Project-Ryders: 3rd Day: We are always learning

We learnt a lot today. We really do.

Yesterday we learnt much about the mechanical and technical matter about cycling and today we learnt much about each other.

Ryders departed from Kuala Selangor at 7.30 a.m. and reached Sekinchan at 10.00 a.m. Ryders arrived at the designated place later than expected due to flat tire that occurred to Sharon’s bicycle. The car crews went around Kuala Selangor to find a bicycle shop to get tires. We found no bicycles opened in the early hours of the day. We learnt that a nearby motorcycle shop may have the tires of the required size from a postman. Terima Kasih Abang!

Once we got the tires and tubes, we headed down to where the ryders are. There, the ryders changed the tires and tubes. While changing tires, the customers of the petrol station were curious and came forward to check out our condition. One of the employees at the petrol station actually helped us to exchange the tires. There, we met the owner of the petrol station and had a picture with him.

The owner of the petrol station and some of his employees

Terima Kasih Abang!

In Sekinchan, ryders found a bicycle shop and have their bicycles fixed while the car crews went around to ask for pledges and donation. We met nice and kind hearted people all around. We were able to find the best place for lunch which served shark meat. Yummy!

Some very kind hearted Sekinchan residents

We OBVIOUSLY love kids!

He served good chicken rice!

Nic and his attempt to finish the spicy soup

Your choice!

At 1.15 p.m., ryders set to Teluk Intan after checking their supplies of Power bar, Power gel (which we experiment a lot with plain water) and water. Ryders had miscommunication and the team ryders were consequently split into two. Four cyclists are cycling to different routes. Car crews drove down the road to get the two cyclists in order to get them to meet the other two cyclists at the other end of road. The ryders were upset and at the same time guilty of the mistakes they made. One of the cyclists ignored all forms of interaction from the team and headed straight to the destination. The rest of the team tried to tail the cyclist but failed.

While the cyclists were on the road, the car crews managed to get some pleadges along the way.

The car crews stopped at a mamak restaurant which situated on the way to Teluk Intan and sent the message to all cyclists to gather there. As the moment pass by, a ring or a sms is our hope. We received a text at last and hurriedly we make a call to ensure the safety of that cyclist. One of the car crews nearly moved to tears and was sincerely happy that the cyclist is safe. Then, we felt the importance of team work and that we actually care about each other more than we thought we do.

Team ryders then started cycling to the town. KJ, instead of riding with the car crews, jogged and walked to the town of Teluk Intan from the mamak restaurant (20km) with the intention to motivate the team by demonstrating high enthusiasm. After 2 hours of cycling, the riders met the car crews at 8.45 p.m. We had our dinner with one of the cyclist’s friends. They were kind enough to offer us a place to put up a night at and also to take care of our laundry. Most importantly, they showed us the best Chee Cheong Fun in town! Many thanks to them!