On a lark, I accepted an invitation (thanks Tiruz!) to join a group of cycling enthusiasts to cycle from Kuching to Serian and back on Sunday morning. I wasn’t really thinking except for some silly notion that it would be just another Sunday cycling ride. Perhaps it was a mistaken notion that the distance from Kuching to Serian would only be around 30 kms and that I’m sure as hell fitter than the average cyclist. Ignorance is bliss but it also can lead to great adventure. Whatever. However I got the distance totally wrong as it is a good 60 kms from Kuching to Serian!
With Mimik an adventure racer who at one time after a particulary 'adventurous' sea kayaking outing with me off the Bako coastline refused to talk to me after that!
Not one to keep a good thing to myself I also invited my friends Reuben (who cycles to work - except that his work place is just round the corner of his house, a good 5 minutes away!) and Cynthia who has just recently bought herself a mountain bike. With more enthusiasm than good sense; we turned up at the appointed meeting place (behind Arif Hotel in town) well before the appointed time and in typical Malaysian custom had to wait a good hour before the rest of the cyclists turned up in assorted fancy looking road and mountain bikes and attire. Let’s just say that the 3 of us don’t quite look the part. Anyway we finally set off at 7.30am. Incidentally there are several groups of cycling enthusiasts in Kuching and this informal group was organized by a fellow architect, Hj. Mohd Khaidir Abang who now heads the Dept of Technical Services in DBKU.
Odd kayaker/cyclist out but I still managed to reach Serian! ;)
Anyway I made it to Serian despite the smells (after kilometers 30 onwards there are various poultry and pig farms alongside the highway), heat (I’m glad I brought my full brim hat instead of a cap) and ‘burning thighs’ - yeah a new ’sensation’ to me that borders on getting a full muscle cramp. Upon reaching Serian I gratefully accepted the (tempting) offer from Reuben (grinning comfortably in his Hilux) for the ride back to Kuching, as by then the near noon sun was really bearing down. The Hilux was part of Reuben’s slew of contingency plans that he put into effect after kilometers 20 which no doubt that Cynthia appreciated as well as she was picked up by Reuben a short distance later. Their spirits were willing but their butts were not!
Reuben & Cynthia : "Their spirits were willing but their butts were not!"
We had a great experience and were discussing plans for our next cycling trip already on our lazy drive back to Kuching! It’s a good thing that we have short memories. Did any silly things on Sunday? 
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Reading your story brings me back to the 1980s. During those days we used to cycle from Kuching to serian and back to Kuching without stopping alone on the road bike. The trip to serian took us 1hr 40 mins and the trip back usually took 2hrs.
It was very common & we do it everyday during the school holiday.
Our longest race was 1983 from bandar seri aman to Kuching which took us 10hrs if I can remember correctly. We cycle up the bukit bakuan too.
Just to share my story, those days the road was safe not many crazy drivers too. Nowadays, we can’t find a safe route for road biking in Kuching.
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