I’ve just completed the entire 42km of the OCBC Cycle KL event today. And to my surprise, it wasn’t as gruelling as I had feared.
Our group had planned to meet at Menara Maxis at 5.00am, aiming to roll out by 5.15am towards the flag-off point at Dataran Merdeka. A list of names had been floating around in our WhatsApp chat group, but as expected, attrition happened. In the end, it was just five of us– Vishal, Agnel, Charene, BX, and me– who finally pedalled off from the office at 5.45am.
Excitement and anticipation ran high at the starting line. Everyone was psyched, snapping photos, and soaking in the atmosphere. But amidst the pre-race energy, I had an emergency of a different kind— I really needed to pee.
The problem? We were already in the start pen. My only option was to get Agnel to hold my bike while I frantically ran off in search of a portable toilet. For a split second, I considered ducking into a dark alley, but the gymnastics required to relieve myself without removing my bib shorts felt like a recipe for disaster– not to mention the risk of drawing way too much unwanted attention.
So, there I was, clumsily running in my cycling cleats, desperately trying to make it back before the flag-off. By the time I returned to my bike, my heart rate was already sitting at 120 BPM– and I hadn’t even started pedaling yet.
The KL Mayor was there to officiate the event, but his speech turned out to be a glorified GPS reading.
“First, go along Jalan So-and-So, then turn right into Lorong This-and-That. Ride for a while, then merge onto Lebuhraya Ini-Dan-Itu…”
KL Mayor, OCBC Cycle KL 2019
We suffered through it. And then, finally, we were off.
The start was slow. The crowd was dense, with many people pushing their bikes past the starting line before mounting. The air was filled with the steady zizzing of freewheels, punctuated by the click-clack of cycling shoes clipping in.
Once I found an opening, I clipped in and rolled forward, gradually gaining momentum. I started strong– averaging over 30 km/h– which felt amazing at first. But then I glanced at my Garmin. My heart rate was already hitting 180 BPM.
I wasn’t feeling exhausted– no pounding heart, no burning legs. Just slightly more laboured breathing than usual. It’s the adrenaline, I realized. Calm down.
I consciously slowed my pace and kept an eye on my heart rate. Soon, I found my rhythm and started overtaking other cyclists. Even the climbs– which I had dreaded– weren’t as brutal as I’d expected. I was managing 20 km/h uphill, but my heart rate was teetering on the edge of redlining.
I completed the first 21km loop in 45 minutes– a solid time. By the time I hit 35km, I was mentally ecstatic. I knew I was going to finish.
Just 7km left– a distance I cover every morning on my usual home route. Easy.
And that’s when my body crashed.
I felt something I’d never felt before– a cramp in my left calf. The pain was sharp, but I managed to stretch it out and continued riding. At first, I thought it was just the way I was sitting. But then it hit again.
Panic set in. I was suddenly terrified that my entire body would lock up, causing me to topple over mid-ride. I had to mentally convince myself that it wouldn’t happen.
It was probably the closest I had ever come to bonking.
I diverted every last ounce of energy into keeping my legs moving– push, pull, push, pull– forcing myself forward.
With sheer willpower, I zipped through the finish line at 1 hour 33 minutes.
Nazim finished first. Niraj came in second. The three of us waited as the rest trickled in.
I was ecstatic– and also a little dizzy. But it was all good.
Now, I’m back home for a quick recovery, before heading straight to the airport for a long-distance business trip. Because apparently, my idea of rest involves spending hours in a an airplane.
