Friday, December 12, 2008

Putting Some Fun Into Going To Work

Have I lost it? What? Fun going to work? Yeah...Try cycling to office. I'd like to share one of my office going route. With back pack fully loaded - change, tools, spare tube, water I clip-on and pedal off. Minutes after leaving my front gate, the nicely paved tarmac turns into this. Well, it didn't, but I chose to...


Where has the road disappeared to?

It's like seeing the weekend off road trail. Off goes all thoughts of going to work...


Barricade? Uh-oh...But no problem for the go everywhere MTB

From a momentary pseudo wilderness, to modern day triple carriageway. Presenting Duta Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE). The barricade fails to stop my black stallion from galloping on. Try doing that with your car, motorcycle even.


The emergency lane is wide enough for my black stallion


Moderate morning 0730hrs traffic zooming by. Note that I use lighting, blinking white light front, and blinking red rear even during day time. It helps to be seen. Especially by the rempiters who can zoom around at supersonic speed.


Approaching the new unopened section


Encroaching the unopened section

So far, no difference whether you are cycling or driving. Not until you come to this section. The junction at Bandar Dalam. Notoriously jam packed because of the skinny bottleneck thereafter heading towards Sentul. Barricade laid on the entrance of the flyover, warding off motorists. Note, motorists NOT cyclists. Careful glances to the back to ensure road is clear and I am off into a newly built highway. Free from pestering internal combustion engined road monster.


Massive jam compounded by irresponsible and selfish motorists driving contra flow.

Time to even the score. From atop the flyover, I heave a sigh of relief and a smirk forming at the corner of my lips looking at the crawling traffic below. In front of me - wide highway that spell "FREEDOM" awaits.


A highway will be incomplete without the toll booth

Pedaling continues towards Sentul. Passes by Sentul Murni. Soon to be charted in the road map for the presence of another toll booth.


Left to Keramat, right to Duta

Highway forks thereafter. left will take you all the way to Keramat. Right to Jalan Duta. I take left. Passing by Bandar Baru Sentul heading for Setapak. Unfortunately, there is no exit at Setapak. Again the advantage of a bicycle saves the day. Bike lifted across the divider to make an illegal exit at Titiwangsa.


Ilegal exit near Titiwangsa

A swooping exit then into the streets of Titiwangsa. Then back and drowned into the insanity of morning weekday traffic of Jalan Pahang.


Jalan Pahang morning traffic insanity

Actually, traffic jam is a huge blessing for cyclists. Crawling traffic poses lesser threat in terms of safety. Scarce spaces in between vehicles is more than enough for a bicycle to squeeze through. You can pedal casually pass by them leaving behind a trail of envy.

Traffic jam is also a blessing when it comes to entering a roundabout. Try doing that during clear time and it will take ages before you can get a clean shot. During jam, just squeeze through...

From Bulatan Pahang to Chow Kit till arrival at the office is simply fun. Being able to overtake motorized vehicle (not because you are fast, but because they are slow) gives some sort of inexplicable gratification. In about 30 minutes, I arrive at the office. Fun traveling to office concludes with a climb up the parking ramp all the way to second floor. Of course I arrive sweating, panting but...SMILING.


The Black Stallion safely anchored at the parking bay. The parking kakak helps to keep an eye on it.


So come on! Make your travel to the office more fun too!

14 comments:

Afrezal Karim said...

yeah.. aku suka entry ni bro.. ride ko mencabar.. since ko ride masuk kl.. tu yang best.. tempat aku ni tak brapa nak sesak.. lagi sesak lagi best sebab cars going slower that us :D

Anonymous said...

Agree wz u Bro ! Masa kerja dulu kat Lumut even wz uniform i bike to work hingga dapat surat 'cinta' dr sr. officer yg perlekehkan ride aku . . .puehh ! aku acknowledge surat dia panjang lebar siap dgn url// link lagi utk dia refer. ha ha ha terus x jawab, kat Kemaman 40km daily 'fun' bike to work and 'shocking to staff & kat Gurun about 32km daily bike to work . . . and now, i dah 'pencen' kerja he he he so, what is life after 50's ? Skrg tinggal kenangan. Kat ofis bila dia org bual . . tanya ramly mana ? ramly...yg bike to work ! ha ha ha . . . . !

p/s. Be ur'self !

akmalhizam said...

BC, thanks for this (and past entries) scribble of your experience riding to work. Now a regular thing for me on Saturdays (twice/thrice a month), I'm thinking of doing it more often including during weekdays. Perhaps gradually our society and more importantly our lawmakers and authorities would recognize our way of commuting.

BC Kelolo said...

Akmal and all... Likewise. A visit to this bog with encouraging words is like a magic potion to me...Kasi tambah semangat lagi bros...

Jom kita gantikan segala kereta motor yang ada atas jalan dengan basikal. (Terlebih semangat nih!)

shuk~ dan eton said...

Jom ....

lepas baca blog ni, saya pun semangat nak cycle...

Panahsakti said...

Bro, have a look at this blog http://www.cyclefriday.blogspot.com/
maybe we could do this every week.

Khairul Retro said...

Assalamualaikum,

I won't be riding to work BUT I will be cycling home. I had it with Sultan Ismail and Seri Petaling queue, so today I loaded the bike on my wife's Avanza. She dropped me off (and the bike of course) en route near Tabung Haji. I won't consider the 5-min ride to Menara Naluri riding to work. Nevertheless this evening at 6pm I shall ride home from Jln Ampang to Puncak Jalil covering around 25km.

Semoga Allah SWT beri ku kekuatan. Mind you, this is my first attempt of urban assault berbekalkan lampu depan yang beli di Chow Kit hari tu dan lampu blinker belakang no frills Tesco.

Which me luck comrades.

BC Kelolo said...

Cycling home? That is already an achievement!

Semoga Allah memberkati perjalanan kamu, semoga Allah merahmati kamu dan semoga Allah selamatkan kamu dari segala mara bahaya, saudaraku, amiiinnnn.

Anonymous said...

one word. inspired.

akmalhizam said...

be safe, bro Khairul.
pelan-pelan kayuh.

BC Kelolo said...

To anonymous,

One word: Take action!

Oooppppss...that two words already.

shuk~ dan eton said...

bro.

1st. thank you for the ride last tuesday..was awesome >.<

2nd. TABUR KERTAS SRI GOMBAK
Tarikh : 20 Disember 2008 (Ahad)
HASH SRI GOMBAK
Tarikh : 21 Disember 2008 (Selasa)
Masa : 9.20 taklimat/ 9.30 jalan

betul ke ahad n selasa tu?.9.20/9.30 mlm ke siang?

azizan abd aziz said...

A'kum. Great article! We need this kind of article for bike commuter reference. Met Han of fakawitribe just now at subang jaya while i was checking my fixie tire pressure:-) Got to know another fixie fr subang jaya as well. We will be cycling to office together soon!!

Man CIOCC said...

Kelolo said in ManCIOCC's blog "...And you'd learn that it is not is difficult like what you thought it is..."

It's not difficult at all. If there's a will there's a way. Hang punya cheghita pun sikit punya baguih la. Sempoi semacam!

4 u guys out there, surf my blog 2 c the challenges of commuting to the office by a bike.