wan' s bike rambling

This is Gunung Jerai viewed from the Perwaja Caltex petrol station. Well actually, this shot was taken after my Sunday morning Jerai ride. I was supposed to take this shot on my way to the ride but my kid stole the battery off my digital camera for his remote controlled car.....arrrrgh!

Anyways, stuffed my bike into my trusty old Citroen and left my house at about 7:30 am after I've sent my kids to school. Drove past Perwaja Steel and stopped by the Gurun 7 Eleven convenience store to get some Gatorade, mineral water, Tiger Biskuat biscuits & Marigold Blueberry yogurt and of course some new batteries for my digital camera.

Got to kaki Gunung Jerai at just after 8 am and started gobbling the biscuits and then I toppped them up with the yogurt and some Gatorade. RB and SZ were already there together with PY, F and Cikgu. Got my rig out and while I was prepping, the others were already giving signs that they would like to start first. I said they should go on ahead without me first as I need to take some more shots of the Gunung Jerai sign board (off course with my rig in front of it).

There were also some guys from Penang, Bukit Mertajam and Kepala Batas. Of late, I have noticed that more and more people are coming to Gunung Jerai for their Sunday rides which is fine by me. The more the merrier right?

Just a reminder before you guys start your climb. Make sure you empty your bladder (small water) and also get rid of the 'big water' (a.k.a solid waste) prior to your ride up because the next loo stop is going to be at the Forestry Museum about 10 km ride. I wouldn't recommend the public toilet (at least not for the solid waste thingy) near the parking lot though.

Nuff said...it's time to staaart your engines folks! From the parking lot there are actually two ways you can go up Jerai. The first path is actually just beside the public toilet, next to the small kindergarden. I would recommend the other route which is just behind some small eateries at the end of the parking lot. You will have to ride pass a playground on your left. Then, it's just one way up. The first 1 or 2 kilometres up, you will see some moderate gradient slopes mixed with almost flat sections. There will also be some folks doing their early morning walks/runs. You will also pass some durian orchards and a karaoke cafe on your right. From there on, there is not going to be much flat sections anymore. After about 3 kilometres of warming up, you will come to the so called Post 1. Usually there will be a few people with their 'kapchais' parked there having smokes and reading newspapers or some couples 'strutting' their stuff.
At the 5th kilometre, you will come to the next pondok called by us Post 2. Most of the newbies will usually take a drink breather here. Luckily you wont see any couples stoping here to do their stuff. Here, I managed to catch up with the guys who went up earlier.
Coming down, taking the corner here is a bit tricky because of the loose sand on the tarmac. I found out the hard way about two weeks ago and I am still nursing a very sore wrist. Hit my head quite hard on the tarmac. Luckily I had my helmet on. So, I am much smarter now.

The guy in the Subaru jersey is moi. Red jersey is AP and the guy standing next to me is RB.









Another 2 km on, you'll see Post 3. Here, next to RB is SZ, the man with more than 2 kidneys. Something weird happened to RB as we were just about to leave Post 3 to Post 4. He claimed that his bike suddenly got heavier. SZ and me were scratching our heads...hmmm...then RB asked SZ to ride his bike, you know, just to be sure, but according to SZ the bike seemed okay to him.

I don't know why but, the climb from Post 3 to 4 seems to be the toughest for me. When we got to Post 4, AP and Cikgu were already there. We talked about old folks tale saying that Gunung Jerai being the playground for the orang bunians. I am probably among the lucky ones that have not encountered any of them yet. While catching our breath here, there were a couple of riders who went by us and continued to the museum. Not wanting to be beaten by them, we decided to push on. I was in front doing about 6km/hr (which is almost my top speed going up Gunung Jerai) and the guys were following at the back. Somehow without realizing it, after about 5 minutes, I was riding all alone. So, I continued until I reached the Forestry Museum at the 10th kilometre.

The dark brown structure is the museum and is open to the public. Only during school holidays that you can see many people visiting the museum. I managed to reach this stop after my fourth try. So, usually this stop would be sort of the minimum target to achieve for anyone going up Gunung Jerai.




That's the loo I was talking about earlier.








Did I tell you guys bout my new pair of shoes? Got them the day before at Central Square SP. Thought the guy was selling them cheap at RM60 something but turns out that it was actually RM80 something.....sigh! Anyway, it's a nice change from my badminton shoes...he he.




Yep! From the loo, it is 70kms to Butterworth and 43kms to Alor Star.










That's Post 5 which is about 1 km after the museum. After the museum, the ride is not as tough as before. You tend to see families of monkeys foraging for scraps of food by the road side. This is probably due to the leftovers from the people who sometimes set up camps here. Be mindful of the monkeys on your way down yea... From here on it's less than a kilometre to the resort. Upon seeing a large billboard welcoming you to Gunung Jerai, you should take the right route to go to the resort.

I know, I know! You guys are going to say like "What? That's it? This is what I'am busting my b#@*ls for?", but believe me guys, it's really worth the pain. Words just can't do justice to the experience you are going to get climbing Gunung Jerai. Anyway, the photo shows the entrance to the Jerai Regency Resort. Previously, the security guard usually allows cyclists to go into the resort compound but due to some unruly behaviour by a few cyclists, the resort management people decided not to let cyclist and motorcyclist to go into their compound on their ride. You can however, park your rigs at the resort entrance and have a leisurely walk around the compound. The air is fresh and temperature is cool.

As you can see here, we are at 1200 m above sea level. Feels good. The handsome guy standing next to me is Mr. F, a strong climber and friendly chap. We chatted a bit near the resort entrance while waiting for RB, SZ and AP.
After a while it was clear that those three guy are not going to make it to the resort anytime soon. So, we decided to head back down.

One last shot of F with his beloved Santa Cruz. On our way down, RB, SZ and AP were nowhere to seen. Found out later that they did not make it to the museum on that day.








After all that has been said and done, to me, Gunung Jerai is the best mtb climbing destination in Kedah. The climb is like a drug. It's addictive. Every climb is different. I can set various personal targets each time. Total climb distance is about 12 to 13 km.

Just a number of tips (not in any particular order) that might prove useful,
1. Whatever happens, always wear your helmet on your way down.
2. Going downhill is always dangerous. Know your limit. Slow down at the corners.
3. Make sure you brakes work.
4. Bring at least 1 to 2 litres of drinking fluid.
5. If you want, you can reduce you tyre pressure and lower your seat when going down.
6. If possible, do not take a heavy breakfast prior to the ride.
7. Always remember, not all cars coming up honk their horns at the corners.
8. Some of the 'crazies' can reach the resort in less than 90 minutes without stopping.
9. Taking short drink breaks and walking around a bit will help prevent cramps and improve blood circulation to portions of your body where the sun doesn't shine.
10. Try not to use the largest rear sprocket and the smallest crank which will cause over-revving.
11. Average climbing speed can vary from 5 to more than 12 km/hr depending on your fitness level.
12. If your aren't scared of dying and have nothing else to live for, you can probably hit more than 70 km/hr on certain stretches(I have not done this yet..he he ) but please read tip #2 again.

How to get there?
From the North-South Highway, take the Gurun exit (after Sungai Petani Utara). After paying the toll, go straight until the T junction, turn left, pass two traffic lights, cross over the railway line and turn right at the next T junction (of course with traffic lights. We Kedahan have a fetish thingy with traffic lights). Drive about 3 km and you should be able to see a small bridge on your left (you'll also notice a surau with a bright n shiny golden dome) and that is the kaki Gunung Jerai parking lot.

If you are lost you can always use Google Map.....enjoy and be safe yea!