Believe

Back home in Singapore for the last 3 and half weeks of preparations for the Asian Championships. Certainly not the most ideal place for final preparations, but it’s good to reconnect and connect with all the other riders in the squad. I’m the new kid on the block, so it was  really important for me that hold my own against everyone else, who has been riding for a much much longer time. Turnout for the group training sessions were really positive. Can’t say the same for the drivers and the traffic but we do our part to keep it safe which is really great.

Putting what I’ve learn and accomplished in Perth, I felt I did well during the sessions. Could do with a little more practice on getting really close to a wheel, but everything else was working really well. Still keeping it safe on these group rides, but I’ll have to step it up and work right into those gaps on the track. Can’t wait to get back on.

We had our jersey presentation last weekend at Tampine Changkat CC. Nothing too fancy, simple and appreciative. Great to see family sponsors and supporters attending as well. This could grow into something of a formality in years to come.

Photo courtesy of Harith Rahim

The Singapore Cycling Federation has selected riders to represent the country in the upcoming 2013 Asian Cycling Championships in New Delhi, India.

http://cycling.org.sg/25-january-2013-acc-road-team-selected/

It’s a significant milestone to have made the team and it’s time to step up to the plate. The sacrifice has been worth it and I’m looking forward to the lead up to what will be my first major test. No pressure.

Huge, huge, HUGE thank you to all who have been there to help make this happen. All your heart-felt encouragement, donations and support have paid off and I hope you will continue on this wonderful journey of hope, perseverance and determination with me.

It’s just slightly under a month left here in Perth and 2013 has been pretty good so far. Things are still looking up, as I was worried my stay might have become too routine for any significant change. Not implying at all that routine hampers improvement , but the reason I came here was to take bigger steps.

Started the new year with a Northern District Cycle Club Criterium. Turnout was really good and I like the course. My second crit to date and it was definitely a much better learning experience than my first. Photos from the amazing Tony Lendrum Photography are here. Below are some selected screenshots

It was back to the track as well and the Summer Track Series round 7. I was given the green light to move up to B grade which got me really pumped up. I knew the level of racing would be much higher and I had to be really switched on the entire time. I was targeting the 4-lap derby which I knew would be able to challenge for something. Made it through and in the finals went for it at 2 to go and was caught coming out from the last corner. I hung on for 2nd. I was an absolute wreak in the points race. Dodgy handling almost got me into trouble. I’m just glad I didn’t take anyone out.  Here are the results for some of the other races.

There will be a few more crits and track races so I’ll be aiming to tick the boxes on the goals that I have set for myself.

Today marks one year since I made the decision to switch to cycling. It’s been a year of learning, experimenting, appreciating, believing. I’m looking forward to see what 2013 can bring me. Or should I say, I’m ready to take on 2013. As what D.Plews would say: Good things happen to people who make good things happen.

I wasn’t expecting things to fall on my lap. But neither was I expecting to start from ground zero. Losing my carding was a massive blow. Attempts to justify a probational status were futile. It was shut down with red tape, administrators with very little clue about the doors it could potentially open to our nation’s elite sports system. More importantly, shut down by people with no faith, no belief. With the small group of people who did see something, all we could do was put our heads down and started doing the work.

My first go at the track was not particularly a rosy memory. Spending race day morning at A&E sums it up. Big thank you to Track Cycling WA , the Clarks and the Wibberleys for the wonderful hospitality. It opened up a whole new perspective and it kept me looking forward to what might lie ahead.

Things began to shape up after 6 months. It’s quite clear the priority cycling gets in the country, let alone attempting to take on the track, where there isn’t even a velodrome. Bold dreams the skeptics have said and here I am now, ushering the new year in the summers of Perth, hitting the boards, doing my road Ks, becoming a cyclist.

Coming into the cycling community not so much as a rookie athlete, but as a newbie cyclist can be rather touchy of sorts. Some are more welcoming than others. It’s like joining a new company but unlike your conventional job, sport isn’t something people are used to. The best way to learn in my situation is by experience. As much as I would have hoped for, there’s no one who is going to show me the ropes. From my observation, mentoring isn’t particularly a big thing at home. But there are exceptions and fortunately for me, I’ve been helped along the way. The amazing people who have helped and supported me in my career will forever be part of my life.

I would not choose to learn the ropes anywhere else. The Wibberleys have opened their doors to me and they are the most wonderful family. Thank you for helping me settle in, getting me along to bunch rides and introducing the cycling culture. Coffee shop etiquette is just as important as rules of bunch riding, though my cornering still needs a lot of work.

I can’t wait to get back onto the track. Round 6 of the Summer Track Season had probably my best rides to date. After weeks of falling short in C grade, I’ve finally been able to put some race tactics into play. I’ve gradually learn to watch what is happening around me, I’m more comfortable on the bike which means I can actually react accordingly. In the process I won my first C grade scratch race, came in 3rd in the points, and 3rd in the 1500m Wheelrace. Thank you Track Cycling WA for awarding me winner of round 6 for Track Rider of the Year. It’s a small step, but it just might be the step I need for a break through.

Thank you Rudy Project, Maxinutrition Asia, Compressport Singapore, G8 Performance, Athlete Lab (Singapore), The Sufferfest, Wilier Triestina for the wonderful support.

2012, it has been a blast.

Photo courtesy of Julia Kalotas Photography

Training is going well and I’m definitely taking steps forward. Even though it’s not as fast as I would have hoped, but I tell myself it’s going to take time. With the steep learning curve, there are quite a few things that I need to get a hang off. The bike isn’t second nature to me yet. When I started in the boat, I was always very cautious. Not the best way to learn, considering my basics were appalling. 3 months back to basic with Sandy and I finally felt how the boat was moving. I’ll have to apply the same approach on the bike. I’ve made some major improvements with confidence but there’s plenty more to do. The technical stuff definitely comes with practice. At the same time I’ve been going out on the Parkers rides to learn to sit properly in a group. I’m alright on the straight. But when the road hits a bend or roundabout, that’s when I lose contact quickly. Really appreciative of the guys’ patience and still letting me sit in.

I was given the opportunity to race at the State championships over the weekend. Probably my first big race and with the level of the guys whom I was racing against, I wasn’t expecting much. I set myself some goals to achieve. Not times in particular, but more so the process of the race and approach to the various events. The Wibberleys have been super supportive and helpful and so is everyone at the track, knowing that I’m new and have a lot of catching up to do.

Check out photos from the amazing Tony Lendrum Photography, and Julia Kalotas Photography. Here are a few screen shots by Tony Lendrum Photography.

The event was well run by Track Cycling WA. I have never seen so many volunteers so willing and happy to be involved, not just for this 3-day event, but during Friday night racing as well. A wonderful bunch of people.

Looking forward to next couple weeks where I will start racing the crits on Sunday and track closes for Christmas. An early Christmas present came from The Sufferfest studios. Cheers for the awesome bibs and jerseys!

So I’m here in Perth and it’s been looking good so far. All settled in with the Wibberleys, which I am very grateful to for taking me in. Been out riding with the KHT boys, and have also done a couple of track session.

The body is starting to get used to the sudden rise in work load on the bike. Went up a couple of hills with the boys which was a first for me. By hills I mean proper hills, which there isn’t at all in Singapore. Managed to hurl my heavy bum up which I am quite pleased with. At the end of it, the high adrenaline stuff was descending. Bike handling isn’t exactly my forte yet, so I couldn’t entirely appreciate the descent. But i’ll get there. First couple sessions back on the track went pretty well as I worked on getting those fast legs and more confidence on the bike. I will have my first session with Matt where I will be able to get properly assessed. Really looking forward to that as we will then know where we are starting from.

Back from a week’s training in Bangkok and a race up in Korat. It was a great overall experience. A steep learning curve, just as it was when I started rowing back in the day. Things were a little rough not understanding the language and not knowing anyone at all. But the amazing thing about sport is that its a universal language and hand signs go a long way.

Really convenient to have a hotel which is just a 10 min walk away from the velodrome. Mornings are quite in the velodrome so it was just me doing rounds on my own, getting familiar with the track again, some hard interval efforts. A little crowd forms in the afternoon with a few from the Thai team and local club riders.

We hitched a ride up to Korat on Friday morning with Bas, who is from the OCBC Continental Cycling team. Really awesome bloke and we have him to thank for taking us around and helping sort stuff out while we were in Korat. We would have been pretty lost without him. And big thanks to Pong, for helping to translate the race program and Kit for helping us get our bikes to Korat and letting us tag along with his team.

Photo credit: Timothy Lim

It was a good opportunity to go through a few events to have a feel of what it’s like. I tried my hand at the kilo, sprint and kerin. My handling skills definitely let me down big time in the kilo. I was all over the track at the start which meant I was done. Sprint qualifying wasn’t any better, as I didn’t take a good line and my acceleration didn’t feel like an acceleration at all. Not exactly the way I hoped to have started but I’ve learn to looked ahead at my last remaining event. Making the finals in the kerin was a goal I set myself so I took no chances in the heats. I’m not sure if they had let me go, but I prefer to think that I caught them by surprise because there were 5 in my heat and only 3 would go through, compared to the other heat which had only 4, and between the local clubs, each would be wanting more of their own riders in the final to help their top sprinters.

Photo credit: Siripong Injai

4th in the final is a pretty decent result. Considering day one was an absolute disaster, I’m satisfied with that. I’ll be looking to sort out my technique on the bike to improve how I put out power into the pedals. Big thanks to Trimen Ventures for the Wilier Velodromo. Wouldn’t even be able to race if they didn’t get it to me on time. Exciting times ahead!

I would like to give special thanks to those who have made contributions and believe in what I am out to achieve. It truly means a lot to me. In the environment which I am in, support of any kind is a gem and I would not have been able to take that important first step without the contribution, help and support from everyone.

Through the online fund raising website gogetfunding.com and the event held at The Muffinry, I have managed to sort out basic equipment, a week’s training in Bangkok followed by a race in Korat over the weekend, as well as to Perth, where I will tackle their Summer track season sometime in November. More details coming up. Once again, special thanks to all who have contributed.

Close family and friends suggested I should go about getting t-shirts made, to continue to reach out, get support and share my journey with others, which I agreed was a great idea. The design originated from a photo by Tony Lendrum Photography. Check out his work. It’s really amazing. The design is courtesy of a friend, Jason Lek.

It comes in either black or grey color and in sizes Small, Medium or Large. Each are going at $30. If you would like to get one, feel free to drop me an email. Money raised will continue to go into getting more time on the track and sorting out better equipment. I apologise for having limited sizes. But if you who would like to get something smaller or bigger, please let me know as well. I’ll see if I can work something out. Thank you so much everyone!