GERTAK SANGGUL RIDE 26/2/2010

AT 645 am, drove from Tg Bungah in 2 cars to Gertak Sanggul fishing village and met up with another few cyclixts. Total 12 of us.Surprisingly the trail was very pleasant and an excellent one in testing your stamina with its few steep slopes which stretches for quite a distance and also your skills with its narrow single track cemented and certain part rocky as well as jungle trails. There are a few sections where one needs to balance himself between the narrow ledge with a ravine on the other side and certainly not pleasant to fall in. It was cooling and shady and the air was fragranted with some jungle freshness. This was complimented by the captivating sceneries and the beauty of our natural jungle with its fallen leaves lining the track. I remember passing by some rubber trees with rubber being tapped and collected into little cups reminiscence of my earlier childhood visits to nearby rubber plantations.

Upon reaching the peak, we decided to descend to Kampong Pulau Betong. It was a steep descend with gradient in certain area exceeding 25% and you will come across nice banana plantations but beware and do not be captivated by the scenery. There is a sudden 90* turn to your right and you are going down a slope of about 20%. If you are not careful you may overshoot and ended with bananas all over you!! (but in a ravine). It is a fast ride down all the way to Kg Pulau Betong where we stopped to have a coffee break. From the map, you can see I detoured to the Biro Tata Negara and try to persuade the guard to let me hv a spin there to see if RPK is hiding there but no luck. From the map, I also did a small detour while waiting for the rest after Kg Pasir Panjang, Was told it leads to Balik Pulau (let try it one day) but was forced to retreat after meeting a horde of dogs barking and howling at me.

After coffee and 100 plus, we start our arduous climb up. It was tough but manageable and we retraced our ride to the peak with no incidence. Michael our hero also reached the top with his one tonne bicycle in one piece. From there it was a exhilirating ride to Gertak Sanggul, It tested my newly minted skills from Sifu's basic Mountineering skills DVD and it was great to thump the bike over rocky and tree roots as well as rotting leaves terrains at whatever speed that one feel comfortable. At the stretch where there are narrow ledges with ravine on the other side, I let Sifu and gang overtake and try to go at their speed down the terrain but the nightmare of tumbling got the better side of me.

Overall, it was a great ride, I agreed with most of them that this is a Grade 3 ride. Total elevation gain 1,172metre but the highest peak we reached is abt 200 m. Total distance including the Biro Tata Negara ride is 19.92 Km. Calorie burnt 2,709 cal.

Looking forward to the next Gertak SAnggul ride.