Completed: Cycle4Care Charity Jamboree Ride 2012

It was 5am when my alarm clock starts to scream. I can hear the tapping of an early Sunday morning rain starts to pour outside my window. I was thinking, could this be a wet jamboree?

Well, whatever it is, on last Sunday 6th May, I was on for the challenge of Cycle4Care Charity Jamboree, just a few kms away from my house, in Alam Budiman, Shah Alam. The jamboree is about 32km mixed of paved and offroad rides, and will pass-through the famous "Meru DragonBack" and "Bukit Ramlee".

The trail, 32kilometres of them. Notice the highest point in the map is the "Bukit Ramlee" checkpoint.

Mounted my bike on the car, and at 6.45am, i was on my way to group with my friends at Bukit Jelutong. Lucky for us, the weather at Bukit Jelutong and Alam Budiman was easy on us. No rains whatsoever. We took some "roti telur bawang" for breakfast, and at 7.30am off we go to the jamboree event.

Preparing the machines.

There wasn't much participants this time around. I think around 300 to 400 cyclists. There were 5 of us on our team this time, with one of us is totally first timer on a jamboree.

The five of us, getting our first CP sticker before start.

The participants were flagged off at around 8.15am. First route took us on a tarmac, halfway through the infamous "Dragon Back". Then off to some palm oil plantations, and the up to the most famous "Bukit Ramlee" hill. The "Bukit Ramlee" hill was so steep, that we have to stop a couple of times on the way up. I can't imagine how people actually cycle up there to the top of hill. On top of "Bukit Ramlee" were the first checkpoint, with some nice bananas and watermelons. We had a chance to meet Wak Ramlee himself whom the owner of the place, and co-sponsor of the event.

One of our teammate, on top of Bukit Ramlee (Checkpoint 2).

Then came a downhill, with some slopes and hefty switchbacks. My colleague actually fall down on one of the switchbacks and punctured his front tyre. Lucky him that I was behind him, so I handed over my spare tube and a pump to him.

Then the trail continues to some grass fields, and up into some virgin forest ( I cant remember the name ). The downhill inside the forest were the most tactical one, with some roots, and mud, and the narrow tracks, really demands some great amount of focus. Me myself got thrown up once during the tedious downhill when my front stuck on some thick grass trees during downhill, locking my front and throw me into the bushes. Lucky me the bush was thick enough softening my fall.

Then the trail continues to some grass fields, some hill climbs, and finally up to the finish. I managed to finish at #37, clocked at 3hr 5mins. The rest of my team mates arrives around 20mins later and the last one from my team to arrive at about 1hr 30mins later.

The mud machine at the finishing point.

For me, this is one of the toughest route yet. Perhaps the chemistry is not right this time. The "roti telur bawang" I took earlier is taking it's toll on me during the earlier dragonback / bukit ramlee climbs, and the tiredness of last jamboree in Jasin also seems to be a factor of my early tiredness during that day.

Our "not-so-lucky" plate numbers. 

By overall, i must say, that the organizers has done a great job for a first timer. The marshals are sufficient, the tracks are properly marked, the water stations are refreshing and the overall event was a great one.

Finisher's medal.