Speeding Rules!

Before.

After.


Helmets saves lives and limbs.

The gorgeous crash victim.

Yesterday was the 6th time Isyraf and I went to Bukit Timah trail. I just love the clean air, and cool trail, sheltered by the dense canopy. I hate the long climbs though, tiring beyond words, for an unfit rider like me.

But I so LOVE the descents. Long, fast, bumpy. Just watch your speed, don't lose control and enjoy yourself. BUT, in the quest for more speed, some people forget control. And bam! Broken helmet, scratched up bike, and cuts, bruises and sprains that will knock one out of business for a week.

I remember telling myself before the fall, "The next downhill is clear. Time to speed. Just remember to slow down before the corner with the stupid logs, cos that's where you lost control the first time."

As I was enjoying the increased speed, (each time I hit BT, I try to go faster on the descents) the potholes gave their best at me. It was one hell of a bumpy ride. But nothing me nor my bike can't handle. Suddenly, with no warning, I was flung off my bike at that speed, landed forehead first, rolled onto my back, saw my bike flip over, and I landed on my back, with my ribs searing with pain.

Luckily a Caucasian jogger, Jamie found me, cos Isyraf was ahead. She helped collect my Oakleys, which thankfully came off, before I dragged my face on the wonderful forest floor, my helmet visor which broke off on impact, my bottle which was flung so far away, and my bike, 8 metres from where I was laying.

And the irony was, I hadn't even reached the corner where I was supposed to slow down.

I treat every fall as a learning experience. Don't overbrake with the front on slow steep drops, don't do this, blah blah. But this fall is different. I've got nothing to blame, the terrain was full of potholes and small roots, nothing I can't ram through. I didn't lose traction, nor did I skid. I can't blame my bike for the sudden fall. All I have come up with is, I was too fast and lost control.

I guess I have myself to blame. But who cares? I'll just go as fast the next time I go there again, and maybe lean back a little more than usual.

What saddens me is the loss of my Specialized Instinct helmet. A helmet is good for one major crash only, but I think I'm going to continue to use it cos I don't have the money to buy another. It cost $160 in S'pore, but I bought it for $60 in Japan. My XT brake lever, as seen from the 2nd pic above, is mauled beyond recognition Isyraf says its rugged, but I just say its ugly. Like a scar.

And now, i am rather afraid that my carbon handlebar may have internal damages after the crash, considering that the biked flipped and pivoted on the bars itself, cos even my Odi grips are scratched. I have to get the bike shop ppl to check my bar for damage. That bar is another pride I bought from Japan. Its hand made carbon fiber from a small British custom carbon fiber firm. The crash did more permanent financial damage to my bike than injure me. My shoulder, head, ribs and arm can heal. My bike can't.

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Anyways, time for confidence building again. I'll be off to Tampines trail next week once my shoulder and elbow gets ok again. I need the exercise and I think if I were to straight away go to BT to confront my fall area, I'll just chicken out and ride slowly. So visitor man, if you want to join me, be my guest. You were from VS also so I confirmed can click with you. So just contact me when you're free.

Oh, as for the other visitor, Yuva, thanks for the heads up at Kent Ridge. It wasn't useful at all. Haha. The trail there is undoable. Its not fun at all. So disjointed, and my bike is a hardtail, not a downhill bike. The trail is super technical, you need to be an expert to ride confidently there. I wouldn't mind trying, but if i lose my balance at certain points there, I'll just fall off the trail and into a pit of rocks. The whole trail is do or die. Make a mistake, and you'll fall off into a hole or pit somewhere. And once you're past the XC portions, which is indescribably dangerous, you have the downhillers section. Give me an $8,000 downhill bike, and I can definitely do the row of 20 insane logs down the hill. But my bike, with its laughable 100mm fork and no rear sus, is just insane. I'll wreck my wheels before I make it halfway down. And as for the trail, it has no clear direction and we were almost lost if not for the nearby road. Then again, maybe it was my first time at Kent ridge and maybe I need more time to get accustomed to the different requirements and difficulty of individual trails.

Well, that's all for this week and probably the next week too.