Last Entry for 2010

As other bloggers recount what they have achieve and experienced during the past year, I shall leave mine for you to read on your own.

It is a year worth forgetting.

I scored the most numbers of DNS, DNF and PW in a year.
Every single race that I took part in is a PW, despite my best effort.

Am glad that the year is finally over...

While we proceed to celebrate 2011, let me introduce you all to my new blog.
http://imwa2011.blogspot.com/

Whether this blog will cease remains to be seen.

Current plan is to blog everything in 2011 @ the new blog and revert back to this beloved blog in 2012. =)

Happy New Year to All!

P.S. Kindly do not mention this blog address in my new blog or Facebook. Thanks!

Day 343 - 25th December 2010

You guys should know by now what I have done on 15th December 2010.
I signed up for a 226k race.

Surprisingly, I dun feel nervous signing up.
Unlike how I approach my first IronMan 70.3 race.
This has probably to do with my lousy 2010 attitude.
Just like how I approach Tour de Bintan... Now I feel a sense of regret.
If I had trained, I probably won't have suffered as badly as I would.

If I look back on my races...
Sad to say, I din train for my runs. The most crucial discipline for a triathlon.
I have walked for most of my running / triathlon races.
A scene you dun see much for triathlon races...
Now I feel out of sorts...

The real game will start in February...
Wish me luck.

*****

After rain wash out my group run, I was very tempted to 'nua' the day away.

After numerous prompting by my wife, I managed to get my sorry ass out of the house.

Out of the door, the first thing I feel is that I dun seem to be wearing shoes!
The racers is so lightweight that one dun feel it at all.
Haha, now I can save more money...
I dun need Kayanos, now I dun need Newtons.
Just racers and lightweight trainers will do. =)

The run started off normal.
I started walking 1.5km into the run... Normal for me...
After a while, I realised that shuffling does better than walking.
It looks nicer during a race too. =D
If I walked during the 226k race and miss the cut-off time... I think it will be very hard to forgive myself...

I signed up for 5 marathons.
2 Sundown Marathons, 3 Singapore Marathons.
I DNS-ed 2 SCSMs, almost DNF the other SCSM.
Sundowns were more of non-major-incident races.
Suddenly I dun feel so proud on completing three marathons...
I could have done better.
But the marathon experience will help plenty for my 226k race.
I will be more prepared for contingencies.
Wish me luck...

CMI

"Those cmi will sign up and tell the whole world about it. Those that could quietly train" quoted from Facebook.

Time for me to keep quiet and train silently?

Day 348 - 20th December 2010

The numbers of days seems to be winding down much faster than I thought =(
Very soon, it will be a case of BSKL (Bo See Kan Liao!!!)

Action talks louder than words.
And I better put some action into my journey before I translate them into words here.

Been thinking a lot about the journey.
See race photos of past competitors always makes my heartbeat race a lot harder...
Especially the Finish Line Arch.

It seems like the number one fear for most competitors is getting through the Bike Leg.
Not so much about the distance but more of mechanical failure.
The distance is just too long and anything can literally happen.
Broken pedal and the poor competitor has to cycle to seek Bike Aid is just one of the many stories told.

Day 349 - Musings 19th December 2010

I never regret signing up for the Dream.

And 2011 looks like the perfect year to do it too.
I will be racing with a lot of first-timers just like me.

Knowing your competitors help the cause.
We have triathletes with good timings to the not-so-good timings, making it a fairly even playing field.

But needless to say, 1 year can make a lot of difference and I have to effect that change for myself too.
I need to be stronger and better, in order to complete the race.

Focus now is to make the cut-off time and nothing more.

*****

Got to know a few friends who din manage to register.
One of them have the registration close on her while she is registering!

I think the 4 hours registration closure caught a number of us by surprise.
I was prepared to wait till Friday to decide, but thanks to a timely Facebook posting, I got to know that the registrations slots are being taken up lightning fast.
When I completed my registration, it was 1h 24m since registration open and the registration capacity is already 85% full!!!!
It took another 3 hours for registration to close, which I guess is probably friends alerting friends about the frantic take up rate.

*****

I should have brought along my shoes for this trip.
I have lot of chances to run.
Someone suggested barefoot running.
Thank you hor, but I am not that adventurous.
Will run if I have Vibram Five Fingers, but sadly Trek Sports is not designed for flat footers like me. :(

Day 351 17th December 2010

I have been reminded that those of us who has been able to sign up for the race has a lot to be thankful for.

Registration closes in 4 hours means that any countries beyond India probably dun have a chance to sign up for the race, unless they stayed up / woke up to register.

I have a lot to be thankful for.
The ability to tri.
The support of my family and friends.

*****

Woke up at 4.
Mission mode.
Training is no longer an option, it is a means of survival.
Some may say it is too early, but for someone like me who has zero fitness base, it is never too early.

Out of the house at 5 (Dun ask me why :D), the legs feel good.
I think Compact Cranks is the factor.

Up and down Mandai slopes I went.
Reached Mandai Shell. Missed the presence of Kangaroo Glyn and Professor Charlie, who are always there. (Both of them have been re-assigned to other countries for work)

Got stopped at almost all the traffic lights.
Wonder when will JoyRiders catch up.

At Clementi Road, I feel really hungry.
Gosh, this has never happen before.
Hope I can last another 40km before I stopped for brekkie.
1km later, I decided to take a gel.
Gosh, the gel is too thick to swallow.
Could not stop coughing.

I am bushed.
The quads are hurting.
Gosh, I have a long way to go before I can declare myself fit and ready.

Up and down Clementi Road I went, the mind filled with thoughts of the Journey ahead.
Will I make it, will I falter?
Only time will tell...
Time, my greatest enemy...
Time, something that I do not have tons of it once work went into full swing...

Up West Coast Flyover.
The rear wheel does not seems right.
Stopped to check the bike...
Nothing wrong.
Hmm... I do need help with the front wheel though...
Something is rattling, brake pads is screeching... Will check them out another day.
A look behind, bike lights are blinking.
Someone has just caught up.
It will be a matter of time before I get overtaken.
OCBC Cycle, JR front runners...
Finally some familiar faces.
Sean and Kah Han. =)
Got to meet KC Ong too. =)

Sean is checking out the bike, after all the buzz I created on Facebook.
Sorry Sean, still the same old bike. =)
KH and KC must have slowed to wait for Queen Winnie, as Sean and I do not see them after riding ahead.
Sean did a detour from his usual route home, so that we could chat more. =p
Thanks for the company, Sean. =)

Parted company at Marymount Road and I continue my ride home.
On Lentor Avenue, I started wondering how long it will take for me to reach home.
Quads are pounding, glycogen tank is in the red zone...
My oh my, it will be a very long 4km...
Finally home, had my brekkie and a well-earned rest. =)

15th December 2010 Weigh in

Ironman

This is getting out of hand in the office... Grr...

My colleagues did not know I exercise till I came to office after Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore with a darkened complexion and a lighter shade across my forehead and cheeks.
Only then, did they know I exercise. =p

The tag "Ironman" has stayed with me ever since.
It was used sparsely till the above video made it to a lot of Facebook threads. =S
Now I get taunted every now and then : "I need to sleep at 7pm, so that I can wake up at 4am to train." =D
Gosh... hope the craze die down soon.

*****



Gosh... This gradient is only described as 8-14%!!!
I really cannot imagine the 20% gradient slopes that the Phuket Ironman 70.3 World Championship competitors has to face...

Musing 12th December 2010

Haiz... the river flow for 2 long hours.
Even Piriton and a sweater is not enough to stem the flow... Haiz...

Screw This!!!

Screw you, PI!!!

If you think you are such a great company, start sponsoring and organising marathons and impose cut-off times.
Else keep your bloody mouth shut!

If you are such an advocate of running, why do we not see any elite donning your shoes?

Why not make your voices heard in IAAF and have them sanction worldwide marathons.

Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk!!!

Reality Check

While looking through the most recent race photos...
I had a flashback and a reality check.

2010 is really a bad year. Right down to December...

Started with NTU Bike Rally.
I could not keep up with the front pack.
Losing my way in Boon Lay just make things worse.
I missed the cut-off time for the 168km route, but did a lone ride to the Sembawang Park checkpoint nonetheless.
124km, I called it a day.
I am bushed, I have no energy or spirit to continue.
My longest distance to date...
33% off the required distance.

Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore.
A race with minimal training.
I guess I have grown complacent, given that I completed it once before.
Not hard to guess that I suffered.
Suffered really badly for the race.

Tour de Bintan.
Another ride which will push me to the limits.
I wanna see how far I can go.
Sad to say, I din even made 65km for Day 1. Barely over 30% of the entire bike leg.
Reality check.

My training calendar looks dismal.
Most of the time, I just wanna sleep in.
Pre-dawn rides means that I may not have the energy to work through the day.
Most weekends are mostly spent in the office.

I hardly trained for any of my races.
After spending most of September and October weekends in the office, I am glad that I managed to get three rides in the second week of November 2010.

After spending another long weekend (3rd week of November) in the office, disaster struck!
Woke up with a backache.
It was so bad that I could only roll out of bed and could not stand up straight.
Went to a sinseh and things got slightly better, but I know I have to rest and not aggravate the back injury more.
Five days later, the backache struck again!
Worse still is that I had to get my back fixed before I go to work on a Saturday!
Till then, I still harbour some hope of doing a marathon. Or even a half marathon.

But I must have treated my body really bad, cos I had fever the very next day!
Any hope of even toeing the Start Point just got dashed when the temperature went up and down for the next two days.

With an entire year's of compalency, there is probably not a chance of me signing up for the Ultimate Race.

Musings 11th December 2010

Been feeling under the weather the whole week.
Really dunno what is wrong with me.
Every middle of the night, I woke up with a flowing river and a nasty cough.
Resorted to Chlorpheniramine and Seretide every single night just to get a night's sleep. =(
Waking up with sore shoulders and aching body, you just wanna sleep in.
Sorry, kids... Daddy really had to rest...

****
When I heard about the registration date, it was a rude shock...
A really rude shock...
There goes my 3 months to ponder...

Strangest 2 nights ever...

****
Night 1 :
I was ferried off to Australia with a bike case. Ferried off, cos I was in the cargo complex with the army guys. The guys are pushing kit bags, I am pushing a bike case. How cool is that. =D

Night 2 : At the race site, 30 minutes from race start.
Check-in my bike.
Now for the fun part. =D
Remember I mentioned bike case only? Cos that is the only thing that I travelled with.
No race gear whatsoever.
With time counting down, it was a mad dash through the race expo.
Water bottles, running shoes, running shorts, socks.
Set up my transition area to realise that I have no swim gear.
Race expo does not sells triathlon apparels nor goggles. =S
Race starts and I am standing at the Start Line in my T-shirt and Bermudas.
The Dream continues...

Spirit of the Marathon

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=591515381

The link above is to Mr Tey's Facebook Photo Album.
Mr Tey hails from Malaysia and is a marathoner who loves photography.
He loves to run with a DSLR too!
He usually takes a few thousand photos during every race.
Thanks to Mr Tey, we have memories from our races.

I think it is also appropriate to credit XuanJing for her many photos during my races!

Thanks, guys!

Scanning through the photos, I can capture the essence of the marathon.
Whether you finish a marathon within 4 hours or 8 hours, I have full respect for a marathoner...
It is never easy to run or walk a marathon distance...
There are runners who "condemn" plodders, but let just say that everyone is entitled to their own opinions...
I would always like to challenge these "fast" runners to do the event "Let's Take A Walk".
Maybe then will they appreciate the fact that walking a marathon distance may be more difficult than running it.
I have heard this similar phrase from a number of runners who tried the walking event.
"I would rather run 50km/100km than to walk the distance. =)

Ford Ironman World Championship 2010 Bike Count

An interesting comparison of the bike count over the past 3 years.
http://ironman360.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/ford-ironman-world-championship-2010-bike-count/

The list is ordered with 2010 numbers first, 2009 second, 2008 third.

Cervelo, Specialized and Argon has gather strength over the years, with Kuota falling from grace.

Cervelo numbers may have plateau-ed, but I am quite certain that S-Works numbers is probably going to increase again. No doubt that Macca, Cancellara, Contador and the Schleck Brothers playing a huge part in promoting the brand.

Cervelo: 468 (462) (415)
Specialized: 113 (93) (66)
Trek: 108 (90) (103)
Scott: 98 (109) (103)
Felt: 96 (92) (89)
Orbea: 82 (56) (68)
Kuota: 77 (85) (117)
Cannondale: 72 (68) (68)
QR: 62 (52) (79)
Argon: 58 (43) (less than 10)
Giant: 52 (40) (51)
Look: 48 (39) (48)
Kestrel: 46 (54) (35)
Guru: 40 (28) (27)
Ceepo: 28 (24) (less than 10)
Pinarello: 18 (26) (19)
Isaac: 18 (18) (26)
Stevens: 17 (15) (less than 10)
Ridley: 16 (12) (less than 10)
Litespeed: 14 (18) (35)
Colnago: 11 (12) (less than 10)
Storck: 11 (10) (less than 10)
PlanetX: 11 (8) (less than 10)
Fuji: 10 (6) (less than 10)
Blue: 9 (8) (less than 10)
BMC: 9 (6) (13)
Jamis: 7 (7) (less than 10)
Beyond Fabrications: 7 (12) (less than 10)
Cube: 7 (12) (13)
Focus: 6
Parlee: 6 (4) (less than 10)
Willier: 6 (4) (less than 10)
Griffen: 5 (7) (less than 10)
Elite: 5 (15) (less than 10)
Canyon: 4 (8) (less than 10)
Aegis: 4 (7) (less than 10)
Seven: 4
Time: 3 (3) (less than 10)
Javlin: 3
Serotta: 3 (11) (less than 10)
Linskey: 3
De Rosa: 2 (2) (less than 10)
BH: 2 (5) (less than 10)
Principia: 2
Louis Garneau: 1
Valdora: 1
Teschner: 1 (2) (less than 10)
Lemond: 1
Wave: 1
Softride: 1 (6) (less than 10)
Cheetah: 1 (3) (less than 10)

Post 5th December 2010

Am glad that I decide to miss the race, given the situation.
There is no way I am going to complete the race due to the non preparation, back ache and fever.

5th December spells the Pinnacle of the Racing Year.
Ironman Western Australia Busselton, Laguna Phuket Ironman 70.3 Asia World Championship and the Marathon Singapore are all being held on the same day!
Each is a great challenge in its own right.
Each distance need to be respected.
Give it a snub and be prepare to suffer.

Am disappointed that I am missing all the action...
Was left with an empty feeling the night before the race.
While my friends are resting for their BIG race on Sunday...
I am left asking myself, what did I do to deserve this.

Start from the race close to home.

Singapore Marathon
==================
Did the Kid's Dash with Shannon, while Joanne did hers with Stella.
The race was delayed for 20 minutes due to incidents near the Finish Line.
The organisers were gracious enough to have a miniature SCMS medal for the kids this year, rather than those flimsy Sports Day kind I got during my Primary School Days. =D

Driving past AYE at 12:46pm, I sighted a lot of runners still on the stretch walking out from Marina Bay towards town.
7:45 hrs into the marathon with 6km to go... Now I dun feel so bad...

Laguna Phuket Ironman 70.3 Asia World Championship
===================================================
I recognised 17 names hailing from Singapore.
I tried to go online whenever I can to check on my friends.
Got quite a scare when the IronmanLive.com website returns a lot of null timing.

On Monday, the full results are in and I started analysing results. =p
Finish timings are pretty spread out from 6 hours to 7 hrs.
It is a very technical course.
Full respects to all that finished the race.

I took a look at the last Singapore finisher.
Eliza Hoh Swim - 0:58:27 Bike - 4:22:43 Run - 2:59:41 Total - 8:28:00

Why aim for the last finisher when I could have take the median timing.
Well, it is the place to start for me...

Again, I dun feel so bad after all...
I played my cards right for the Half-Ironman.

The last Male friend Finisher finished in a time of 7 hours!
I feel so gutted...

Ironman Western Australia Busselton
====================================
This is my Dream Race.
This is the triathlon distance I fear the most.
Looking at the overall results does nothing to quell that fear.

Again, taking a look at the timing of the last Singapore finisher.
John Ng Swim - 01:30:03 Bike - 07:37:21 Run - 06:55:23 Total - 16:16:55

It tells me that I need to be on top of my game, if I wanna give Ironman a shot.
I do not have room for error.
Every second count...

Now I know that if I wanna do an Ironman, I would have to try the Bike Distance at 110% at least twice.
I cannot leave it to guess work anymore.
Have never felt comfortable cycling at distances beyond at 100km.

30km long runs has to be in the plans...
Again, I cannot leave anything up to chance.

That leaves the question on the swim...

Everything needs to be planned and executed.
Slack and u pay the ultimate price...

Looking at John timing, that seems no way I can complete the distance in 17 hours.
It cannot use a multiplying factor of 2, Sports dun work that way.
Fatigue always play a huge part...

I have only 3 months to put and execute a training plan...
Wish me luck....

================================
First 3 days did not start off well.

Monday - Woke up with a start at 6am.
Tuesday - Woke up at 2:30am, but felt fatigued. Strange, given that I have not done any exercise for a LONG time.
Wednesday - Woke up at 4:10am. The nose went running and I cannot stop the stream... Haiz... Excuses excuses excuses....

Musings 29th November 2010

Am kinda glad that I did not sign up for IMWA.
Else it will have been a total disaster.
The run-up for 5th December has been met with mishaps.

Jus when I thought I got it back with 3 rides in a week, my not-too-wonderful working schedule has prove to make things worse.

My aching back started on 15th November and it kept coming back to haunt me.
Having to roll out of bed last Saturday, it proves to be the breaking point for my decision to drop out of the marathon.
2 visits to the Chinese physician and he is flabbergasted.
He is quite certain that it is not a slipped disc, cos I did not show the normal signs of it.
And if it is a tightened back muscle, it should not keep coming back...
A lot more effort was done by the Chinese physician and I am glad to say that my back is much better now.

Got struck by a mysterious flu virus which has engulfed my entire family.
My daughter and wife has since recovered, but my elder daughter, son and me are now recuperating at home...
Gosh... this is awfully crazy, but it will pass...

Musings 28th November 2010

It is never a good thing to complain about ur work online...
And when one is complaining as much as I do, it is probably time to leave?

The thing is, I dun hate my job.
I just hate the way that things are being managed.

When I was talking about office ergonomics, this is the table and chair that we have been using for the last 5 months.


One table seats two of us!!!
We have our recently upgraded PC on the desk, leaving us hardly any work space.
(Upgraded, simply cos 2 x 15" CRT monitors won't fit onto the table!)
No drawers and shared cabinets meant our bags and stuff are below the table.

I have worked in container offices before and we had much better tables and chairs!!!



Tons of feedback, but nothing is being done about it.
We are now back on the Hill, a look at the chairs we had.
Well, they are all pretty much worn out.





Arm rests are breaking apart, seats are so worn out that the top layer fabric is missing!
It can be an utter disgrace to tell people where I am exactly working!

Will have to hunt around for a good chair soon...

Bikes

4 years ago, I never thought I will be dreaming about bikes.
Road bikes are deemed to be an extravagant showpiece not entitled to folks like me.

As you guys may have known, I was looking around for carbon bikes recently.
Am still in many minds about which bike to buy...
Worried about their durability, reliability and value for money...

Came across this bike frame which literally took my breath away...
It got me all excited and I am truly hoping to get it...
So much for all those restraints that has been there holding me back from getting the other bikes...

Maybe this sore back is a blessing in disguise, knowing how close I am to getting a SL bike...

Gam Zeh Yaavor

Reproduced from Cookie's Blog

גם זה יעבור

The Hebrew phrase: Gam Zeh Yaavor. There's a nice little parable that speaks of it's origins, and i reproduce it here:

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."

"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"

"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of he poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.

He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.

That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.

To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: _gimel, zayin, yud_, which began the words "_Gam zeh ya'avor_" -- "This too shall pass."

At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.

- Recovery Thoughts and Parables

Musings 24th November 2010

2010 - A year to forget...

A year where I got tons of Personal Worst (PW), if I think a record is unbeatable, this is the year to break it =D (苦笑)

- I would never had thought I need close to 4 hours to complete a half marathon.
- Despite the experience, I had a slower time for my 2nd Aviva Ironman 70.3 S'pore.

Despite the setback, I marvelled at how I manage to
1) Complete a half marathon despite 2 days of back-to-back 18-hour workday
(On a public holiday and Saturday nonetheless)
2) Complete OCBC Cycle after a 18-hour workday and barely 3 hours of sleep
3) Complete an Open Water Swim immediately after a 12-hour overnight shift

A year where I started by first race by DNF-ing...
A year where I may end my last race by DNS-ing...

If I were to reason on why I am faring so badly in races, I can only think of my current job...
A job that does little good to my physical and mental well-being...
A job that is taking tons of time away from my family...
A job where management is NEVER appreciative about the effort you put in...
A job that every minor mistake is magnified till it become noise...
(This is definitely bad for the heart and soul)

~~~
My FIRST mistake was in August 2010 on a TEST environment.
There was a mistake in the configuration of the test system.
Surprisingly, the system was still able to be brought online despite the error.
It should have failed, but it did not.
The system was handed over to the vendor, but the vendor did not test the system till 2 hours later...
Troubleshooting took an hour as we tried to determine where the error is, whether it is on our end or the vendor's end.
When the whole incident is resolved, my manager deemed that 3 hour is lost caused of my mistake...
In his own words "This is INEXCUSABLE (He emphasised on this word, using it a few more times throughout the week), you made us lost 3 hours"

The configuration was not set up by me, but I am deemed professional enough to be able to sniff out the problem...
I was being faulted for the additional numeral within the configuration file...

Ironic twist to the story? The day end result was inconclusive due to the newly migrated system...
During the weekly meeting, instead of trying to figure out why the results are inconclusive, 3 hours were spent on debating why I did not detect the error earlier?
Surprisingly, I was not taken out of the project, despite the storm...

~~~

A year where I faltered to multiple injuries...
Injuries while not exercising... Haiz...

1) My sprained ankle while walking back to the office. Resulting in 2 DNS.
2) The never ending cough which almost killed me.
3) The aching back....

The aching back is supposed to be caused by an extremely tight muscle which runs from the middle of my spine right down to my lower back...
It is still extremely sore right now, but not painful.
Thanks the the accupressure and acupuncture.
The marvel of the Chinese Sinseh...
It will be another few more days before I will think of getting on the bike...
Just when I thought I am back to riding after my 3 rides within a week... =(

Is it time for me to move on?

Decisions Decisions Decisions

After knowing about a great bike deal, I am very tempted to get my first carbon bike.

Reaching there, I started having cold feet.
That is a lot of money...

But that din not stop me from looking at another bike...
It is their top end bike with full Ultegra going for 5 grands...
That is even more money than the first bike.

Reasoning why I shld get Bike #2 is the same reason why I bought C-One.
Get a good bike and forget about upgrading.
The theory works for 3 years. I have never thought of getting another alu bike, cos C-One is simply the best!

Getting a carbon bike is a different story.
Comfort and lightweight has to be the best reason...
Probably one has to ride a alu bike and carbon bike to feel the difference.
It will probably work wonders when it comes to long endurance rides.

What should I do?
How can I finance the bike?
Where can I store the bike?

Musings 18th November 2010

Strained my back on Monday...
Suspect that it is due to the office move...
With the network ports and power points not easily accessible, it meant a lot of shifting and twisting around just to reach the points... Gosh...

Wasted the Wednesday's public holiday resting at home...
On the positive side, it help to rest instead of work on Wednesday...

=======

I still quiver at the thought of a century ride...
Multiple tries at century rides had all resulted in misery...
When will I eventually conquer the demon and sign up for an Ironman?

Surprisingly, it is my pet event that has been holding me back on the Dream...

Daily musings 13th November 2010

Woke up at 3:30am...
Partly cloudy is the weather forecast for the next 12 hours.
One of those Saturdays that I can ride, cos I am not holed up in a 4x8.
(It is 4ft wide by 8ft deep [My desk area is about the size of an A0 paper], if you are guessing)

Made myself a cup of coffee and fall asleep while sipping coffee and surfing the web.
The plan today is to do RRR loops...
After falling asleep in front of the screen, the ride is definitely off.
No way I can ride in this condition.

Tigger may say that it is weak mind, but today it is different.
Mind is weak, body is weak.

In fact, after sleeping through most mornings this year, it came as a surprise to me that I managed to do 3 rides this week. =p

Let's hope my body is ready for tomorrow's ride...
Praying for good weather...

Cycling 12th November 2010

Hardest part of today's ride? Getting out of bed.
The mind is complaining that it is tired from Wednesday's ride.
The body say "Let's go! Nice weather today!"
Amazingly, the body won the tug of war today.

Out the door I went...
Along Yishun, the legs are complaining...
The mind : "I told you so"
When it got progressively harder up the slope at Mandai, I changed gears to realise that I was in the big chainring. =D

I was surprised that I am pushing harder this morning...

Got a fright when I lifted my head to see the tail of a long tailer jutting out onto the main road...
I was looking down while climbing up the slope and is probably less than 15m away when I saw the trailer! (Sean, now your advice does not sounds so bad after all!)

While riding along Mandai Road, I started to notice the gradient of the slopes...
Hmm... after TdB, the undulating Mandai slopes dun look so bad after all.
That is, Mandai slopes is probably a bad training area if you wanna race overseas.

Reached Mandai Shell @ 5am!
Did 2 mini loops before I start my ninja ride...

At the KJE junction, a truck almost hit a casual cyclist without front lights.
I believe that the truck driver saw the cyclist, but he think he can beat the cyclist at the turn...
Gosh... life of a cyclist is just so fragile...

With all the road diversions, I climbed Hume Avenue without realising it...
I only realised it when my thighs started to protest.

I am beginning to hate that silly face smiling at me along Clementi Road...
WPE, do they have to put the same poster on EVERY single lamp post along the entire stretch of Clementi Road?

Onto West Coast Highway and the group is still not in sight. A good sign. =D

Riding along West Coast Highway today is a surreal feeling...
Not many cars and no bikes along either side of the road....

I feel like a champion riding alone in the lead...
Haha... just when I was laughing myself silly (silently, of course), I heard the wheels before I see the rider.
A young rider with deep rim wheels overtook me...
What a bummer...
Just when we are able to reach the end of the West Coast Highway...
Oi... can't you even let me enjoy my moment of "glory"? (>o<)

Took a breather at Shenton Way McD before I continue my ride home.
Waiting for the light to turn green at the Novena traffic junction, I was expecting to see a few riders catching up, after I sighted a few riders making the turn into Bukit Timah Road earlier, but there were no rider in sight. Hmm...

Passing Thomson Medical Center, I was congratulating myself on my ninja ride when Rynn and Charles caught me.
Jodan : "Aiyah, I thought I can do ninja training today"
Rynn : "You think you can just throw smoke bomb? =p"

Had a short chat with Rynn about her upcoming IMWA race before we bid each other farewell and I continue my ride home.
Rynn is all ready for her virgin Ironman race! Jia you, Ironbabe!!!

Cycling 10th November 2010

Not doing group rides is truly a blessing.
You cycle at your own time, at your own pace.

Starting out at 4:30am, I proceed to do an Old Mandai Road Loop...
Got a scare when I hear a dog barking and hear it chasing...
Where did the dog come from? Spin hard to put distance between the dog and me.

Hardly had I recover when I see a blonde running out of the shadows in full white pyjamas tee... Woah!!!

Climbing Sembawang slopes turns out eerie...
Instead of white or pale orange, I see pink reflecting off the signboards and bathing the roads...
Wow... gonna skip this stretch of road today.

Luckily, cycling to Mandai Shell proves uneventful...
Taking a rest, I looked to see if the train is coming...
Nah...
Keke... They will probably be here in 5 minutes...
Time to make a move...

Compact cranks really take a ton of stress off the knees...
Thanks, Eugene and BFG for the recommendation. ;)

I kinda enjoy the time riding alone...
The mind is a complete blank...
Not thinking of the climbs, not thinking of work frustration.
In fact, I felt better after posting about my frustration at work.

I do look back once in a while to see if the train is here...
Nah...

Just before I reach West Coast Highway, 4 riders rode past me...
Took their draft up the highway...
I dun feel welcome, thus I did not ride with them after the climb.

JoyRiders caught up with me soon.
Stefano in the lead...
I rode alongside him for a while, surprised that my compact cranks could keep pace with him...
Heart rate did not go into overdrive! Cool!
Stamina ain't there and I faded away...

The group was small. I am surprised!
Reaching Fuji Xerox Towers, the group has already left.

While waiting for the light to turn green at Raffles Place, JR rode past...
Haha... I took Robinson Road, while they rode along Cecil Street.
When the light finally turned green, it was too late.
I keep seeing them in the distance.
Gave chase, but keep losing them at traffic junctions. =D

At Stamford Road, just when I was about to rode off, someone shouted "Jodan!"
Haha... it is Kah Han, Winnie and John.
They lose the group at a traffic junction before West Coast Highway.
Chatted with them before KH and Winnie peel off at Kampong Java Road and John along Yio Chu Kang Road.
Rode home through Lentor Avenue, glad that I have finally clocked some weekday dawn mileage.

Cycling 8th November 2010

Working the night shift today, I decided to go for a mid-day ride.

(Haha... you guys must be wondering what kind of job I am doing. Weekends, night shifts, working through the night)
This may be my nastiest blog entry yet. Seriously, I do not hate my job.
I hate the way my own team is being managed. Team of 5, but only 2 locals working... Gosh...
The other 3? IFT... I dun hate FT, but my team's IFT is an bad example of what their country can contribute to our economy...
Masters' degree with multiple IT certifications. Sounds good? Think again.
He cannot differentiate a Unix command from an Oracle command!
(System and database commands are like apples and oranges!)
If that ain't bad enough. He dun even know the command "su - root"!
(In layman terms, "su - root" is one of the most basic command in Unix)
It left us dumbfounded...

Anyway, back to my ride...
The hardest part of any ride is getting out of the house...
I truly have some hard time convincing myself that it is safe to ride during the mid-day.

But once out on the roads, everything turned out fine. =)
5km loops I rode...
Instead of wanting to stop after each loop, I just wanna keep going for another lap.
After the sixth lap, I was comptemplating whether to go for a seventh lap when something dis-lodged from my bike...
As I was going downslope and round a bend, I could only stop at a safe spot 300m later.
Aiyah, lost a water bottle...
Let's go for another lap to find the water bottle or its remnants...
Was surprised to see the water bottle intact at the side of the road!!!
=)
Way past my lunch hour, I made a right turn home. =)

Musings

The thing about working long hours is that you enjoy the time you spend with your family even more.

***

Looking at myself in the mirror recently, I feel disgusted.
Have always love my own body, including the Michelin tyre...
But recently, whenever I see the Michelin tyre, I feel like puking... Why???

Learn to Run Barefoot

Courtesy of T@z Blog...

Learn to Run Barefoot with Lee Saxby and Terra Plana from GTB Goodtruebeautiful GmbH on Vimeo.

Angry and Frustrated

Angry and frustrated with myself.

Angry that I decided to sleep in during Deepavali...

Frustrated that I din ride on Saturday morning...
Knowing that I have a long working day ahead, I know that I will be bushed if I even attempt to ride.
My current fitness base is so bad that I really cannot mix exercise and work.
After a 17 hour work day, I decided to sleep in on Sunday and looked in dismay at the dry roads.

Frustrated that I choose not to train for races that I signed up for.
What is the point of going for races when I dun even bother to train...
Looking back, I realised that I din really train for any races, but I kinda enjoy every race, even if it mean aches and blisters.

With Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore less than a month away... I din bother to get on the bike. Grrr....

I think I am currently having a mental block... Cannot really comprehend work and exercise as a lifestyle....

Time to get out? I doubt so leh... Times ain't that tough...
Just entail burning a lot of weekends...

Cycling 3rd November 2010

There is no bad weather, there are only weak minds.
(Sounds familiar? A overused phrase by Tigger. =D)

On the advice of Eugene, I decided to change my exercise regime.
It is no longer about trying to clock a certain mileage per ride. It is about clocking mileage per week.

Sadly, the enthusiasm only last a day. Sighz...

=====

Seeing a clear sky on NEA website, I started riding out towards Longhouse.
Saw the group ride past Venus drive and make a "quick" U-turn.
The small group is so speedy today that the group just keep pulling away further and further...
I dun even recall seeing them on Prata Hill...

If I start riding again, it will be 2011 before I start joining group rides.
For now, I have to build my fitness base and joining group rides will just make me frustrated. Hope you guys understand.

There is a slight drizzle, but it din dampen my spirits.
I know this is a beginning... A beginning of a comeback... I hope...

Going up Sembawang slopes ain't tough today.
I can come out with three reasons...
1) Wet roads
2) Good spirits
3) ...

Turn left to try out Mandai slopes.
Again, I find it relaxing.
Four possibilites...
1) Wet roads
2) Good spirits
3) Chatting with a rider (He seems to be struggling =p)
4) ...

Did a left turn into Old Mandai Road and straight home.
Had a quick shower and it is off to work in a jiffy...

Cycling 30th October 2010

At my current level of fitness, I am not ready for a group ride.

Felt so alien on the bike and on the roads, both things I thought I know so well. =(

I know I have disappointed my JoyRiders and FOTR kakis by disappearing from the scene ever so often. Sorry, guys.

I am truly surprised that I managed to complete most of this year's races given such poor training this year.

I know my excuses are loads of bullshxx... Be it at weight loss or training.

Amazed at Rachel's dedication to running. She can run at night and in the rain. Made me looked so tiny.

****

After being thrawted by the morning showers, I went for an afternoon ride.

(Looking at NEA in the morning, I know that a thunderstorm is coming. (Turned out to be a passing thunderstorm which din lasts long)
No email from the FOTR group meant that they are out riding.)

Riding on Yishun Avenue 2, I feel so strange...
It is like my first ride on a new bike...

Turning onto Mandai Road, I cannot relate to the roads at all...
Again, it felt like my first time riding on this stretch of road.

Going downslopes, instead of feeling exhilaration,I felt anxiety.

I know I should start riding before work.
I have to start riding before work, but I just could not get myself out of bed.
I have to get back the momentum to ride before work... But it is not easy.
When I started out in 2008, it took me 1 week to get used to it.
But that time, my work was not so hectic...
One week is easy to tide over.
This time round, I cannot afford mistakes.
I dun even know if I can survive 3 days in a stretch if I ride in the mornings...
Maybe December will be a good time to test it out.

Reaching Mandai Shell, I did 2 mini loops before stopping at Mandai Shell for a break.
While resting, I can feel raindrops falling.
Quickly picked up my bike and ride home.

Reaching home, my wife exclaimed : "Just in time..."
"Huh?"
Wifey pointed out the window.
Haha, I escaped the rain by a mere few seconds. =p

Lasik

Made a comment over brekkie...
Jodan : Time to change my spectacles
Mum : Dun waste money changing spectacles, go for Lasik! O_o

I have been wanting to do it for a while and now it seems like a good opportunity, cos my dear old spectacles is screaming for retirement now...

Anyone has any Lasik Clinics to recommend?

Thanks!!!

Nike City 10K+ Challenge Results

Chip Timing 1:34:02
A good result.
A PB for Joanne.
Hip Hip Hooray! =)

CEP Triathlon Compression Shorts

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/cep-compression-shorts/

http://www.theroadmultisport.com/2010/08/three-days-with-cep-compression-shorts.html

Above are the two reviews I could find with regards to CEP Compression Tights.

Remember I have always mentioned how nice it would be if we have some form of apparels that can work on the quads as well as Booster has done for my calves?

Like the words that Kia Liang like to use on my behalf =D
"Booster massages my calves" =D
Okie... Let's just say that I knew I can always rely on Booster not to let me fall victim to the cramps...
Yes, it does work wonders. =D
So if we have a similar product that will reduce/prevent cramps, I am all for it. =)

TNF100 showcases the Booster Compression Tights, but unfortunately there was no review on it.
With all the white stripes, it does look a bit tad ugly. =p

Then came Ironman Kona on the very same weekend...
As per IM Kona, I have always re-post the Official Bike Count as released by the organisers.

This year, I happened to come across the Official Apparel Count as well...
Keke... Triathletes are such "numbers" people. =D

What caught me by surprise was the number of Ironmen using CEP Compression Socks...
A brand relative unknown to Singapore, but has a huge following in other parts of the world...

I check out the brand and I made a surprise find!!!
Tell me it looks nice. ;)

http://www.cepcompression.com/


Another brand worth mentioning is CompresSport, which has quite a a substantial number of followers in Tour de Bintan.

Again, see what I have found out. =)

http://www.compressport.com.au/aQuad.html


http://fitegg.com/2010/08/compressport-q-for-quads-initial-review/

Here is a good review about CompresSport

This apparel will work well under my 2XU Long Compression Tights, as it is like a pair of socks for the quads, so the groin area will be ventilated. ;)
But the price is rather steep.
150SGD excluding delivery...
Freight charges is another SGD 30!!!
Chrissie Wellington endorses CompresSport though. =)

Oh boy... Triathlon is such an EXPENSIVE sport!!!

Why I Blog?

Have been wanting to write this entry for quite a while.
Ever since a comment surfaced on a friend's blog.

Personally, I cannot recall why I decided to start blogging...
I am never good in keep a diary...
Okay... maybe I just wanna keep this blog as my long-winded training log, but somewhere along the way, a lot of personal entries surface... =p

I think it is quite amazing that I have been able to keep this blog alive for so long...
Initially when I started this blog, I hope people will read my blog.
But as we progresses, things get complicated and I am now glad that only friends are reading my blog.
The blog traffic is small, but I am very happy...
Happy that I think I know who my blog readers are...
Friends that will read and comment but never mock.
Thanks, guys!

Let's just say that things works in the strangest way...
Maybe God have plans for me. =D
When I am sure I will be a bachelor for life, Joanne came along. =)
When I thought that my circle of friends will be forever limited, I was introduced into the World of Running.
Not a moment too soon, I must add.
I joined SGRunners when it was just six months old.
Knew more friends from then when the running community was more closely knitted.
Joined JoyRiders at a time when the group is small and rides are orderly.
Today's SGRunners and JoyRiders has grown too huge too fast...
I dun crave for many friends. I am just happy with good and close friends.

I am glad to have this blog...
It chronicles my life, a life I thought will be mundane.
Sleep, eat, work, grow fat and old.

When I did my first SCSM 10km Run, Stella was a week old...
Gosh, how much has changed since then. =)

A blog that shows me that I am capable of doing sub 7 min/km run for the first three months that I started running, but the pace has deserted me ever since.

A blog that shows me how I started as a runner and eventually joined the Crazy World of Triathlons...
A blog that introduce me to friends from all walks of life that I would not have known otherwise.

A blog that reminded me that I am blessed to have a family who supported my passion in sports.

A blog that shows me how delicate friendships can be, how strong bonds can be forged.

A blog that I thought I would bored my readers to d.e.a.t.h., cos it is always the same thing.
I blog every ride I did, day after day...
A ride is a ride, right? How different can each ride be?
Yet, I can always write an "old grandma" tale about every single ride I did.
You guys are simply amazing. =p

A blog that reminded me that although crazy and risky as it might be, an Half Ironman can be completed by training only in one discipline. =p
But I am fully aware what a Full Ironman entails...
Try the same stunt, you are asking for trouble...

Let's just say that I am very aware of the situation now.
If I dun buck up and start training now, I will probably missed the cut-off time for next March's Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore.

A blog that some readers find inspirational but the author finds amusing.
About a 100+kg (0.1 tonne) triathlete splashing in the water, swaying on the bike and plodding on the tarmac... =p

A blog about a guy who wanted to lose weight for many years, but can never keep his hands off good food. A guy who always eat more than he should... Day after day...

So why I blog?
To chronicle my life, to share my ups and downs with my readers. =)

Nike City 10K Challenge 2010

A run to remember. =)

Many thanks to my sister for making it happen. =)
Thanks, sis!!!

I have always dreamt about this day...
It has finally arrive, much early than I have expected. =)

My maiden run with Joanne. =)

It was a plan mooted two weeks ago.
I have a hard time persuading her, but I am glad I finally did. =D

*****

Onto the run. =)

Arrived at the race site @ 6:45am...
Not spotting any port-a-loos at the race site, we made our way back to Esplanade.
Lamented to my wife that it is the way the organisers always function.
If not lacking of fluids @ Aviva Ironman 70.3 and Sundown Marathon, now it is the lack of port-a-loos.
(Turned out, there are some port-a-loos "hidden" under the gallery, but still not enough to cater to 12,000 runners)

The race starts silently @ 7:15am...
Yes, another item missing from a race.
Race atmosphere!!!
No loud music blaring and we cannot even hear the starting horn sounds!!!

The run takes us through Republic Avenue and my wife mentioned that we are the last few runners.
Have to re-assure her that we won't be the last to finish ;)

Turning onto Nicoll Highway, Daniel Gan waved to me from the other side of the road.
Boy, a long time since i last saw him at races....

We have barely completed 3km when the 2nd wave front runners appeared on the other side of Nicoll Highway!

At the 4km mark, it is becoming congested...
We are hitting the back wall of the 1st wave and the 2nd wave are surging past us.

At the 6km mark, Jo ask me for the time and was surprised that we have not hit the hour mark!
At times, she is pushing the pace and I have a hard time catching up.
But I cannot tell her that, right? Just have to put on a brave face and try to work through it. =p

Turning into Crawford Street, she recognise the route that she took for the Shape Run...
I told her that this route will be used, reused and overused for most of the 10km Runs in S'pore...

At the 500m mark, a volunteer was shouting "Dun walk, keep running, dun walk dun walk , keep running".
Let's hope that everyone is ignoring her.

At the 250m mark, the security personnel are all saying "Slow down, congested Finish Point."
"Slow down, guys. You are doing great?!?!" O_0

Ran forward to take a photo of the Finish Point and lost Jo.
Luckily she shouted out to me and we cross the Finish Line together. =)

Two sentences that I find amusing after the race.
1) This is it?
2) On to the next race. =D
I can assure you that Joanne is addicted to running now. =)

Met up with the SGRunners, took some beverages and we made our way home.

Daily Musings 23rd October 2010

Two things I wish to try out soon...

1) Old Mandai Loops...
2) Rifle Range Road Loops...

Keke... after what we have gone through last week, I really wish to know how these slopes will feel.
Especially the last slope @ RRR...

Days after TdB

4 days after Bintan and I have yet to step onto the road for a run or a ride...
I have been told that since I had a good workout over the weekend, it would have been a good idea to exercise those muscles once I am back in Singapore.

Day after day, I see the perfect excuse not to run...
The Haze!

Strangely my cough got better after the trip to Bintan...
Although I still cough really badly at nights during the Bintan trip...
Must have keep my room mates awake the whole night... Sorry, guys
Maybe there is really something call the 百日咳
Cos the 100 days are about to be up... (Crossed fingers)
Is it really worth the risk to exercise while the air is so bad?

But seriously, Jodan has been a real bad boy since he joined his current company...
It broke his momentum for exercising and he just could not get it back...
Day after day, he will find excuses on why exercising is not possible.
Spending long hours in the office, working on Saturdays and Sundays.
Spending more time in the office than at home... It literally broke whatever rhythm one might have.
Exercising, one has to be consistent... And I have paid dearly this year for all my days/weeks of no exercise...

Tour de Bintan Stage 2 - 74km

Humbling Experience.

Learnt a crucial lesson this weekend... The HARD way...

I signed up for Tour de Bintan, thinking hoping that the undulating terrain is similar to the one that I did in Bintan Triathlon 2008.
How bad can it get, right?
There should not be any terrain that Jodan cannot handle.

As compared to Stage 1, Stage 2 was a whole lot better.

Slept a lot better than the first night.

A look at the supporters, my heart did dropped a little...
Most of the guys who broaded the bus yesterday are skipping Stage 2.
Which means that I will probably be taking the rear again. =D

We started off with the Recreation Category Group.
We weren't even out of the Nirwana Gardens Resort gates when the peloton went ahead!!!

Out the gates, we have to conquer a few gentle slopes...
We wasted precious energy by not keeping with the peloton, but it is nothing that we cannot handle. =D
Everytime, someone overtakes, we will try to get into the draft...
Gosh, we are only 5km into the ride and the fun has already begin...
A lot of drafting, overtaking once out on the main road. =D

Doing a right turn at the 6km mark means that we are going towards the town square.
No worries, nothing that we cannot handle. (Hmm... even if I cannot handle, I have to get through it somehow, right? =D)

First slope hits and I started to melt away...
I am just not able to climb slopes fast.
And once up the slope, I need to recover, but these guys just keep pushing...

It did not take long before we hit a second slope.
Haha... this looks like Rifle Range Road, where you can view the action from below cos the road is so winding...
I took comfort in seeing Michelle "walking" (the cadence is so low that it looks like walking) up the slope.
One of our strongest riders, she is literally leading the second peloton...
(Someone gotta educate me here. Can a second group of riders in a category be called a peloton too?)

Conquering the second slope, my heart rate goes into overdrive...
Time to slow the pace and recover...
Heart wrenching to see the group pull ahead, but I gotta soldier on...
It does not help to see a stout rider in normal pedals and court shoes cycling past me at this stage.

Undulating slopes towards town...
I was thinking to myself... Some riders just dun change gears much in Singapore...
We may not fare badly in Singapore cos the roads dun really warrant much gear changes...
But over here in Bintan, if you are not used to gear changing, it will be tough... Very tough...

The mile markers past by pretty fast and before I know it, we are at the town entrance.
Am I glad to see the town gates. =)
Instead of turning left towards the Town Square, we made a right turn...
That is where I saw the first two casualties...
Flats, quite possibly caused by the sharp metal gate tracks at the town entrance.
The staff from the Recreational Category Manager's van is attending to both of them)

500m on, another flat.
(Was about to throw the guy my spare tube when I recalled Michelle's incident. Sorry, mate.)
Followed by yet another stranded rider, 500m away....
Another 3km, I noted another 3 downed riders, but at least these 2 riders are carrying on the repairs by themselves, so I know that they are good.

The 1st drink station (26km) came up fairly quickly and I am sure glad for the much need break.

Haha... the lady in red came up soon after me!
The last time I see her was before the town gates...
She is really persistent... =D

There was another rider who was puffing away when I start to pull out from the drink station.
"Oxygen oxygen", he said. =D O_o
The very same guy caught me on the first slope out!!!
WPE, did he just swallowed his cigarette?
How did he catch up so fast?
Stopped at the top of the slope and took my gel.
Haha... was so happy relaxing back at the drink station that I forgot about consuming gels.

We started climbing a hill with multiple slopes.
I console myself by thinking of the downslope on the other side.
What sucks was that the downslope was steep and windy...
I spend a lot of time braking...
Argh... all the energy climbing wasted. =(
Near the end of the slope, I hit a very rough patch (cement spill?) and was lucky not to get a puncture.
A rider was not so lucky as he waited under the shades for help to come.

Somewhere along the ride, I decided to change the chainrings instead of the gears....
It is really tough trying to use small chainrings all the time.
I have to knock down at least 5 gears when I climb the next slope, really wasting energy spinning and trying to find the correct gear to engage.
At least I won't go wrong if I switch to big chainrings.
Keep the long story short, if you dun change gears, you are in for a torrid time.

Minor thigh cramps surfaced once in a while, but I am able to ride it off by spinning...

Soon we hit town and it started to get messy.
Luckily the marshallers and police appear from the shade in time during the turns and point me in the right direction.

Schools along the race route are not teaching today.
The school students lined the streets cheering us on.
As usual, I gave them my hi-fives, but this time round, it almost turned fatal.
A few kids grabbed my hand and almost dragged me down from my bike and I got slapped so many times on the hand and wrist that it actually felt numb!

While trying to regain my balance, the next group of kids almost forced me onto the central divider (with the mini humps) when they tried to come out and hi-five me while I am steering away from them. (Can't blame them, I gave hi-fives to the first group of kids, so I guess they are waiting for theirs. =( )

Just before we make a left turn out of town, there was a crowd gathering on a small hill on the right.
A kid shouted "You Can Win!"
I smiled and tried to laugh it off...
Instead I find myself overwhelmed with emotions.
What is wrong with me?
Images of my wife and kids appeared...
It took me a short while before I realised that the three simple words "You Can Win" has struck a chord...
The next hundred meters was a hard time where I tried to control my emotions while smiling to the supporters.
I must thanked the four huge road bumps which appeared on the way out of town, which knock me back to my senses.
Gotta work out the bumps, bro... No more dreaming!!!

Onto the coastal stretch we go and surprisingly, it did not turn out enjoyable.
I was unable to ride in big chainring and the thigh cramps are having a workout again. =(
My aim now is to make it to the 2nd drink station and take a rest there.
Was hitting the 47km when I see a guy straddling his bike at the side of the road.
Shouted out to him "Drinks station ahead", which he acknowledges.
Was disappointed when I hit 47km and did not see the drink station...
Argh, serves me right for cutting up the Lap Band and forgetting to bring it along today. Argh...

It was a welcome relief when I finally saw the drink station at the 49km.
Initially I thought it was a dumb idea to set the drink station 900m from the ACE point, only to realise that the peloton got mobile support and dun need to stop at the drink station. =D

After changing water bottles, the support crew got worried why I am not moving off.
Told them I am taking the opportunity to rest. =p
Took the chance to apply a generous spread of Salonpas =D

A check on my watch : 10am.
1 hour to complete 25km.
It will be tight...

The lady in red appear from the distance!
She decided to stop. Her back is killing her.
She told me the bus is coming soon. The bus had stopped to help a rider who has cramps.
As soon as the bus arrives, we shook hands and parted ways.

I have hardly completed 1km when the police escort rode alongside me.
He offered to pull me along which I politely declined. =)
Kilometers after kilometers, he keep riding alongside me.
You can hear the strain of his motorcycle while he tried to slow his bike to a crawl on a slope.
At one time, I had a police escort in front of me, 2 police escorts and no doubt the whole entourage of the ambulance, bus and support vehicle behind me...
Must be quite a scene. =D

Hit quite a number of slopes which I thought I am be forced to push the bike.
Was surprised that the momentum pushed me half way up the slopes every time.

Passed a rider who has cramps and lose the entourage.
Quite a relief I must say. =p
Less than 2km, I reached the town gates.
The Recreational Category Manager waved me ahead. Thanks, mate!

It was quite a relief when I pass the town gates.
15km Home Stretch... Nothing can stop me now. =D

Hardly 1km and the entourage caught up with me again... Sianz... =D
Came up against a slope and a guy was pushing his bike up the slope.
The police escort stopped to check on him.
He started getting on the bike while I spin downhill.

Remember there is one more big slope before we hit the road leading to the Ferry Terminal, I was glad when I saw the sign "KOM 1km".
Dutifully climbed the slope only to be met with the second sign "KOM 500m"
Stared in dismay at the second slope. =(
No way I can climb this second slope with my heart rate in overdrive.
Got off the bike and started walking up the slope.
Must be the longest 500m I have done...

While mounting the bike at KOM, The RC Manager rode up.
"Well done, mate. Just keep going.
There are 2 riders behind you.
You know the way, right?"
"Yes", I responded.
"Good luck" and RC Manager rode off.

68km down, I should have consumed 2 gels by now.
But my stomach is full of electrolytes and the only thing I feel like doing is to pass motion. =D
Not a good feeling, I must add. =p

5km to go, I got hit by cramps... BIG time...
Thoughts of my girls (The encouragement "You can win") push the pain to the back of my mind and I rode out the cramps. =)

I was overjoyed to be crossing the Nirwana gates, but I knew the challenge still lies ahead.
Cramps, the long gentle slopes towards the Finish Line. Anything can still happen.
No matter, I will push the bike across the Finish Line if I need to.
Crossed the Finish Line in a time of 3h 04m 54s =)

Stayed to watch all the Category riders start Stage 3 before proceeding back to our room for a well-deserved rest. =)

Tour de Bintan Stage 1 - 156km

It is 5am (Indonesian Time), 6am (Singapore Time).
I have woke up every hour for the past 5 hours.

During breakfast, I can feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach...
Gosh.. just a ride and I am ultra nervous...
Maybe it is the knowledge that I have never rode such a distance before that is unsettling me...

We took a bus from Nirwana Gardens to the Town Square where the Race Start is.
Along the way, we saw a few hard cored riders riding the 15km to the Start Point. =)

First order of the day...
Check out the bike and get it under the shade.
I have heard too much stories about tires bursting under the sun to heed the advice.

****
At 9am, 55 minutes behind Category 1, we were flagged off.

Our race started with a "BANG"!!! Literally!!! =D

The race started with Michelle front tire bursting 100m from the Start Line.
Initially I thought someone just pulled a popper (those used in weddings) at us till I saw Michelle wobbling beside me.
Scenes from the rear sounds even more exciting. They see smoke coming out from the wheel.
Sean actually thought that Michelle's tire has tore apart.

Michelle become a mini-celebrity, with all the kids crowding around us. =D
As we are still at the Start Point, the official bike mechanic was nearby and proceed to assist with the tube changing.
What made me uncomfortable was that he was doing the tube changing on a sandy patch.
I must have voiced out loud enough cos he proceed to move onto the road to continue with the repairs. =p

A guy who had his tube replaced just before the Race Start joined us and we rolled off together.
The ride started out well, with all six of us staying together.

A few undulating slopes later, Michelle, Chek and the other rider pulled ahead.
Sean,BFG and I tried to stay close together, but I think I always pull off at the downslopes. =p
Too heavy , so a lot of momentum lah.. =D

We reached this slope which looks like a wall. Ok ok, I know I exaggerated.
Just a steep slope. (But it still looks like a wall to me at that stage. =))
I remember calling out "Oh Sxxx!!!" and proceed to climb the slope with my head down.
Passed Sean and mentioned "Look down look down".
(Learnt from Sean later that it may or may not be a good thing to look down and ride up the slopes.)
Psychologically, it works well for me, cos the road will look flat. =p
BFG passed me on the right during the climb. =)

With my heart rate in overdrive, I knew the game was over for me.
It will take me a while to recover from this.
I am very glad that BFG and Sean proceed ahead without me.
Thanks guys, I would have dragged you guys down.
Frankly speaking, it was a huge load off my shoulders...
I know I am going to cause you guys a lot of inconvenience during this race.

Route after the wall got more interesting...
We were faced with slopes after slopes... Undulating but unlike those that we have rode on in Singapore.
Most of the slopes require pure hard work just to climb them from the bottom.

I felt the need to drink from 20km onwards, but just could not find a nice stretch to drink on the move.

Without drinking and eating, I started to see spots at the 30km mark.

Coming up against a slope, I knew I had to stop and rest.
I can't climb that slope in this condition.

Dismounted the bike and hold onto the bike while I tried to work out the spots...
Deja vu.... I learnt from my first crash in 2007 and quickly placed the bike on the side of the road and sit down.

The support vehicle and bus appeared from the distance and the Manager came down to check on me...
I was tempted to board the bus.
Jodan : "If I board the bus, I cannot ride anymore?"
Manager : "Yes"

Ok... there is no way I am going to get on the bus.
Plus the manager is reluctant to take me too. =D

Once I felt better, I started pushing the bike up the slope.
Mounted the bike at the top of the slope and continued riding.

Slopes after slopes, I conquered.
I knew that the moment I stop to push the bike up the second slope, they may just ask me to board the bus. =D

Was so glad to reached the first water point.
Finished 1 bottle before the start of the race, downed 1.5 bottles during the first slope, I am practically running dry.
Took the opportunity to cool myself down with a beaker of iced-cold water. =D

The bus and support vehicle stopped to do a stock take and I sped off. =D
Did a right turn and we are on the Coastal Road.

Remember the guys mentioned that this is the only flat stretch of road for Stage 1.
Onto big chainring I went and it felt great.
I wish I can go on like this forever.

Overtook a guy in the Discovery Channel jersey (Jeremy) and possibly lost the bus. =D
Overtook a lady in red and the fun began...
We lapped each other a couple of times during the next few kilometers.
A couple of times, I deliberately slowed down to soak in the scenery...

Probably about 10km later, we are off the Coastal and it is time to climb slopes again.
Everytime a slope came up, the lady in red will overtake me.
Hit one more huge slope and I lost the lady in red, while pushing the bike up.

Cramps started hitting me on my calves, but Booster neutralise them. =)

Hit the second slope and cramps hit me on my right thigh.
Time to get a pair of compression tights. =D
I missed my 2XU MT1220B.

Took another breather and the bus caught up with me... Not again!!!
Which means that all the three riders that I passed on the Coastal has all been picked up?!?!?!
The bus driver came down and advised me to get on the bus.
I stubbornly refused and started pushing the bike up the slope.

Continued my journey once I passed the slope.
Once again, I started grinding up the slopes, knowing that once I dismount from the bike, the bus driver will be coming after me again.

The show continues for next few kilometers.
The guys on the bus must have started placing bets on when I will call it a day. =D

I am hitting the fourth huge slope and was all ready to start my bike pushing routine.
Several hundred meters from the base of the slope, disaster struck...
Cramps that surfaced a couple of times on my right thigh, I was able to shake it off by spinning.
But the Cramps Monster is not going to let me off easy this time.
Cramps struck on both thighs simultaneously while I am still riding on the flats.
Tried as I might, I was not able to shake it off.
I knew I cannot climb the slope in the current state. (Sounds familiar?)
I finally came to a stop at the base of the slope.
The moment I un-clipped my right shoe, I cramped hard on both legs.
I considered myself lucky that I was able to un-clip my left shoe and not toppled over.
The pain was unbearable and I stayed crouched over my bike.

The bus driver came down to check on me and again advised me to get on the bus.
I told him that I am definitely going up the bus this time but first I need to get off the bike...
I am not sure if he understood me, so I told him I need help.
The bus driver signalled to the guys on the bus and they all came down to help.
(It was on the bus that one of the riders admitted that they are trying to coax me onto the bus when they approached me, not realising that I have cramps. =D )
With the guys holding me on my left, I managed to un-straddle from the bike.
The cramps was so bad on the left thigh that I could not bend my leg...
Imagine the two guys holding onto me on the left, one guy lifting my right leg over the bike while the driver pulled the bike from under me... Must have been quite a sight. =D
We made our way up the bus and I sat down on the floor.
Most comfortable place for a guy with a straight leg. =D

63km done... End of Stage 1 for Jodan...
Not pretty, but hell of an experience... =D

*****

Once I recovered, I joined the guys on the seats and we watched the action from the bus.
The riders all boarded the bus when the bus reached them.
I guess I must have been the most persistent last rider. =D

We hit the 2nd water point and the bus did a stock take.
All the bikes were unloaded and transferred onto pick-ups.
Saw a lot of riders taking shelter in the hut across the street.
(Found out later that they were waiting for the water truck, which arrived soon after the bus. Apparently the 2nd water point has ran out of water.)

Saw BFG, Sean, Michelle and Chek riding together when we turn left into town.
The guys are all riding out of town, meaning that they are a good 25-30km ahead of me when I ended the ride!!!
We met up with the 2nd Sweeper Bus and consolidated riders.
We have more than more than enough riders to make our way back to the Start Point.

We drove back via another route and caught up with the riders with 20km to go.
The riders started noticing the bibs of the riders we passed.
First it is the Category 3, Women Category and then the Category 2 riders.
Then we notice some Category 3 riders ahead of the Category 2.
A Recreational Category Rider in Astana outfit was the only one we saw in the mix.
Then Elva... Elva? Meaning how many other Woman Category riders are ahead?
We got no idea...
(Turned out Elva had cramps and she wasn't even sure that she could complete the Stage...)

At the end point, I sat facing the Finish Line and noted the number of riders riding in.
Astana Rider came in at 2:45pm...
A few other riders rode in between 2:45pm and 3:30pm.
Between 3:30-3:40pm, the riders started streaming in, but I counted only 8 Recreational Category riders.
Recreational Category Rider 9 rode in at 3:55pm.

At 4pm, when we saw no more Recreational Category Riders riding in, I followed Albert up the coach for the bus ride back to Nirwana Gardens...
(I really cannot tell if our bikes are coming back to the Start Line or straight back to the Bike Depot.
At 4pm, with no other Recreational Category Riders riding in, it could mean that they could have been picked up along the way.
Will they be dropped at the Finish Line or be driven straight back to Nirwana Gardens, no one knows...)

Washed up and went for the Awards Dinner before we turned in for the night.

Post TdB Morning Weigh In

Pre-TdB Morning Weigh-in

Cost Comparison for Triathlon Distances

Extracted from Tri Life Musings

It looks better for those who read distances in kilometers.

******

Now that I've become much more budget minded, especially in trying to make my dollar stretch when it comes to triathlon expenses, I've decided to see what the comparison is for the different races in terms of cost per mile. All entry fees are based on averages and approximation. Particular Ironman race fees differ.

Sprint

.5 mile swim (0.75km)
15 mile bike (20km Bike)
3 mile run (5km Run)

18.5 miles (25.75km)

Cost
$80 average

$4.32/mi ($3.11/km)


Olympic

1 mile swim (1.5km Swim)
25 mile bike (40km Bike)
6 mile run (10km Run)

32 miles (51.5km)


Cost
$140 average

$4.37/mi ($2.72/km)

(The difference in calculation for Sprint and Olympic Distances is that in the States, the Bike Distance is 15 and 25 miles respectively, while locally we have 20km and 40km.)


Half Ironman

1.2 mile swim (1.9km Swim)
56 mile bike (90km Bike)
13.1 mile run (21.1km Run)

70.1 miles (113km)

$225 (as of late 2010)

$3.20/mi ($1.99/km)


Ironman

2.4 mile swim (3.8km Swim)
112 mile bike (180km Bike)
26.2 mile run (42.195km Run)

140.6 miles (226km)

$575 (as of late 2010)

$4.08/mi ($2.54/km)

I'm surprised that the best bang for your buck is actually a half Ironman when breaking it down mile by mile. No matter the calculation, an Ironman by man book is worth every penny simply because it takes an entire day to complete and has the potential to be so meaningful for every participant to cross the finish line.

Kona Apparel Count 2010

Newton made a big jump to 2nd place this year.
And I am surprised to see a lot more Newton Runners in Singapore this year as compared to the past 2 years.

Compression Socks! CEP, a totally un-heard brand in Singapore has been making waves in Kona for a few years now.

Compression Calf Sleeves! Another un-familiar brand in Singapore Compress Sports.
Again, the preferred choice in Kona over the past few years.

2010
====
Footwear:

Asics: 464
Newton: 204
Saucony: 198
K-Swiss: 167
Brooks: 162
Nike: 115
Mizuno: 99
Zoot: 84
Adidas: 77
New Balance: 56
Avia: 29
Scott: 14
Pearl Izumi: 10
Puma: 7
Other: 1

Compression Socks:

CEP: 115
SLS-3: 16
2XU: 17
Zoot: 15
Herzog: 8
Beaker Concept: 4
HCP: 2
Craft: 1
Compress Sport: 1
Saucony: 1
Other: 11

Compression Calf Sleeves

Compress Sport: 63
2XU: 58
CEP: 22
Booster: 15
Zoot: 10
Skins: 8
Zensah: 5
DeSoto: 4
SLS-3: 3
LG: 3
Herzog: 2
Zigfaris: 2
Orca: 1
Other: 9

2009
====
Footwear
Asics 449
Saucony 169
Nike 159
Newton 146
Mizuno 118
Brooks 111
Zoot 101
Adidas 85
K Swiss 70
New Balance 61
Avia 27
Puma 10
Scott 10
Pearl 5
Other 17

Compression Socks
CEP 131
2XU 42
Zoot 29
SLS3 15
Booster 11
other* 32

Compression Calf Sleeves
2XU 45
Compresport 40
Zoot 17
Skins 9
Zensah 8
CEP 5
other* 25

Ironman Kona 2010

My fourth straight year catching the event 'Live'.
These four years, the Men's Champions are dominated by Aussies.

2007 : Chris McCormack
2008 : Craig Alexander
2009 : Craig Alexander
2010 : Chris McCormack

I caught bits of the action throughout the whole night.
When I sit down in the morning to watch the finale, it was 10 miles into the marathon.

Men's Leaderboard @ run mile 10
Position Athlete Name Differential
1 Chris Lieto
2 Chris McCormack :48
3 Marino Vanhoenacker 3:33
4 Andreas Raelert 4:04
5 Maik Twelsiek 4:34
6 Raynard Tissink 5:27
7 Timo Bracht 7:21
8 Norman Stadler 7:32
9 Faris Al-Sultan 7:40
10 Michael Weiss 8:29
11 Craig Alexander 10:10

One look at the LeaderBoard, it is not hard to tell that if Crowie wanna win the race, he got to run one helluva marathon.

My bet are on Andreas Raelert, given the Raelert Brothers amazing performances @ the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races.
(In Ironman, we have the Raelert Brothers.
In Cycling, we have the Schleck Brothers.
In Motor Racing, we have the Schumacher Brothers.
It seems like Sports run in the family.)

Chris Lieto just does not have it in his running legs to win the Championship.

When I started watching IM Kona, the Championship is always decided by who can turn in the fastest run time.

So if anyone wanna have a shot at Crowie, they must beat him at his own game.

And the run splits truly surprised me this year.

Pete Jacobs 2:41:05
Crowie 2:41:59
Macca 2:43:31
Raelert 2:44:25
Vanhoenacker 2:46:45.
Lieto 3:06:00

Macca arrives at this year's IM Kona like a long forgotten champion.
Guess some of us have already got used to his trash talking which produced no results.
This year, Macca let his legs do the talking.
Well done, Macca!!!

At the 23rd-24th mile, Macca and Andreas is running alongside each other..
Haha... everytime this scene comes on screen, we are reminded Mark Allen and Dave Scott. =D
(Same words were uttered when Craig runs alongside Lieto (if I got the runner correct) last year. =D)
In a moment of brillance or foolishness, Macca sprinted away from Andreas.
Haha... the commentators are interested to know what Macca said to Andreas before he blasted off.
Really kudos to Macca for holding out and winning the race.

What went wrong for Crowie?
I won't be surprised if Crowie jump ship this year.
Orbea just dun producing winning bikes...
Or maybe the stolen bike encounter really affected his performance this year?
The strange thing? They re-fit Crowie with a 54" bike as opposed to his 51" bike which he has been using for the past few years.
I ride a 54", so it is hard for me to imagine a 1.8m tall triathlete riding a 51".
I tried Roonz 51" before, it feels small!!!
Anyway, if you look at Crowie's bike, it is an eyesore...
Crowie’s Orbea Triathlon Bike
A drilled hole here, another drilled hole there on the carbon frame.
Some electrical tape here, more electrical tape there.
Poor Crowie...

Onto the Women...

An hour before the race starts, it was announced that Chrissie has pulled out of the race due to illness!!!
The game is now on to find the pretender to the crown.

Caroline Steffen (Winner of 2010 Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore)
Julie Dibens
Sandra Wallenhorst
Yvonne van Vlerken
are all contenders, but my money is on Mirinda Carfrae.
And she does not disappoint. =)

Again, the bike is a puzzle.
She was fitted with a 51" bike and this year they re-fitted her with a Cannondale Slice 47".

Rinny (5' 2") and Crowie (5' 11") both riding 51" Bike... It is a strange world out there!!!

As the fastest woman on the run, Rinny is really the woman to beat.
Clocking a sub-9 hr timing, the fourth timing in the history of Ironman Kona is just the icing for the cake for the diminutive dynamo.
Well done, Rinny!

Route March

Haha... Travelling back in time again.
Realised that I always talked about it, but never blog about it.

Loyang Way or Lok Yang Way, it does not matter. It is a start of an arduous journey.
These are the 2 places where we usually starts our Route March training.

Route Marches are like rites of passage for infantry soldiers to mark significant milestones during their NSF days.

24km to mark our POP (Passing Out Parade), 40km to mark our ROD (Run Out Date).

It is always interesting how we prep ourselves for routes marches.
Petroleum Jelly, Bicycle Tights, Two pairs of socks, Plastic Bags...

It is always fun to see the raised eyebrows of the cashiers when a bunch of soldiers cleared the shelves of Petroleum Jelly. =D

So this is how it looks like...
Lots of Petroleum Jelly everywhere that may cause abrasion.
Bicycle tights.
2 pairs of socks, followed by plastic bags.
The 2 pairs of socks that I wore regularly for races now is a test and proven formula that I had done more than a decade ago.

One of our training marches brought us through Nicoll Drive.
Gosh... the long straight stretch can really demoralise everyone.
The only action we saw are the huge number of cars parked in between the trees of which is now the Park Connector. =D

The most embarrassing scenario we came across is the march from CarPark F3 towards East Coast Park towards East Coast Hawker Center.

Again, huge number of cars lined the one way road.
You can see the cars immediately trying to get out of the way...
Only the front few cars were lucky...
The rest of the cars were devoured by an entire battalion of soldiers in the middle of the night...
Talking about being at the wrong place at the wrong time...
And who would have imagine a whole battalion descending on you at 4am in the morning. =D

The actual Route March starts from our camp and ends at Division HQ.
It is then that I knew that the distance covered is the entire length of the PIE!!!
Gosh, a marathon distance is the length of our country.

My company was assigned as the lead company, I was assigned as the Flag Bearer.
The pace was so quick that it felt like a forced march.
Being the flag bearer, I was not constrained by pace of marching within a contingent..
When we reached the checkpoint, the company was punished as the entire company was not able to keep up the pace being set out by my Platoon Commander.
The hardest part of the punishment is that I was not being punished as I was still holding onto the flag at that time.
So much for the "One for All, All for One" thinking.
Surprisingly, no one spoke of the punishment...
It is like all forgotten after we completed the Route March...

Along Tuas, I still remember walking along a six-lane road with my eyes closed for 200m.
Can still distinctively remember walking under the ERP gantry.
Haha... the ERP gantry was still in their testing phase at that time.

First few checkpoints was difficult.
The entire company has to walk in files.
As the night drags on, we become dis-organised.
The company march is still intact, but we have a few renegade soldiers.

Monkey see, monkey do.
When I saw my company mate doing a forced march pace forward, I followed suit.
With everyone draped in Battle Gear, it is not easy for commanders to figure out who is who.

It became so much easier to run than to walk...
I ended up being the second soldier to reach last few checkpoints.

At the very last checkpoint, four of the fastest soldiers to check in was penalised to be the Battalion Medic Team.
Saddled with a stretcher, we were forced to walk behind the entire battalion...
What a bummer...

As the story goes, we were the last few to enter Division HQ...
But the scene that I witness for the last few kilometers were amazing...
Ever seen Black Hawk Down? How the soldiers react when the stadium is in sight?

That is how the battalion is reacting when the camp came into view...
Orderliness is non-existent.
Everyone is sprinting to the Finish...
The fun part is watching the Company Medical Teams running with "injured" solders on the stretchers towards the Finish...

The Route March ended on a high...
No one felt the weariness although we have walked the entire night...
Amazing... Simply Amazing...

Post Route March was the hardest part of the entire Route March...
Everything becomes slow-mo...
The most cruel part? The few of us who ran are fine...
The rest has abrasions, blistered and sore muscles...
Booking in on Sunday night, everyone is lamenting on how they missed the drinking and the clubbing simply because walking is a chore.
Even dating is confined to the four walls of the cosy home.

*-*-*

The fun part about army is that when you reach such stage of exhaustion, somehow you always manage to find ounces of energy from within to push you through missions.

I still can remember to this day the army biscuit tasting like butter cookie. It felt like the best biscuit I had ever tasted.
The canteen water tasting like honey...

I was not able to replicate that day any more...
Army biscuits simply taste awful. Water is just water. =D

An Eventful Week

Celebrating Jonelle's Full Month was an opportunity for the army friends to meet.
Most of us had attended Remedial Training before and all of us are kinda sad that it is gone ever since we enter the Military Reserve.
Interestingly, all of us become more active after we MR-ed, simply cos we know that we will get hit by all kind of illness and diseases if we do not try to keep fit in the long run.
Kudos to all!!!

*-*-*

While playing at the water slide, I noted that Shannon is always looking to grab hold onto me whenever she reach the end of the slide...
I realise that Shannon is growing up now... It is time to slowly let go off the safety net.
At the end of the day, it is good to know that Shannon is able to play the water slide by herself. =)

Kona Saddle Count 2010

Fi'zi:k still dominates, but ISM must have done something right with their 2010 range of saddles to see the increase in Kona. =)

Saddle Count 2010

Fi'zi:k: 508
Selle Italia: 347
ISM: 201
Specialized: 173
San Marco: 87
OE Spec'd: 70
Terry: 68
Cobb: 67
Profile Design: 44
SMP: 38
Prologo: 37
Bontrager: 35
Serfas: 27
WTB: 7
Forte: 6
Koobi: 5
Vision: 2
Pro: 2

Saddle Count 2009

Fi’zi:k – 477
Selle Italia – 383
Specialized – 167
OE Spec’d Saddles – 131
San Marco – 130
ISM – 119
Terry – 74
Profile Design – 57
Bontrager – 51
Cobb – 36
SMP – 33
Serfas – 22
Prologo – 10
Koobi – 9
FSA – 6
Forte – 6
Velo – 4

Saddle Count 2008

Fizik – 458
Selle Italia – 398
Specialized – 146
Selle San Marco – 136
Terry – 105
ISM – 78
Profile – 72
Bontrager – 40
Serfas – 38
SMP – 34