.
He asked us to guess how much his bike seat cost him. I took a punt and was out by about fifty ringgit. For that price, you could be the top-end bike from Tesco and still have change to buy an ATC and a large carabiner.
Next, I noticed that Le Grunt was completely colour-coordinated from his helmet to his clip-on biking shoes. Even his bicycle sported the same grey-black hues. A moment later, D and K rocked up in their van. D appeared with her own uniform colours of blue and yellow, while K modelled blue and pink tones.
This was the group that I was going to bike with? They looked like a bunch of professionals entering a race, instead of heading for a leisurely Sunday bike ride. I started to wonder about the wisdom of joining them. AN had already made ridiculous recommendations for me to take on the “4K” trail when the last time I rode a bike was during my first year of University when I flew over the handle-bars.
It did not take a genius to realise that this group was crazy and I had to be brainless to think about joining them.
I would be spending the next two Sundays travelling to and from Japan. On the third Sunday, I would be running my first Marathon. I figure that if I survive the Marathon, I would probably be ready to start training my biking skills so I might contemplate a duathalon. Either that, or I could make my way to an early retirement… we’ll see.
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