Selangor : Gangnam Style Ride 2012/09/29

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Selangor - Gangnam Style Ride

Subang Jaya to Jenjarom : 29th September 2012

Medium-sized Group Ride from USJ > Kota Kemuning > USJ (for myself)

                                         { from USJ > Kota Kemuning > Jenjarom > Jugra > USJ ;for the rest of the group}

Distance covered : 34.26km. {105km.}
Starting Time : 7:45am
Time Taken : approx. 3:13:43hrs. (for myself)

For full list of riders see GANGNAM STYLE RIDE / USJ-JENJAROM

NOTE:
To get into the mood, click PSY-GANGNAM STYLE for video/music to play to accompany this blog. It will open in another window, click on relevant tab to get back here.

PRELUDE


With the present Gangnam Craze, a ride with Gangnam as its theme was bound to happen. And who else to organize it but our jovial senior Yong Sin Ng. And more than 30 riders registered for this ride, crazy huh?
Well, we love to ride and have fun at the same time!

In the weeks leading to this, there were a lot of chat on how to learn this dance. Many searched the net for videos showing how to dance including this - "How to Gangnam Style Dance Tutorial". 

Our co-rider Dr Yangman went even further and did a caricature of Gangnaming with a bicycle. That would be something if somebody can really do that!

Yong Sin had planned the ride to start from USJ with the destination as Jenjarom. I had some other appointment for lunch, and concerned that I could not make it back for the lunch do, I planned to ride with the group just up till the far end of Kota Kemuning and then turn back.

It would have been great if I had continued on with them, for they went even further than Jenjarom and extended the ride to Jugra! That would have been an interesting ride. But then duty calls.

We met at USJ1/1a, an area of shophouses with ample car parking. Unloading our bikes we prepared ourselves. Some came earlier and had breakfast at nearby coffee shops.

The Ride

Yong Sin did a quick briefing. He will be leading the ride and his better half, Lim Hui Min, will be the sweeper. They had walkie-talkies to communicate with each other and whistles to guide the riders.

With a blow of his whistle, Yong Sin kicked off the ride.

Just rounding a corner and we were riding past the Mydin USJ Hypermarket. Even at the early hour, the traffic was already building up. This is a busy area indeed.

Not wanting to ride on the busy Jalan Kewajipan, we went onto the parallel residential road Jalan USJ2/2. However, slightly ahead we had to push our bike across a dirt path to access to the ramp leading down to the KESAS Highway. Well better to be safe than sorry.

We had an early regroup at the bus-stop here before riding onto the biking lanes of the KESAS Highway. They were around 25 of us, another ten riders would be joining us at Kota Kemuning.

It was a good thing too that we will be on the biking lanes, the traffic was fast as can be seen in the above photo of the ramp we were on. The moment the traffic light turned green, cars & motorcycles would be zooming past.

AND we were on the biking lanes! But the hedges growing close to the lane did not help as it pushed us to cycle almost at the center of the lane.

Slightly ahead, construction were ongoing and part of the bike lane was closed. A narrowly temporary barricaded lane was formed onto the highway itself. It was too narrow and motorcyclists were impatiently riding behind us.

For most of the stretch, the biking lane was relatively flat... and unshaded! It was a good thing that we were doing this in the early morning as we would be riding the lane for close to 10km.

We did pass under some fly-over, the clearance seems rather low - the minimum required by law?

As we approached closer to Kota Kemuning, the lanes did get shadier.

And we are into Kota Kemuning! Off from the biking lane and the highway.

We reached the meeting point for the other bikers (the Kemuning group), i.e. opposite the Columbia Asia private hospital.

But where are they? We waited patiently and looked around. Nowhere to be seen!

There was a bit of confusion, they were at the hospital compound while we were waiting at the bus-stop on the road opposite the hospital.

But no despair, a couple of calls and they soon joined us, and we took a group photo.

Now for the dancing! Some of us did the Gangnam dance, while most of the others looked on. A shy lot we bikers are!

Anyway, those that danced had a ready audience who cheered us on.

With the full group we were ready to bike on.

We rode along the shady roads of Kota Kemuning, heading for the far end of the housing estate, where it joins Kampong Batu 7 - another 3km. inwards.

Here at where Kota Kemuning ends and Kampong Batu 7 starts, I had to turn back - to ride back alone. I waved goodbye to by biker friends, both new and old - wishing them a pleasant and safe ride.

They went on to visit the Dong Zen Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple in Jenjarom.....

..... and a beautiful mosque in Jugra.

After seeing the last of them riding off, and with a feeling of melancholy, I rode back alone. Soon I was back at the biking lanes heading back for USJ.

To offset my loneliness, I took photos of interesting spots along the way. Like these intersecting flyovers.

 & the Giant Hypermarket at Kemuning Utama that I built a few years back.

..... at an overpass looking downwards at busy traffic.

The Proton Building at Hicom.

A silhouette photo of the AhPek Biker.

And I continued on keeping to the safety adage of riding a far left as possible, as the motorcyclists were really zooming by fast.

DISASTER!

Riding up the ramp from KESAS leading to the Summit USJ Complex, the traffic queue was long. There were motorcyclist behind me; impatient and wanting to overtake.

So the first chance I had, seeing a splay in the road ahead, I swung left to let them past.

Not good..... 

..... distracted by the motorcyclists behind I did not notice a manhole with its cover in the wrong direction.

The wheel of my bike went in and I was sent flying, landing flat-faced onto the road. Luckily, other than abrasions on my face, I was not seriously injured.

I used my on-board first-aid kit to to attend to my wound - cursing at the stupid manhole and cursing at myself for my lapse in alertness (for details of this accident see SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS #3 : The Accident).

Fortunately, my bicycle was not badly damaged. I must thank my lucky stars!

I was able to cycle the last 3km to the Start/End point.

After packing my bike into my car, I went over to the coffee shop opposite to have a drink to calm myself down from the shock of the accident.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw my bloodied face.

A lesson learnt.

Via my mobile, I sent photos of the offending manhole to warn my fellow bikers of the to avoid it on their return journey.

I drove off for further treatment; and later at home I lit a candle and said some prayers for the protection that God has given me.

Many thanks to :-

Ride Leader -  Yong Sin Ng

Ride Sweeper - Lim Hui Min

Photo credits : Some of the photos in this blog are by Kookkeong Fong & Yee Patric. Thanks!

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling Malaysia / Selangor / Gangnam Style Ride
If you like this, view my other blogs at Jotaro's Blog
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Safety Considerations #3 : The Accident

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SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS #3 : The Accident

Just less than a week after writing my piece on Riding Safety (see Safety Considerations #2 - My Thoughts On Riding Safety) I fell victim to my own lapse in alertness.


The Incident

I was on a ride - the Gangnam Style Ride - on 29th September 2012 with a group of bikers. The plan was to ride from Subang USJ to Jenjarom and back. The ride was schedule to end at around 1pm. But as I had another appointment at 12:30pm, I thought I would ride with them till Kota Kemuning and turn back while they continued on.

So I rode with them till the end of Kota Kemuning where it joins up with Kampong Batu 7, there I stopped and said my goodbyes and good luck to them.

After seeing the last of them riding off, I rode back the route we came from, along the KESAS Highway and headed back towards Subang Jaya. Although riding alone, it was nice too, and I took the necessary precautions like ensuring that all my lights (front, rear and helmet) were turned on. I also rode as far left as possible.

Along the way I also took nice photos, including a silohuette of myself - was this a foreboding of something bad to come?

Picture is a reenactment just after it happened, to show how it happened. 

As I approached the ramp leading from KESAS up to The Summit Commercial Complex of Subang Jaya, I saw that the traffic queue was long. I cycled to the left of them up the ramp. But motorcyclists kept on wanting to overtake me. So the first chance I had, seeing a widening splay in the road, I swung left. With my attention on the motorcyclists behind me, I did not notice a manhole cover-grating with its slots parallel to the road.

"Whoomp!" my front wheel went into the slots of the grating and I was sent flying, landing face-flat onto the road. A bit daze, I quickly got up and examined myself. I had abrasions on my face and hands. Pulling my bike up the curb, I washed my wounds and treated myself with my on-board first aid kit.

It was a good thing I was wearing a helmet too. Notice the dent and scratches on the front left of the helmet. Without it, I would probably have more serious injuries.

Surprisingly, my bicycle was still ride-able and I rode the 3km. back to our start point. Packing my bike into the car, I drove off to seek further treatment.

My reflections after this incident :

1. Do not be distracted, a lapse in alertness can cause accidents.
2. Always wear helmets and make sure there are securely tied. Remember NO HELMET NO RIDE!
3. Do not ride alone. Co-riders can and will help look out for danger and point them out.
4. Inform others of dangers along cycling route, eg poor manhole gratings, poor lighting, speeding traffic, etc.
5. Always have a first-aid kit on board.

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Reflections / Safety Considerations #3
If you like this, view my other blogs at Jotaro's Blog
(comments most welcomed below. if you like this pls share via facebook or twitter)