Riding with Kai

After a day of doing quarter turns, Sean is able to do a half turn and prop himself up. =D

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At 4:15am, the Snail Escort proceed to pick up the package.
Alas, the package was nowhere in sight.
A flurry of SMS-es later, Kai finally appears at 5:05am.

After sending Joyce an SMS that we are going down to LongHouse, we sped off.

Kai have a lot of things to learn about road riding.
Seeing that we won't be able to reach Longhouse on time, I had wanted to proceed directly to Mandai Shell, but I was afraid that Joyce may be waiting at LongHouse.

About 2km from Longhouse, we saw the group riding on the opposite side of the road.
Kai is pretty impressed by the huge number of cyclists doing the 5:30am ride.
Spotted Joyce cycling past Island Club Road, we quickly did a U-turn at Shell Thomson.
Unfortunately, Joyce has already sped ahead and is nowhere in sight.
So I guess it is just the two of us riding.

During the morning rush, Kai did not have her breakfast.
Upon my insistence, we stopped at Shell Upper Thomson and got her some snacks.

Pretty quiet ride, as Kai is trying very hard to conquer the Mandai Hills.
Focusing straight ahead, elbows slightly bent, she looks tense, but she will do fine.
I told her that once she can ride Mandai Hills fluidly, she would have passed her "test".

Managed to saw the ANZA riders riding the clockwise Mandai Hills route towards Longhouse.

Rule No. 1 : Never stop pedalling. *She is not able to do so. I cruise, she cruise =S*

Rule No. 2 : Change to low gear (Big Cog) up the slope and high gear (Small Cog) down the slopes. Use the momentum to push you through the hills. You got to "feel" the gears and change accordingly.
* Think it is too much to ask for from a newbie, but she does not have much time to master the skills if she intend to finish the March 15 race comfortably.*

Taught her a couple of verbal commands as well as visual signs.
Unfortunately, she din see any of the visual signs. =)

Quite satisfied that Kai manages the four slopes without much trouble.
Haha, it has been a long time since I am not huffing and puffing after conquering the slopes. =D

Reached Mandai Shell and took a breather.
Time check : 6:40am
*Haha, I am usually back at Longhouse.*

Haha, first time I get to see the houses along Bukit Timah Road.
Too often, time is spent chasing sprinters during this super flat stretch of road.

Along the way, Kai is delighted to have reached certain milestones in a single ride.
"Yeah, I reached Ten Mile Junction!"
"Woo hoo, I cannot believe I completed the LongHouse route!"
"Woo hoo, I did my longest ride today!"

Reached Longhouse at 7:40am. Both ANZA and JoyRiders are long gone.
Took our breakfast, before we proceeded home.

We took the Old Upper Thomson Road (OUTR) to escape Prata Hill, as well as to show Kai alternative routes.
Met a few SGRunners who gave us inquisitive glances. =S
Haha, I hear scandalous whispers in the breeze liao. =D

Dropped Kai at her place before I proceeded home.
Kai is so pleased with the Snail Escort Services, she had signed up for another Tour de Longhouse. =D