Jackie Miao

When my friend Clement invited me to join his group the Borneo Bicycle Cyclists (B.B.C.) on a mountain biking excursion in Menggatal last Saturday, I thought he completely missed the part about me being a newbie.

He told me that the chosen route will be approximately 15km through some road and gravel consisting of up and downhill challenges through village land, with two small river streams we have to cross before finally riding back to our rendezvous point. As I’ve never cycled anywhere outside my immediate town area of Likas before, I was a bit nervous about the idea.

A week before this I had heard from another mutual friend that Clement and his boys were hardcore riders who do cross-country rides (like the one featured in the pic on the right). Last I heard they were planning to cycle from Tamparuli to Kampung Togop and back to Tamparuli, and such trips typically consist of technical challenges over mountainous terrain totaling a minimum of 40km.

(In case you aren’t familiar with the differences, mountain biking is quite different from regular road riding. You work harder over a shorter distance, climb more hills, and absorb more shock from the off-road conditions. So it may not sound like they are going very far but they are definitely climbing a lot of hills and pushing a lot harder.)

I suppose I could have easily ignored Clement’s message but with a new bike in hand, the idea of going on a group excursion in the outskirts was too good to resist. So I got in touch hoping he’ll tell me the ride is going to be easy. No such luck as he tells me quite “matter of factly” that there will be hills to climb, and the river bits will be a little bit technical. He assures me it won’t be beyond my endurance level but from the way he sounded, I knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

I tried to talk myself out of the ride but somehow the combination of Clement’s cheerleading and positive encouragement, coupled with my strong desire to ride saw me loading my brand new GT bike into the boot of the car and driving towards Menggatal to meet them.

Meeting the BBC Boys

When I got to the meeting point, I felt a mix of excitement and fear of the unknown. I saw this guy in a red Specialized jersey from my windshield getting his bike ready, geared up with a Camelbak hydration pack on his back. I looked at the other guy getting out of Clement’s car and he too was in a jersey and had his Camelbak fastened, helmet secured, ready to go at any moment!

“Oh no! Jerseys and Camelbaks! What did I get myself into?!” was what I was thinking, but it would have been too funny if I started the engine and zoomed off without saying bye. So I opened my car door to say hello, all the while hoping nobody noticed the scared little mouse hiding in a cat’s suit as I unloaded my bike to assemble.

“Hi. I’m Denny,” said the guy in the red jersey and the other guy shakes my hand and introduced himself as Reynold. We chatted a little while we got our bikes ready. When I noticed that there were no chicks around and the other newbie didn’t show, I asked them how hard it was going to be. The boys smiled, looked as unsure about my endurance level as I did and Denny calmly (but not necessarily comfortingly) said, “We will start with a climb.”

“HUH A CLIMB?! This is my very first time!” I yelped and laughed nervously.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun!,” said Clement with a reassuring smile.

I was so ready to load my bike back into the car, but the guys told me that we’ll take it slow, and since I am the only newbie they’ll be able to focus on me entirely. They reassured me that safety is their No. 1 priority and that there is always the option to cut the trip short if necessary. The boys checked my bike to make sure everything was working as it should and gave me an impromptu orientation on how we were going to ride.

Then Reynold added, “Alright Jackie, just remember everything is in the mind. If you think you can’t do it you won’t. Keep positive and you’ll succeed.”

I took a deep breath, sighed and said, “Okay! I CAN DO IT! I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’ll do it!.” The boys responded with a cheer and off we went toward Pulutan!

The Pulutan Ride

THE HIGH ROAD
The first road climb had fairly heavy traffic and a “less-than-comfortable” incline. For the first 30 minutes, the boys made very sure that I kept out of traffic’s way and constantly directed me with a running commentary on how to work my gears, which side of the road to keep on and told me exactly everything that was going on around me. If there was a car behind I was told about it, if there was an oncoming car, I was told about it. It was as if I had angels all around me because all I heard were instructions and although it changed from Denny to Clement to Reynold throughout the ride, I only heard one voice and one collective awareness.

There was always someone leading and someone tailing me while I stayed in the middle. Once we got higher, the cars got less but the hills stretched longer and I found myself really pushing my bike and body weight hard.

The boys began to motivate me with jokes, told me to play a rhythm in my head, keep the cadence momentum going, and to remember to breathe systematically. Yes, I even had a lesson in breathing. “It’s a lot like jogging. There’s a rhythm to it.” Clement says.

About 10 meters to the top of the hill, I started to pant and began to express in between breaths how hard it was, when I heard Clement from behind saying spiritedly, “Jackie keep going you can do it, you can do it!”

“Keep going Jackie you’re almost there!,” said the others. I pedaled even harder.

The nearer I got, the more encouragement I heard. When I got over the hump my heart was racing like I had sprinted through a finish line. My legs felt like jelly, my face was glistening with sweat, and I felt hot. I began to take deep breaths to slow my heart rate down, replenished my fluids and when I caught my breath, Clement started telling me the story of what it was like the first time he mountain biked. Suddenly, the boys said “Look Jackie…”

For a few seconds, I was speechless. It was the first time I had ever seen anything quite like it. The uphill view had turned into a valley view of where we started from, giving me a view of Menggatal. I was so busy paying attention to everything else I didn’t realize we’ve cycled so far. I couldn’t believe I climbed all the way up there on my 15kg bike and if I had stopped right then and there, I would have felt like a champion already.

Here’s another photo of me and Reynold after my first hill climb…

After working so hard on the last climb, I wasn’t sure if I could handle the whole route but Denny said the rest of the hills wouldn’t be as steep as the first one and then it would be pretty much downhill from there. I decided I’d keep going until I absolutely couldn’t move anymore.

I did get off my bike once or twice, mostly from feeling my untrained legs couldn’t take the hills in succession, but I think I only pushed the bike up two humps. There was another climb where I had more motivational cheering from the boys and that I conquered like I did the first one. When we reached the bump of another hill, Denny directed us to take a right and headed toward off-road territory.

RED EARTH & VILLAGES
This was a completely different terrain altogether. There weren’t many cars to worry about but the graveled path was so steep, I didn’t feel confident riding down it. I got off the bike and walked down while holding onto my bike brakes. Denny and Clement zoomed down the gravel path and tackled a sutured section slowly and proficiently in front of me.

Meanwhile, Reynold walked next to me for a bit and showed me how they tackle gravel terrain. He gave a demonstration on how to stop on off-road surfaces even when riding down fast and I watched, listened and learned. Reynold rode downhill, stopped precisely at the point he said he was going to and waited for me at the sutured section. When I arrived he gave me a little lesson on anticipation, choices, and committing to the choice of where to cross when I make it. Once that main decline ended, I got back onto my bike and cycled through uneven village land using the gearing lessons I got from the boys during the earlier part of the ride.

The ride inside the hilly rural village was a rustic experience with village kids waving at us, fresh air abound, green trees and lots and lots of mongrel dogs. I love how unpredictable and interesting the ride got. Most of the villagers had dogs and they ranged from feeble puppies to lazy types to territorial adult dogs. There were dogs lining our trail all the way out of the hilly bits toward the streams.

CROSSING THE STREAMS
The first stream was a little tricky. I took about 5 minutes to cross it successfully because it looked kind of intimidating. Denny turned back and taught me some basics on how to go over the rocks. I was scared of falling down but over the other end the boys told me to give it a shot or I’d regret not crossing it on bike.  When I got through the stream, I realized they were right. It was mostly mind over matter and I totally would have regretted not doing it.

The second stream was much easier and kind of fun. It’s mostly just riding across water but I guess when you’re a newbie like me, not knowing how the bike reacts through a surface you cannot see is kind of challenging (at least to the mind). Here’s a silly clip of me crossing over the second stream…

HEADING BACK IN THE RAIN

It was starting to get dark and so we began to make our way back. Denny said there were two routes we could take to get back to our rendezvous point, and I requested that we take the longer but less hilly route.

We cycled back through the first steep gravel path, through the same streams and finally back to the road that would lead us back to where we started from. It began to drizzle and it was then that I learned how good my Specialized helmet is. The visor just deflected all the rain away from my face as I rode and it was amazing that on my first trip I already got to experience riding in the rain.

When we reached Tuaran Road, we continued to cycle toward Menggatal Town on the margins and back to our rendezvous point. Having gone up and down hills, through river streams and light rain, this was when I felt the strongest. I picked up a lot more speed as we were coming to the end of the ride and I felt I had more energy reserves than I gave myself credit for.

All in all I am very glad I went. Even though I feared I’d fail and disappoint myself and other people, the BBC boys were so supportive, accommodating and I learned so much from those three hours out there on the ride with them. There’s something magical about riding with people who are passionate about riding and are supportive of your passion. I learned so much more than I could have on my own and I went a lot further than I thought I could. Thank you BBC!

It doesn’t matter now that I went as a “tofu-wuss” because I did it! I finished the ride and now I can’t wait for the next one!