Yes, I know. It’s perfectly horrendous of me to write about an event that took place almost a month ago. But I woke up before the crack of dawn for this and drove 107km to watch over 200 riders take off in an 80km on- and off-road challenge.
The weather was perfect as we made our way there. We were one of the last to arrive. I put my friend on my bike and pushed him off. He was one of the last people on the group, and probably the first to have a puncture. He got off, fixed it, managed to help another rider with some problem, and still managed to chase up to the first 100 riders by.
And little ol’ me, too chicken and unfit to take on the challenge, not even half of the way, jumped on to the back of the rescue truck with my camera and started shooting.
The Sematan 1010 Challenge was organised by the good graces of Mr Goh Seng Kee and his posse, and the town of Sematan right by the edge of the South China Sea.
Out of the 200+ riders, only 100 or so made it the whole way. They went through 20km of on-road sprint and 60km of plantation, single track, paddy fields and logging road. Punishing, punishing, punishing. There were only two female riders – my friends Patricia Dominic and Dahlia Dom. Kudos to those soul sistas.
The Sematan 1010 was a challenge, not a race. People joined for the love of the challenge to themselves.
This little posting is a tribute to those who signed up for it and the camaraderie that came through so clearly. Whoo ah!
