Project Lighthouse 2008 Mid-Night Mass Cycling Saturday to Sunday, 8th -- 9th Nov 08
Route 1. Home -> Changi Village 2. Changi Village -> Changi Clubhouse 3. Changi Clubhouse -> East Coast Park -> Changi Ferry Terminal -> Changi Clubhouse 4. Changi Clubhouse -> Changi Village 5. Changi village -> home
This is the first time I am into cycling seriously; previous experiences were either to the mini mart or leisure rides round the neighborhood. Purchased a hybrid bike a week before the event and got accustomed it to by doing laps round Pasir Ris Park, riding position was also adjusted in the process.
08 November 2008 (19:30 to 23:59)
Rendezvoused with Perly along Loyang Avenue and proceeded to Changi Village for dinner. We settled for the coffee shop as hawker centre was packed and with a little luck, managed to find a table from which we were able to keep an eye on the bikes. We made ourselves comfortable and discussion about cycling soon followed, ordered 20 sticks of satay and a couple of ketupats while waiting for Eric.
Eric joined us soon after and we ordered dinner which consisted of Hong Kong and Ee mee. With a full stomach and water bottles, we began our cycle to SAF Yacht Club via Changi Coast Road. (Thanks for dinner guys)
Arrived 30 minutes later and a small crowd had gathered at the waiting area, proceeded with registration and received our shirts. Meanwhile a lady called “Redbull†(cheeky reply given to Eric when he asked for her name) recharged us with cans of carbonated Redbull; a time check revealed we had another 2 hours of free time before commencement of event while hoards of cyclists continue to check-in. Meanwhile, we took the opportunity to perform a final check on our bikes and also, ogle at the huge array of souped-up bikes.
09 November 2008 (0000 to 0330)
The anticipated hour came and the hoard assembled at the entrance waiting to be flagged off. On went the helmets, lights and blinkers; the compound was flashing like a discotheque with all the blinkers.
The siren sounded and gate opened, everyone gave out a war cry before mounting their bikes. It was a nice cool night and the roads were void of vehicles. The cool breeze was enjoyable and we were riding on the left side of the road at a comfortable 25km/h so as not to obstruct the faster road bikers. We soon turned into a park connector (PCN) which led us to Changi Coast Walk that in turn led us to East Coast Park. Certain sections were poorly lit and we had to be extra cautious, especially on blind turns, the situation was further aggravated by riders who did not have any blinkers.
Human traffic increased as we approached the section lined with chalets and eating places. People who strayed onto the cycling path were oblivious to cyclists which resulted in us having our fair share of close shaves.
My calves started feeling warm and tight as we approached the midpoint, told myself to endure and pressed on at a slower pace of 20km/h. Murphy must have read my thoughts, my rear blinker fell off and I stopped at the side immediately, BAD MOVE. I felt the dreaded pull when I stood up, both my calves had cramped!
Used my bicycle as a crutch and limped to the nearest lamp post. Thankfully Eric and Perly heard the noise when my blinker fell on the path; they picked it up and attended to me. Took a 10 minutes break and Perly advised me to perform SMFR, it helped. The pain alleviated and we mounted our bikes again, I continued at a slower pace for the muscle to recovery.
Many cyclists missed the mid-point and overshot due to poor marshalling and signage. An irate middle aged cyclist started cycling back to inform other cyclists and also to make his point known to the marshals.
Our next checkpoint was Changi Ferry Terminal, the ride there was relatively uneventful until we got to Changi Coast Road when I spotted a group of cyclist redirecting traffic and what looked like the silhouette of a fallen rider; a female rider had fallen badly. We offered our assistance but were told the ambulance was on its way, the other cyclists did the right thing by not moving her as there might be a broken bone or fracture.
We continued and soon arrived at the final water point, had a good drink and headed back towards the finishing point. We arrived backed at Changi Clubhouse at 0310 with a sense of satisfaction.
Finally a well deserved rest, we helped ourselves to the light refreshments.
09 November 2008 (0331 to 0830)
We were planning our route back home when it started pouring cats and dogs. The heavy rain lasted for more than 1.5hrs before subsiding. We finally left Changi Clubhouse at 0500 and headed towards Changi Village for breakfast.
Back on Changi Coast Road, the sky was amber and we felt droplets of water landing on our bodies. Then out of a sudden, the sky opened up with a vengeance and we pedaled as fast as we could to the next shelter, flashes of lightning lit the night sky every few seconds; it was that bad!
The thunderstorm delayed us for more than hour and we finally reached Changi Village at 0700. We got ourselves hot drinks and chow. It then started drizzling again but thankfully it only lasted a short while this time round, we headed towards Loyang Ave and went our own ways at the junction of Loyang Avenue.
I headed to Changi North, Perly to Pasir Ris and Eric to back to Hougang!
Hey! Where are the vids??? here it goes…
Eric Lim