bisikleta.ph: pinoy bike blog

The Second Ride of 2012 - A Long Way To Go

2012-01-15T11:24:00.000+08:00

Yesterday's ride in Maarat was another ride to regain form and fitness. Although I was riding better than the weekend before, it is still a far cry from where I need to be if I want to do more epic rides this year.

I am having some problems sleeping early. This started a few weeks ago. The eve of yesterday's ride, I was able to sleep at around two in the morning before being awoken by a call from a tipsy wife, asking if I could pick her up at the Fort. I'm not making excuses for my performance, but I think this is a possible reason.

For our leisurely ride on the main roads of Maarat, I was joined by King Bernas, Winston Chua, Deon James, and my ex-Urban Jungle teammate Gabby Severino. Although I was laboring up the climbs, it was generally a nice ride going to the Giant Store via Roxas Boulevard. Actually, we backtracked a bit and went to the Pestaño farm to get something to eat. I ordered Gatorade to go along my Sausage McMuffin with Egg, while the boys enjoyed their brewed coffee while munching on some trail bars.

Since Winston and Gab needed to go home early , we headed back to the parking area at the Timberland clubhouse.

Here's a map of our route:

Sole searching. More fun in the Philippines.

2012-01-09T00:47:00.000+08:00

This was taken from our ride last Saturday afternoon at the blue trail in Timberland Heights. We stopped to rest and appreciate the view when King found the sole of a shoe at the side of the trail. When I was editing the pictures, I figured this would be a nice addition to the #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines meme. And so here you go!

My First Ride of 2012

2012-01-08T23:00:00.000+08:00

My first ride of ride of 2012 almost didn't push through. We were supposed to ride Saturday morning, but I wasn't feeling up to it when I woke up at quarter to six. It was bed versus bike, and sadly the bed won. I texted everyone and said that I'm still too sleepy to pedal, and went back to sleep.

I woke up at 10 a.m. I received a text messaged, it seemed. I wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was still part of a dream, I thought.

The text was from King. Apparently, they didn't push through with the morning's ride and he's asking if I'm interested in joining them in the afternoon instead. Perfect! I get to sleep in and ride, too. "Sure," I replied.

I picked up King at around 12:45 in the afternoon and drove to the Timberland clubhouse to meet up with Winston.

King had a hidden agenda. He's organizing an event in February so we're here to scout for the right trail for the race course.

The weather was wonderful. It was overcast and it rained for some time while we were in the blue trail, but when that was over, it was just perfect. Sadly I couldn't say the same for the trail. The main road was just OK, but the single track was slippery. It didn't help that there were several motocross riders in the trail, making the ruts even deeper.

After doing some plotting, we biked to the Giant Store for some refreshments before heading back home.

Check out our route:

Want to see the other pictures? You can view them here.

Celebrating the First Year Anniversary of the Mindoro Bikepackers

2011-12-28T06:19:00.001+08:00

I am celebrating the first year anniversary of our four-day Mindoro bike tour in an airport lounge waiting for our flight to Hong Kong rather than doing another epic ride to who-knows-where.

If you ask me, I'd rather be awake at this time of day, pedaling to some remote place in this country where I haven't been before. I long for the uncertainty on where we'll get our next meal, or not knowing the actual distance is to the town where we're spending the night.

But there's 2012 for that.

To Domeng, Eric and Ed who joined in the epic adventure of my life that is Mindoro, happy anniversary and thank you for being there. I'm looking forward to more epic rides with you guys next year.

On our anniversary, I actually edited the Mindoro Bikepackers movie and added excerpts of Ed's interview plus some of the videos Domeng and Eric took. I havne't uploaded it though. In the meantime, you can reminisce again by watching the old video.

The Future is in Two Wheels

2011-12-01T12:17:00.001+08:00

This entry is from our guest blogger, Missy Galang, of Buddybuilders.

I have never been to an Auto Show in my life.

Yet this year, I was invited to go to the Manila Auto Salon 2011 held at the SMX Convention Center last November 24-27, 2011.

Having watched all The Fast and the Furious movies, I knew to expect crazy customized cars, booming stereos, out of this world paint jobs and skimpily clad girls.

Well, it was all that and more.

With this year’s theme as “Mad about styling and tuning”, the event promised to be a mind-blowing display of creatively customized cars. Indeed, the show exceeded all expectations with over 130 styled, modified, and tuned cars, trucks, and SUV's on display.

Some people went for the cars, some people went for the girls, some people went out of curiosity, but I went to look at bikes.

Yes. bicycles.

These days, the newest “toy” people are going crazy over don’t have four wheels; they have two.

More and more, we see Filipinos on bikes weaving their way through the city roads. Racing in two wheels is kicking in in high gear and many have caught the bug for customizing their bikes.

If you think about it, these bikes fit the theme perfectly. Joining the event are Dan’s Bike Shop and Bike Town Cyclery who brought in an exhibit from the Terry Larazabal Bike Festival.

Amid the booming sounds, racing games, sexy girls and trophies is a quiet little corner displaying the Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival exhibit.

It featured a stunning display of multi-discipline bicycles with everything from Triathlon bikes, MTB, Road BMX and more. Needless to say, there was much to ogle at.

Everything was impressive, but my personal favorites are the clean white Parlee TT, the Ibis Mojo HD and the classic beauty—the Sycip Crossdresser.

One wouldn’t think a bike would belong at an Auto Show, yet the presence at the Auto Salon was a sign that the cycling community getting bigger and more active.

There are countless races and social bike meets, yet I wait for the day when we can hold a full-on bike show. At the rate we’re going, I think we don’t have to wait too long.

Recovering from Vertigo

2011-11-28T01:46:00.001+08:00

I've been suffering from vertigo the past few days that there was a point when I was almost running on Serc. I was planning on racing the cross country course in Nuvali, but I had to turn it down so that I can let my body recover.

Today's ride was nothing great. As a recovery ride, I did a point A to point B and back thing -- a 20-kilometer ride from Pioneer in Mandaluyong to my in-law's place in La Vista, Quezon City. It was a bit overcast but a bit windier than usual.I was not my usual self when I was climbing up the Katipunan flyover. I think my speed was a shameful 13 kilometers per hour, but then again that was with a headwind. After resting in La Vista for about 30 minutes, I was feeling better on the ride back.

I won't post my ride map in this entry since it's uneventful anyway.

Hope your ride this weekend was better.

The Batangas City - Dao - Pinamucan Trail Ride

2011-11-20T22:07:00.001+08:00

I think I have fully recovered from last week's bug based from how I felt in today's amazing trail ride with Onad, Eric and Melong.

We started the climb to Dao from Tabangao, similar to our ride with Davison last October 22, but instead of taking a left turn when we reached the Barangay Hall at the end of road, we took a right. After about a couple of kilometers of riding, we stopped by the corner by the Welcome Arc to Pinamucan and took a detour to the a very fun stretch of single track. In my opinion this is probably one of the best trails near the City. It was a good mix of singletracks, fireroads and backroads, and the view of the sea and the nearby mountains is spectacular. We rode next to a cliff with a magnificent view. This was all rolling terrain on farm lands and access roads. What made it so awesome is this downhill stretch going to Pinamucan proper. In a way I felt bad that I didn't bring the camera for this trip. The last part, when we were riding down near the houses, felt like we were riding in Brazil.

I can feel that I'm slowly getting fitter each time, and I think my bike buddies felt this as well. I was almost always climbing at the front of the group and I wasn't using my granny gear at all. I'm starting to practice what I learned during our Macabud via Pangarap ride -- that the smallest gear may not necessarily be the best one. Maybe those three climbs to Ultra in Pasig last Wednesday actually paid off.

I'm thinking of joining the cross country race in Nuvali next week just for fun. That is if my schedule permits it. We'll see.

Of Sore Throats and Pancit Guisados

2011-11-09T00:22:00.001+08:00

Last weekend was another long one, but unfortunately I didn't get to ride much. I was supposed to join King and Winston for a Licao-Licao ride last Saturday, but I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before because of my sore throat. It was so painful despite gargling with oral antiseptics. Sunday was a bummer too because of the rain.

As for Monday, I was able to drive all the way to Batangas to join, Onad, Eric and Melong for a ride to Rosario, but it was cut short because I wasn't feeling that well. I had to stop on a silly short climb just to recover. So after doing a Gulod-Paharang ride, we headed back to the city but took a detour to the nearest panciteria - Mang Onad's (not related to my bike buddy).

Aside from the steaming hot pancit guisado, probably the good side to this ride was our visit to the new bike shop along Pastor Avenue near Days Hotel. It's a branch of Lipa Bike Shop from Lipa City and they're calling it Lipa Bikes. I know it sounds weird at first, but just imagine how it was when they first opened Makati Supermarket in Alabang.

They don't have that much stuff yet, but I can see a lot of promise. Truth be told, I was actually thinking of setting up a bike shop in that same area, but I just didn't have the funds to make it happen. Now that they're there, I wish them all the best and hope they'll take care of the Batangas City cyclists.

I was back in Manila by twelve noon. It was that fast. It's so anti-climactic. I wished I rode some more but I didn't want to push my body further. Now I'm hoping that I can fully recover for more biking action next week.

Thanks for reading.

Here's te map of our ride:

Oakley Jawbone Addict

2011-11-02T23:53:00.000+08:00

What you're seeing is my third Oakley Jawbone, which I customized from their site and ordered from Benji of Joven Bike Shop. I know it's not right. Some people can't afford to buy one, let alone three. But isn't she a beauty? And don't you think she works well with my new color theme?

I can hear crickets.

And yet I don't care. I love their fit. I love their lenses. And I love how they're so freakin' cool.

Vanity will be the death of me.

Almost Licao-Licao

2011-11-02T00:11:00.003+08:00

It's November 1 and I finished my cemetery duties yesterday. So today is a day for riding again.

The plan kept changing until the last minute. First it was Maarat, but none of us wanted to brave the traffic caused by the cemetery along the highway. Next we thought of riding at the Camp Aguinaldo trail, but we weren't sure if it was open. And so finally we decided that we'd go to Licao-Licao, but there's a slight twist. Instead of taking the Litex road and risk passing by a cemetery and get stuck, we would park our cars somewhere along Quirino Highway near La Mesa Nature Reserve and bike our way to Licao-Licao via the Pangarap Village. Now that's new for me!

Jonats was already at McDonald's when King and I arrived. After having breakfast, we sat off for La Mesa. I think this was already around 8:00 in the morning.

We parked the car at the Shell Station near the old entrance to La Mesa and pedaled to Pangarap. Basically, the whole trail was parallel to the walls of the nature reserve.

This is a ride I enjoyed a lot, except for the part where we chose the wrong way and entered a private road and got chased by about six dogs. It had a bit of everything - fireroads, climbs, downhills and singletracks. I'm thankful I installed the Nevegals last night because I never had any problems losing traction today. Those tires were amazing.

My chain broke on one of the climbs. This hasn't happened to me in a decade. Thankfully I had a lifesaver with me in the form of the Missing Link. After removing the broken chain link, installing this was such a breeze. I bought it at Trail Warriors Cyclery at Loyola Heights when we were doing our bike shop hopping last Holy Week with Domeng and Eric. It was a novelty for me then. Now, after the experience, I think I'm going buy a couple more.

Because we left late, we only biked till Macabud before we had to stop at a sari-sari store for some soda, turn back and ride to the parking area. We were a few meters away from reaching Licao-Licao and her wonderful network of trails, but that's OK. In a weird way, I was actually looking forward to the ride back. It was that fun.

We arrived at the Shell station at a little past 12 noon and had lunch at the nearby Chowking restaurant. Not a bad ride for the last day of the four-day break.

Check out the map of our ride:

Tubeless Conversion Fail

2011-10-31T23:41:00.001+08:00

I have a bottle of Stan's tire sealant that's gathering dust in my storage area. I also have a wheelset with Mavic X819 rims that's tubeless ready and a pair of Kenda Nevegals to go with them. I figured I should go for gold and do the tubeless conversion.

I've been trying to flirt with the conversion several times but this time was the first time I was serious. Because this time I had a pail of soapy water. And according to the Stan's site, that's the way to go.

Well, so how did it go? If you're reading the title, you'd know I failed. After pouring about two cups of sealant to the tire and getting the side all wet with the soapy water, I still couldn't get it to hold air. I was pumping like a madman, but I achieved nothing.

Maybe I really need an air compressor to make this happen.

Or maybe I can just take it to the shop and have it converted there.

Bike Fit: Flipping the Stem

2011-10-29T23:51:00.001+08:00

Lately I've been having problems with my shoulders and back when I ride my bike. During our Timberland ride this morning, Agu and King suggested that I flip the stem from a negative to a positive rise.

Now I have to be honest. I'm not a big fan of an upright stem primarily because of the looks. A negative rise stem on a hardtail cross-country bike makes one seem like a bad-ass bike racer, while the opposite screams newbie.

Well, for the benefit of my back, I pulled out the allen wrench a couple of hours ago and flipped the stem to a positive five degree angle. Judging from the pictures, it doesn't look that bad at all.

We'll be riding in La Mesa tomorrow (I love this four-day weekend). I'll find out if my shoulders and back would thank me for valuing substance over style then.

UPDATE!
Well, I didn't get to ride La Mesa today because King forgot to bring his bike shoes, but I took advantage of the situation and rode around the La Mesa parking area to try my bike's new stem position. Judging from this few minutes of riding from the car to the gate then back up to pavilion, I must say that there's a significant change in terms of my comfort. Of course the true outcome will reveal itself after a few hours on the saddle, but as of now it's very promising.

Maintenance: Servicing the Crank Brothers Eggbeater Pedals

2011-10-24T23:17:00.000+08:00

When I turned the pedal after lubing the chain yesterday, I knew there was something wrong with them. Maybe it's from all the long rides that I did or from all the power hosing it endured or probably a mix of both. Whatever the reason may be, one thing's for sure -- my pedals weren't turning as smoothly as they should be.

I bought this pair a year ago after I discovered that the wings of my old Eggbeaters were broken during the Livestrong ride. Now, after hundreds of kilometers of riding, these babies are crying out for some lovin'.

Quickly, I searched the internet for a step-by-step way to basically revive my pedals, and stumbled upon Pedal! Damn it!'s Crank Brothers Servicing blog entry. After reading it, I had all the tools needed to do some basic relubing except for the 8mm socket wrench.

I couldn't sleep well last night knowing that I was just a tool away from getting my pedals fixed. I had to get up at around two in the morning to pull out an 8mm allen wrench and remove the pedal from the crank.

I was glad that I was able to pull the pedal out easily. My past pedals felt like they were bonded to the crank when I tried to remove them.

Today, right after work, I went to the mall and got myself an 8mm socket wrench. After treating myself to dinner at Pepper Lunch, I hurried home to start the operation.

After removing the dust cap with a flathead screwdriver, I managed to pull out the bolt that was keeping everything together with my brand new socket wrench. When that was through, pulling out the spindle was as easy as pie. I removed the old grease with a rug and some degreaser, and applied a fresh coat of grease right after. After that, I rebuilt the pedal and attached it back to the crank arms.

I was ecstatic with how smooth it was when I turned it. Maybe I was a bike mechanic in my past life.

Now it's time to ride again!

Love the photo? I took that from Earthmound of Flickr.

Biking in Batangas City: The Tabangao via Dao Malampaya Trail

2011-10-24T00:16:00.000+08:00

After last Sunday's cancelled Batangas Ride which brought me to Maarat instead of the city of steaming pancit guisado, I was determined to make take two successful.

I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and left Pioneer at about 5:00 a.m. One hour and P306.00 poorer (can you believe that's how much I have to pay in toll fees for just one way?), I was in my hometown. I parked the car at Eric's Carwash at the corner of P. Herrera and Noble streets, geared up, and joined Onad and Davison for a nice morning ride.

After climbing up Tabangao, we made a left turn at the top to a dirt road for some more climbing. This is where our dear friend, Carlito Benoza, used to live. During our afternoon rides years ago, we would see him go down this road on his BMX on his way to work.

As I was pushing my bike up the slippery road, my tummy began acting up. It was so hard to concentrate that at one point I was considering on leaving the bike by the roadside and do some magic behind the bushes. The only thing that stopped me was that none of us brought any wet wipes or tissue paper. Trying to hold it is something I wouldn't wish for anyone to experience. The feeling is something like being laspag. (Note to myself: buy a stash of wipes and put in the hydration pack in case of "emergency".)

The loop was great. It's perfect for someone who just started biking again: a nice warm-up leading to a big climb and then some rolling terrain when you get to the top before riding downhill with a spectacular view of city and the bay. If you're not convinced, check out the pictures below:

This is where the climb to the dirt road started.

Onad and Davison had to wait for me.

The green one is Davison's bike with a new wheelset.

These boys ride mountain bikes because they ride on trails.

Trying to keep it together.

That's Onad and Davison (Udo)

All ready to go!

The trail gets my thumbs up approval!

Stomach in

Of course the ride wouldn't be complete without a trip to the local panciteria. For today's ride we chose Krosroads, a hole on the wall carinderia at the end of M. Pastor Avenue near the Shell station. Each one of us ordered pancit guidado and Mountain Dew. Now wouldn't you say that's perfect?

Check out the map of our route:

<p>&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55348748"&amp;gt;Tabangao via Dao Malampaya Trail&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Batangas City, Philippines"&amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Batangas City, Philippines&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; </p>

If you prefer, here's the Garmin Connect Map to the Tabangao via Dao Malampaya Trail.

A Sunday Afternoon with Agu

2011-10-17T16:06:00.000+08:00

The plan was to go to Batangas City last Sunday and do some trail riding with Onad and Eric. Since I haven't been there for some time, I guess I was a bit too excited that I wasn't able to sleep. You know how the feeling is the night before the race? It's the same thing. Well, because I was still up at four in the morning, I had no choice but to cancel the ride. Bummer!

At least I was able to salvage the day and managed to ride in Maarat in the afternoon. Actually, I would say that it was a blessing in disguise because the ride was awesome. Joined by Agu Paiso of www.mynextbike.com, we rode the green trail, then down Roxas Boulevard, up to Araneta and back to the parking lot via the main road.

Except for some muddy sections, the trail condition was perfect -- just the right amount of stickiness for your knobbies! Mix in with some sunshine and cool breeze and you've got heaven on earth right there.

On the not so good side, the road to Timberland is still under repair, which means that we had to pass the old way through the city market with all the traffic. That's a major turnoff. I hope they fix that pretty soon.

All the photos courtesy of Agu.

Map of the ride to be posted soon.

The Tour Divide: Pinoy Style

2011-09-16T10:58:00.003+08:00

Thinking of a local bike race that's patterned after the Tour Divide.

We all start in Pagudpod and bike all the way down to Zamboanga City. We'll agree on the route, of course, and we all ride it with our bikes without any back-up or outside support. Maybe we can pattern the rules from here.

It'll be an honor system and there won't be any prizes nor marshals nor timing chips.

Bike Tour of Northern Luzon Initial Itinerary

2011-08-27T23:39:00.001+08:00

With nothing to do on a rainy Saturday evening, I decided to plan the initial itinerary for the dream bike tour around northern Luzon. Using Google Earth as my tool, I did a more accurate measurement on how many days it will take me to do it. My initial calculation is ten days to do the whole trip, but when I did the initial dive I discovered that it's about 14 days on the bike without any rest days.

I'm more familiar with the western highways, which are relatively flat. What I'm not sure of is the eastern route going to Tuguegarao if it's the same or if it's more mountainous.

Below is the initial itinerary that I did. I would appreciate feedbacks on the road conditions, climbs and places to eat and sleep in these areas:

Day 1: Quezon City to Cabanatuan City
115.29 kilometers

Day 2: Cabanatuan City to Aritao
99.96 kilometers

Day 3: Aritao to Santiago
85.30 kilometers

Day 4: Santiago to Tuguegarao City
123.77 kilometers

Day 5: Tuguegarao City to Ballesteros
115.42 kilometers

Day 6: Ballesteros to Pagudpod
117.25 kilometers

Day 7: Pagudpod to Cabugao
125.63 kilometers

Day 8: Cabugao to Candon
83.20 kilometers

Day 9: Candon to San Fernando City
76.80 kilometers

Day 10: San Fernando City to Alaminos
114.44 kilometers

Day 11: Alaminos to Iba
108.72 kilometers

Day 12: Iba to Olongapo City
79.30 kilometers

Day 13: Olongapo City to Orani
94.02 kilometers

Day 14: Orani to Quezon City
111.05 kilometers

I just added it now. That's a total of 1,450.15 kilometers! This is definitely not a ride for newbies. If ever I'm going to push through with this, I'm going to need to train first and also get us some sponsors.

Wow.

Laguna de Bike: A two-day bike tour around the lake

2011-08-21T23:21:00.002+08:00

We celebrated a three-day weekend the best way we know how - with a long ride. We biked around Laguna de Bay, starting from Mandaluyong, climbing up Antipolo, going down Teresa, suffering the 9-kilometer Pililia face of Bugarin, pedaling through the towns of Pangil, Pakil, Paete, Kalayaan and Lumban, slept at Pagsanjan, and finished the ride at Calamba.

No, it's not really a full loop, but we don't see the need to finish it. First, we did it before when we rode from Mandaluyong to Batangas City. Second, it would make no sense for the boys from Batangas to ride all the way to Manila again and then go back. Lastly, this stretch is just so boring.

Here are some of my learnings from this ride:

1. I should really learn to pack light. I should let go of the jacket, extra batteries for the Flip UltraHD, and the bath towel (if I'm staying in a hotel anyway) at least. I didn't get to use them anyway for this ride.

2. I should consider bringing CO2 cartridges during my rides. Pumping up a high volume tire can get me winded quite easily. This would be handy when you suffer a flat tire and you're running out of daylight.

3. Once I have it, I should try to maintain my fitness. When I did this ride, my fitness level was almost near zero. I threw away all my leg mileage from doing all those long rides when I stopped riding for weeks.

4. Cut work done into bite-sized pieces. This principle of project management is applicable also to riding. The climb up to Bugarin is about nine kilometers from Pililia. I know that my fitness level isn't what it was before, so instead of attacking all of it, I planned it out and stopped to rest after every kilometer. Soon I was there at the top.

That's about it. Thanks for watching and reading. And please do leave a comment at the comment box below. I enjoy reading them.

I'll plan another adventure soon.

Below are the maps of days one and two:

My Initial Thoughts on my Laguna de Bay Bike Ride

2011-08-16T14:37:00.000+08:00

August 19 marks the birth date of Manuel Luis Quezon and a public holiday for people who work in Quezon City. For this three-day weekend, I'm planning to do another bike tour. This time, it'll be a tour around Laguna de Bay.

A lot of cyclists did the whole 180-kilometer (yet to be confirmed) route in a day, but I plan on doing it in two. I'll spend the night at Hotel La Corona in Pagsanjan so I have time to stop at each town and appreciate the sights.

I just want to share some of the items I'm thinking of right now:

I just checked AccuWeather now and it seems like it's going to be a wet trip. Also, of the four people I invited to join me, none have actually confirmed. Looks like this will be my first solo tour.

Since it's an overnight trip, I'm torn on wether I should bring the rack and trunk bag or just put everything in the Camelbak. I'll try to pack using the pack. If it's too heavy, I'll bring out the rack.

With these type of adventures, the more I need a digital camera. I know I have the Flip UltraHD but that can't take pictures.

Should I ride with the Slant Six or switch to the slicks? My obsession with tires is getting worse.

Fatty's Saturday Afternoon Sufferfest

2011-08-14T14:21:00.000+08:00

As my wife left for the Ateneo-FEU game in Araneta, I geared up for my own gimmick -- climb up to Antipolo to do some reconnaissance for the planned Laguna de Bay loop next week. It was two o' clock in the afternoon but it was overcast so the weather was perfect. It's also a nice opportunity to test run my new Camelbak MULE NV.

I was actually thinking of climbing Antipolo via Sumulong, go down Teresa, make a u-turn somewhere to climb back up to Antipolo, and go down to Ortigas extension, but I thought this might be pushing myself too much.

Yesterday's ride was a sufferfest for me. I haven't done a long ride since Subic so I experienced the consequence. I had to stop several times when I was climbing Sumulong. Before I would just be spinning to the top even if I'm riding at a snail's pace, but yesterday I stopped at the Caltex station at the foot of the climb, near the entrance to Valley Golf Club, and at the side of the road near the Alpadi Estate.

When I was there at the side of the road catching my breath, I wouldn't say it was one of my finest moments. In my mind, it was nahahakiya. I can see it from the eyes of the kid at the back of the jeep - look at that fatty! But I'm glad I chose to saddle up and suffer some more. As Thomas Wayne said, "we fall so that we learn to pick ourselves up." You see, I always had the option of turning back and enjoy the downhill ride to Marikina. I just didn't do that. I was thinking, what was I going to do at home if get there early? Watch the game? Not really a good way to spend a nice Saturday afternoon.

The climb took me 30 minutes. When I got to P. Oliveros street, I stopped for a while and then went down towards Ortigas Avenue Extension.

The whole ride from Pioneer to Antipolo and back was 40 kilometers long, and my legs weren't prepared for it. On the last major climb at Ultra, both of them were cramping. I had to stop when I got to the top to do some stretching.

I got home at 6:00 p.m. They're not showing the game on TV. I missed it, but that didn't matter to me anymore.

Here's yesterday's route:

The Camelbak MULE NV 2011: The Hydration Pack for a Packrat like Me

2011-08-13T00:02:00.001+08:00

After almost a decade of use, I'm finally retiring my Camelbak Blowfish. We've been through lots of wonderful adventures over the years. I even bought a new reservoir three years ago and a new bite valve last month, but it would take a number trips to Mr. Quickie to patch up the holes and fix the straps.

After extensive research in Camelbak's website, I managed to cut down the choices to just two packs: the Camelbak HAWG NV 2011 and the Camelbak MULE NV 2011. Being a packrat, I need to have lots of space to put the essential stuff when I ride (pump, tire levers, patch kit, extra tube, multi-tool) plus my additional stuff (small bottle of chain lube, zip ties, duct tape, first aid kit, and a Missing Link). I also drink a lot so I need the 100 oz water reservoir.

I went to Extreme Bike Shop right after work and looked for the two models. Unfortunately (or should it be fortunately?), they don't have the HAWG NV so I ended up with the terrific MULE NV 2011.

After seeing this pack in person, I knew this is the one. It was love at first sight! Check out the features after the break.

I'm surprised that this Camelbak is made in the Philippines. With this type of workmanship and attention to detail, I'm very proud.

See that? That's just the front pocket and it fits in all my tools with room to spare.

The NVIS back panel is one of the things I love about this pack. No more hot sweaty backs from now on!

Here's a nice touch that I really appreciate - velcro strips at the end of the shoulder straps. Now I can neatly fold the extra strap and it'll stay that way. No more fluttering in the wind.

No need to bring a plastic bag to protect my phone and other gadgets. The pack comes with a built-in rain cover.

Here's another view of the pack with the rain cover on.

There's a pocket where I can stash a rain coat or even my helmet. This will be perfect for stowing slippers for overnight trips, too!

Look at all that space! With my tools stashed in the front pockets, I don't know what else to put here! Now that's a change!

And finally, they have a velvet-lined pocket for my second-generation iPod Nano. A nice touch but I doubt if i'll use it that often as I don't recommend wearing headphones while riding.

I'm excited to test this new pack out. I'll be doing the Laguna de Bay loop next week. I think I can give a better review then. If it doesn't rain tomorrow morning, maybe I can do Antipolo-Teresa-Antipolo.

Thanks for reading.

Why I'm wearing a Life Band (and why you should, too)

2011-08-08T23:15:00.000+08:00

I've been thinking of having some form of identification made that I can take with me whenever I bike - a way to inform another party of my identity and the right numbers to call in case of an accident. I know no one wants this to happen to him, but it's better to be prepared.

I saw the ads on the web with Levi Leipheimer and Bob Roll, and so I was thinking of buying a RoadID. Problem is it's such a hassle to get one because they don't have any dealers in the Philippines (as far as I know). That means I have order online and have it shipped here. I have to deal with the wait, the customs, and who knows what other entities. Not that good.

Next in line were dog tags. They're selling these at one of the stalls in our building's lobby. It's relatively cheap and I can even put a sonnet with all the space. Problem is I don't want the cold aluminum dangling from my neck and sticking to my sweaty chest when I ride.

Then, on one of my visits in All Terra at Julia Vargas, I saw the Life Band on display. What is it? In a nutshell, it's a locally made RoadID! That means I can order one and have it ready in two weeks. Nice, huh?

Made by Hydro-Anno Domini, the Life Band has a reflectorized strip to help you be seen when you're riding at night, and is available in black, red, green, blue, pink, yellow and orange.

Interested in getting one? Contact Ron Fuentebella at +63 917 959 3096 or go to their Multiply site for more information. Tell them you were referred by Jovan.

Pictures of my muddy bike

2011-08-07T17:08:00.000+08:00

Whenever I see a vehicle on the road with a dirty bike mounted on the rack, I feel happy for that person. I know that he will have to wash that eventually, but at least he rode it and maybe enjoyed it. I'd rather have that than a shiny new bike just mounted on the wall.

To Giant (Store) and Back Again

2011-08-06T19:21:00.000+08:00

Enough of this "I'll bike tomorrow" excuses. This afternoon, I took the bull by the horns and went on a nice solo ride at Timberland. It was nothing out of the ordinary - just a ride going to the Giant store and then back again to the parking area.

The weather was relatively OK for the rainy season. My 2:00 p.m. ride was nice and cool. There was a slight drizzle but that it didn't become a full downpour.

The trail was muddy but not sticky. It's a bit slippery but it's nothing that your body language can't handle. I was even playing with the idea of entering the Green trail but I was alone. If something happens, I may not get help on time. I'll reserve that for another day.

If you're planning to park at the Timberland Clubhouse, make sure you have P25.00 with you. They're charging for parking now. And don't lose the ticket. You need to present that to the guard when you exit.

Here's today's GPS reading:

Lame Ride For Fitness

2011-07-06T18:50:00.000+08:00

I wasn't able to ride last Sunday. I was supposed to do a few loops around Aguinaldo but I woke up late and I can't squeeze in a ride anymore in the morning because I had to drive the bossing to Harrison Plaza for the Azkals match against Sri Lanka.

I thought after driving her there that I could do a quick lunch and gear up for Timberland, but it rained hard so I watched the game on TV instead.

In my desperate attempt to have a few kilometers in my legs, I did a pathetic loop - from Pioneer, I went down to C5, took a right turn to Kalayaan, took another right turn and ended up at J. P. Rizal. From there I went straight and took the new bridge on Estrella and ended up in Boni.

That's roughly 10 kilometers, but I'm not exactly proud of it.