Campaign For A Lane (CFAL) 8th Edition : Riding round the Pearl of the Orient

I finished the scary CFAL Penang Round Island Ride in one piece!!

  

Julia the Running Photog finally rode around Penang Island

Prelude : Reluctance and Relief

If I could describe my feelings before and during the start of this particular ride event around Penang Island : The Campaign For A Lane (CFAL) 2016 8^th Edition on 28th August 2016, it would be this one word : Reluctance. And my feelings immediately after completing the ride was just Pure Relief.

I had never rode any of the previous CFAL editions before so having heard that this would be the final year that the title sponsor : Ideal Properties would be sponsoring, I decided to sign up for it with How How’s encouragement. 

Campaigning for a Lane (8th Edition)

How How had done the 7th edition of CFAL last year and thought it would be good for me to experience this ride around Penang Island. And, it would be nice for us to ride leisurely together while stopping for food and pictures along the way. 

It would also be a quick break from work at my parents’ hometown of Penang. The total ride distance around Penang Island would range around 82 – 87 km.

How How proudly showing off his battle scars from the bicycle crash. 
Nevertheless, he was more than able to drive and was in high spirits 
in anticipation of a short holiday up north.

Little did I know that How How would get involved in a bicycle crash at Putrajaya just days before the event and thus, due to his injuries, we would not be able to ride this event together. I was immediately reluctant to ride this event by myself and was heavy-hearted to leave him behind.

Nevertheless, How How was adamant that I experience this route and insisted I ride without him though I knew deep inside that he regretted not being able to accompany me on this ride.

Arriving in Penang and the Goodie Bag Collection

We arrived in Penang late in the afternoon on the eve of the event after enduring a terrible traffic jam and a thunderstorm on Penang Bridge. The first stop was of course to collect our jersey and goodie bag at the Straits Quay Market Street. 

At the Goodie Bag Collection

Luckily the collection was a breeze and we also bumped into some friends from KL and Klang including Terence whom we hadn’t seen in a few months since he had moved back to Alor Star.

A quick picture while collecting our goodie bags (photo courtesy of Pam)

As our tummies were growling, we proceeded to satisfy our hunger pangs first with a quick bite at the nearby supermarket, having skipped lunch due to the abovementioned traffic jam.

After eating our fill and buying the next morning’s breakfast, we headed over to our hotel : 1926 Heritage Hotel on Jalan Burmah to check-in and freshen up.

Our bedroom at 1926 Heritage Hotel

The hallway of the 1926 Heritage Hotel. Spooky? Not at all!

Some Sightseeing and Early Dinner

As none of our friends had called up for a dinner get-together yet, we were considerably free that evening and so decided to head out to Padang Kota Lama and Fort Cornwallis for some sightseeing.

City Hall

After spending a while looking for street parking and first stopping at a 7-11 to purchase parking coupons, we finally found a vacant spot nearby to park the car.

Enjoying a moment on one of the artsy-fartsy yellow chairs along Esplanade

It started to drizzle slightly but that did not stop us from taking in the sights around Padang Kota Lama such as the City Hall, Town Hall, Court Buildings, House of Yeap Chor Ee, State Assembly Buldings, the Clock Tower and of course, Fort Cornwallis.

Fort Cornwallis

The Clock Tower

Town Hall

We were surprised to find the field at Padang Kota Lama was decorated with a ring of life-sized colorful fake bears, each of their bodies painted a different design. They surrounded the centre of Padang Kota Lama in a big circle. 

"United Buddy Bears"

Work was still in progress on setting up the bears and it looked like they were actually meant for the Merdeka (Independence Day) celebrations in a couple of days’ time. Some night light show might also be in the works judging from the bear in the centre which was made out of light bulbs.

Aren't these bears just colorful?

Just Can't resist a shot with one of the colorful bears!

Later, I found out that these bears were called “United Buddy Bears” from Berlin, Germany and this was an exhibition that would run from 31^st August all the way to 30^th October 2016.

Outside the lovely St. George's Church

Not surprisingly, we spent our time happily capturing our memories into the camera and also took pictures of the lovely St. George’s Church before making our way to a quiet restaurant – Paul Loiis on Lebuh King for an early dinner. 

Cozy interior of Paul Loiis Restaurant

The counter at Paul Loiis Restaurant

Grilled Fish with Mushrooms

Tomato Pesto Spaghetti 

We discovered this restaurant completely by accident but the food turned out to be quite delicious and very affordable. A college hostel was also located above the restaurant.

We decided to call it a day and retired back to the hotel for an early night to ensure we had sufficient rest before waking up early the next morning for the event.

Event Day Morning and Starting the Ride Late

It was a requirement by the organizer and sponsor that participants of CFAL wear
the CFAL jersey or they would not be allowed to partake of the food and drinks
served at the water station and also would not receive any aid if there was any emergency

The next morning we made our way to the start area at Youth Park. Our hotel was only 11 minutes drive away from the Youth Park. However, How How must have been over-excited about the event as he had not prepared his carry-on bag the night before and thus in our the haste to get to the start area at Youth Park on time to meet Kenneth, another friend from AGRR team, that I had arranged to ride with, he left his medication and the USB cable for his powerbank to charge his mobile phone behind, in the hotel room. 

Upon reaching the vicinity, we found parking a challenge as the traffic marshals barred the entrance road to Youth Park. After driving around in circles, we ended up parking on the curb and saw many other drivers following suit after that. What a bad example to set! Sheesh!

Making our way to the Start Area in Youth Park (photo courtesy of Pam)

After setting up my bike, I accompanied How How to walk slowly to the start area in Youth Park, while pushing my bike. We again, bumped into Pam and Martin Doh at the mouth of the road to Youth Park. After a quick photo session, we continued on our way.

However, the start area proved to be located further inside the park than we thought and the walk turned out to be a long one. By now, How How had begun hobbling painfully. 

I refused to leave him behind and at least wanted to accompany him to the start area before saying goodbye and riding off. Even after I received Kenneth’s message that they were already flagging off, I still did not want to leave How How behind but he kept insisting that I go ahead without him. 

My heart felt like breaking but to see him feeling bad for making me start late was even worse. So I finally bid him goodbye and got on my bike to cycle to the starting line.

By the time I reached the start area, the rest of the riders had already flagged off about 10 minutes ago. I was momentarily lost but luckily spotted Pam and Martin Doh taking pictures with their riding group : VrRiderz, at the starting arch so I cycled over and asked if I could join them on the ride. They so kindly invited me to join their group.

A wefie with Pam before rolling out of the Start Area.

Riding the Route

We rolled out shortly after and kept the speed slow but steady. I was unusually nervous and jittery, riding very slowly but with reason as I found that there was no road closures at all. And there was also an apparent lack of road marshals along the route not to mention a severe lack of signages at cross-roads to guide the cyclists where to go. A lot of the participants were from outstation and unfamiliar with the roads like myself and this was a downside for the event.

Despite it being so early in the morning (around 7:15am, the streets of Penang town were already very busy with buses and cars and motorcycles speeding around the roads. I found it hair-raising to be riding in such conditions and was extra careful to avoid an accident while also keeping an eye on the uneven surface of the road. A few times, my heart nearly stood still as a huge bus trundled by just mere centimetres away from me and Yukiko my bike! 

I guess I would need nerves of steel to ride along Penang’s busy streets that was for sure!

As we went past the Esplanade area near Padang Kota Lama after passing Gurney Drive, suddenly a road marshal materialized and insisted we take a shortcut through the walkway right in front of Public Bank building and not via the proper adjacent road to continue along the route. Surprised, we had no choice but to follow the directions given by the road marshal.

The route map of CFAL8

The ride continued past Jelutong followed by Bayan Lepas where we were afforded a beautiful view of the 2nd Penang Bridge.

A beautiful view of the 2nd Penang Bridge

 

Martin and me waiting for the VrRiderz to finish their group photo with the 2nd Penang Bridge

Here the VrRiderz stopped for group photos and we waited for them to finish before continuing our ride. Martin was concerned that if we didn't reach the 1st water station (located at km 44), there would not be enough water and bananas for us.

The sun is coming up!

We continued to roll to Batu Maung and then Teluk Kumbar and here the route started to get hilly and the traffic also started to thin out. I started to warm up to the ride and as hills have always been my favourite, I soon found myself riding ahead of the group.

I stopped at several points along the way to wait for the rest to catch up before continuing on with the ride.

The Bukit Genting Climb

Riders could be seen struggling up the continuous long Bukit Genting Climb

The Pulau Betong area came next, and needless to say, this area had that infamous hill aptly named "Bukit Genting", which most cyclists dislike. Many cyclists could be seen getting down and pushing their bikes up the steep long slope. 

For me however, I was delighted! I was feeling better and rode steadily up stopping along the way for pictures of the amazing scenery and the way the road sloped and curved into the distance with riders dotting the road all the way. Thanks to all the hill training I had been doing lately, I did not find Bukit Genting difficult at all. In fact, the steep slopes of Bukit Hantu in Ulu Langat rivaled it!

Group Photo with H2O Cycling Team (photo courtesy of Hannix)

View of Teluk Kumbar from Bukit Genting

It was here, on the slopes of Bukit Genting that I bumped into the 2nd group : H2O cycling team. I recognized them from their outstanding jersey which two of their members were wearing and I gave a shout-out to them. 

Having fun with H2O team at the summit of Bukit Genting (Photo courtesy of Sam)

Yeah! We are here... See the road hugging the cliff edge on the other side?
That's where we will be riding to next!
(Photo courtesy of Sam)

They called me over for a group photograph and thereafter, as Martin and Pam and the other VrRiderz were still no where in sight, I decided to ask whether I could ride with H2O. They graciously welcomed me to join them and we made our way steadily up Bukit Genting and after another group photo at the other side of the hill, we whizzed down the steep elevated road hugging the cliff edge to Balik Pulau.

The steep elevated road hugging the cliff edge

Awesome views from the top of Bukit Genting

I must say, the view at this point was fantastic and the feel of the wind and sun on my face started to wash away some of the anxiety I had felt earlier.

H2O team were pretty fast and they whizzed down the steep slopes one after the other leaving behind in their wake. As I reached the foot of the hill, I saw some riders shouting and directing participants to take the sharp left turnoff to Balik Pulau. Apparently, according to one of the riders, many other participants had missed that turning due to lack of signage and had gone straight instead.

Worried that H2O team members might have gone straight, I decided to stop and wait for them. The wait turned out to be 15 minutes and by then, I felt that surely they would have realized they had taken a wrong route and had time to double back onto the right path. Or perhaps, I had missed them in the endless sea of riders flowing along the village roads of Balik Pulau. I decided to continue on and pretty soon, encountered the 1st water station at a school in Balik Pulau. I noted on my Strava that the 1st water station was only at the 44km mark. 

My goodness! After riding so far, this was the 1st water station on the route and the day was hot. I felt the organizers should have setup another water station earlier along the route, perhaps at the 20+km mark. Oh well!

Suddenly, I spotted the H2O team and turns out they had taken the right route and had also been waiting for me and wondering what had happened. Oh dear! I shouldn't have waited back there!

I quickly refilled my water bottle, did a quick bathroom stop and then got on my bike to continue the long and hilly ride with H2O from Balik Pulau to Titi Kerawang. 

This hilly section of the ride was familiar to me having rode it during the Monster Climb Challenge back in May 2016. I climbed steadily ahead of the others with great joy. The steep and winding hills helped to calm even more of my nerves and by the time I passed all the durian orchards along the way and reached the Teluk Bahang Dam, I had more or less composed myself.

I stopped to wait for the rest of the H2O team although Sam, Koo and Hannix whizzed past me not long after.

The beautiful Teluk Bahang Dam

Wow! The sun is bright!

After more waiting, I decided to cycle up to Hannix and Koo who were busy taking photos at the entrance to the Dam and we collectively rode down the last steep slope of Jalan Teluk Bahang as a road marshal shouted to all remaining riders that the 2nd and also the final water station at Park Royal Hotel at Batu Ferringhi would be closing in 30 minutes time!

What a mad rush! And all of a sudden, we were back in the hustle and bustle of Penang traffic once again. The roads of Batu Ferringhi though scenic on one side what with the view of the sea and the coast, but it was narrow, winding and very uneven with sandy patches making riding dangerous. Not to mention, we had to negotiate crazy traffic on our other side.

Unease began to creep in once again and my nerves were all on high alert! There was no time to lose as our water bottles were almost empty and we needed to get to the 2nd water station to refill. But yet, I was afraid and rode very very carefully along the road.

Koo watched my back all the way while we rolled down the winding, narrow roads. Along the way, I noticed an AGRR team jersey and then saw that it was Stewart who was wearing it. I called out to him but he didn't really hear me. I then saw Carmen, Sumay, John, Dominic and Kenneth! It was good to see them at last! This was the original group which I was supposed to ride with but because I was late, I had missed flagging off with them.

Wefie time with team AGRR (Photo courtesy of Dominic)

2nd wefie with Team AGRR (Photo courtesy of Dominic)

We reached the 2nd water station safely but unfortunately, water had run out and the volunteers were in the process of getting more mineral water refills from the hotel. There was only ice so that would have to do as ice would melt into water! I refilled my bottle full of ice and took a banana and a energy bar to replenish my stores as I was suddenly feeling hungry. As the 2nd water station was located at the driveway of the hotel, a hotel manager was furiously marshalling cyclists to go another way and not block the hotel entrance. Also, he was trying his best to stop cyclists from parking their bicycles at the hotel foyer. What a nightmare for the poor guy!

One of the H2O members had decided to quit the ride and catch the sweeper lorry back to the finish area while another was still struggling at the Teluk Bahang hills. So the H2O team decided to wait for the other member and asked me to carry on with the ride since AGRR team had arrived.

I was anxious to finish the ride soon what with the heavy traffic and the encroaching heat and humidity of the day. I also wanted to see How How and wondered how he was doing back at the Finish area.

So I decided to ride the final leg with Team AGRR. We rolled off continuing from Batu Ferringhi on to Tanjung Bungah and finally Tanjung Tokong. There were a few slopes encountered along the way and I must also mention that traffic at this point was very very heavy.

I was visibly shaking and trembling from nerves. Lorries, buses, cars and motorcycles not to mention other unscrupulous cyclists who zig-zagged their way in between me and another cyclist without warning made me very very jumpy. One wrong move and we could collide with either a cyclists or a vehicle. It was clear and present danger! So I rode slowly and carefully

I told myself, this would be my first and my last time riding around Penang Island. Perhaps I might return to ride part of it, especially the Balik Pulau area but definitely not this crazy negotiation of heavy traffic. It was simply too dangerous and nerve-wracking for me to handle!

The Final Finish

At last the turn-off to Youth Park appeared and I decided to surge ahead, giving a shout-out to John and Dom before passing them. I saw the finish line in the middle of a field in the Youth Park but had to dismount and push my bike to the finish line as the road leading into the finish line was chock-full of cyclists. I do not know exactly how many riders had turned up for this event but the crowd was huge!

The feeling of relief and of finally completing the ride safely in one piece was tremendous. I just let it wash over me. I wanted to cry with relief. The rest of the AGRR members also reached the finishing line around the same time. 

I fumbled with my phone to try and call How How to tell him I had reached but then I looked up and there he was smiling at me at the finishing arch! I was so glad to see him!

I've finished the ride safely!

He snapped a photo of me as I pushed my bike down the red carpet underneath the finishing arch and joined me for a wefie thereafter. 

Our Wefie at the Finish Line!

The ordeal was over! I couldn't believe it. My finishing time was 4 hours 31 minutes for a distance of 87.9km on my Strava and an average speed of 19.5km/h. Not exactly fast and not usually my standard time for riding this distance but I simply didn't care. This ride was mentally tough and nerve-wracking for me, not to mention highly dangerous. I was just glad that I had without any untoward incident and that was all that mattered.

My Finishing Medal

Finishing Tee

I collected my finishing medal, my finishing tee and then refueled with some mixed ride provided at the food & drinks tent and after a brief rest, decided to slowly walk back to the car with How How. We exchanged news along the way. Turns out Chief Minister of Penang : Lim Guan Eng had turned up for the event in a full cycling apparel as well and How How had snapped a picture of him.

Penang Chief Minister : Lim Guan Eng turned up for CFAL fully glad in a cyclist's apparel

I was glad that How How had worn the CFAL jersey as well even though he didn't ride, so it entitled him to food and drinks while waiting for me at the Finishing Area.

The weather suddenly turned grey and windy and to top it all off, it started to rain! Big raindrops fell from the sky while we walked to the car which was parked quite distance away. We were soaked through and through but it was impossible to run as I had my bike with me and How How was still limping.

We decided to take shelter under a huge tree. Not a wise idea but there was no where else to go away from the pelting rain. Thank goodness there was no lightning!

The rain petered out after a bit and we could finally make our way to the car, load the bike and take ourselves back to our hotel to shower and rest.

 Later in the afternoon, we took a very informative tour at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion a.k.a. The Blue Mansion which both of us enjoyed very much. This was followed by hunting down some murals along Armenian Street and Ah Quee Street of Georgetown which made for some fun photos before dinner.

At the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

Street Art at Armenian Street

Trishaw-pushing atArmenian Street

The following morning, we stopped by The Clan Jetties on our way back to KL after breakfast. The journey home was uneventful and very smooth as we had left early.

The Clan Jetties : Home-life

Scene at the Clan Jetties

Conclusion At the end, through this event, I could see why "Campaign For A Lane" came about in the first place. 

Cyclists simply need a dedicated lane to cycle safely in Penang and from what I had seen, despite the Bicycle signages along the roads of Penang, there was no dedicated cycling lane for cyclists to use, unlike places like the Gold Coast or in South Korea or Japan and a few other places. 

I leave this post with a few more photos of my visit to the Pearl of the Orient.

Chocolate and Coffee Museum at Lebuh Leith

Hammering a mural on Lebuh King

Kapitan Keling Mosque