The route taken for my ride approximates to the newly-built cycling track that connects the Eastern part of Singapore. Each lap on that track is about 42km and my original intention was to complete two laps each day. My set up is a 24” ungeared unicycle with 140mm cranks and I’m riding alone.
The map to places described below can be found here: www.parks.gov.sg and a detailed post complete with pictures can be found on my website www.thecollectiveus.com.
I started off at 900 on a light breakfast of oats (I forgot to stock up on food the previous day), spurning the avocado that’s in my fridge. The plan was to reach my pit stop at East Coast Park by lunch and grab a bite then. There would be no stops along the way and I’d travel at a moderate pace and sprint only along the beach stretches where it’s windy so I won’t suffer heat exhaustion.
Pasir Ris was a breezy affair but the directional signs left me lost at a forest clearing at the end of the track which I had assume to lead to the start of the next park connector. Some distance on, the sight of fishermen gathered with their catch confirmed my mistake.
Backtrack.
About half an hour later, I was stuck again at Changi Village. I am unfamiliar with the area, missed a sign and went around in circles. Twice. That proved to be quite unfortunate because it resulted in my having to travel the next 15km stretch of straight, shelter-less route under the noon sun. Near the end of the Coastal Park Connector, dehydration and the lack of a proper breakfast made their presence felt. I sprinted the rest of the distance to the first food outlet I found (Burger King. At the end of that 15km) and reached. 3:13.
An hour was spent keeping my hands from shaking and vision from blurring. 5:24 had elapsed when I reached back. Some bananas, juice and rest later, I repeated the route in reverse. The route proved to be slightly more relaxing. I missed a turn and headed into a shorter route (about 8km shorter; riding straight into the Bedok Park Connector) before rejoining the usual path. The Coastal Park connector stretch, a long straight road with no end in sight), would have been rather uneventful and boring if it didn’t start to rain. It began as a drizzle but became a heavy downpour which would have ruined my camera had I continued. The next half an hour brought on a craving for Stingray and a cab ride to find it. 9:30.
Stats:
Temp: About 27-32 deg Celsius with Humidity of 85% (I'm classifying the dist traveled with no rain as extreme temp for high heat index)
Distance: About 70km
Rain 8km (light), 1km (heavy)
Total Time: 9hours, 30 minutes
12/31/2007
174
Surprisingly, apart from a slight discomfort in the thighs, there wasn’t any further after-effects from the previous day. This day marked the ugliest breakfast I’ve had ever – scrambled eggs with avocado, ham and bananas. Feeling rather smug, I set off with a similar ride plan as the previous day only to realise I forgot money 2 hours into the ride. I moved at a more relaxed pace than the previous day and reached the end of East Coast at 3:07.
The weather was much hotter than the previous day am it killed along the returning leg when it was around 11 in the morning. For some reason, despite traveling the exact same route after East Coast as the previous day at what seemed like the same pace, I took almost half an hour longer for a relatively short 10km stretch. 4:40 when I got back.
A refill of water, food, a 20 minute break and most importantly stashing away some money later, I was back on the roads. My major gripe with this lap was how I had been wearing unsuitable shorts with thick seams that were abrasive to the entire area of my bottom that was in contact with the seat. About 60km into the ride, I was practically peddling with my weight on my hands which were pressing against the handle. About 8 hours elapsed at this point.
I had to stop at every shelter along the Coastal Park Connector area to stretch and the return leg along Bedok was horrid for the fact that it featured a lot of road humps and up/downhill terrain. The break in the paths where I had to carry my uni up the overhead bridges unwittingly became blessings in disguise. I took the shorter route like the previous day as well on this lap. 10:57.
Good news for the day was that it didn’t rain at all. The bad news? The sun maintained its scorching heat throughout the day (refer to pictures). My knees hurt.
Temperature: About 30 deg Celsius with a humidity of about 85%
Distance: About 76km
Total Time: 10 hours, 57 minutes