Achievement unlocked today as I finished my 13km bike ride in aid of Run For The Wild 2016! It was a charity bike ride organised by Swinburne University and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and Astro Radio were given free slots to participate - hitz Sarawak represent! Since I like to challenge myself, especially on a Sunday - and knowing myself too well, I don't usually wake up early for most things - it was the perfect thing for me to do.
I dragged Jane with me and when we arrived Swinburne, we did a bike testing session. Clearly I was rusty at cycling, so you can just imagine how I handled the bike. I managed to knock the wheel into my shin, and then the door. I got on the bike to realise I could barely balance but eventually I got the hang of it and I felt 8 all over again.
We were given a pack containing car sticker, a pledge card about sharks, rays and skates conservation, a t-shirt, a rundown of the day plus a notebook and pen from Swinburne University itself. I have to be honest here; the moment I saw the pledge card, I didn't know how else to feel apart from guilty for consuming pretty much what was on it. I am guilty of having shark's fin soup, eating rays and skates. Then again, skates are common in London. And rays, well, I'm assuming they are farmed for consumption... where as sharks, well, I was very against it until I decided to just go for it.
Here's something worth contemplating though - shark's fins have NO TASTE. Literally. Even Gordon Ramsay said so. That's why crab meat is usually added, or some other meat, to give it taste yet we are willing to pay a ton for it? Hence I stopped eating such luxuries because it doesn't really make any gastronomical sense.
The R4TW pack which also a included wetwipes from the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre and 2 wristbands which I forgot to wear for the ride
The rundown for the R4TW event
We started our warm-up session around 8.20pm with zumba. I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THAT I do not do zumba. I have told myself that I would never be seen doing zumba but for the first time ever, I joined in and found respect for people who go for it.. Perhaps Jane and I have little to no co-ordination at all to do the moves and we bumped into each other every time. Next time I see zumba-goers, I won't be confused. I'd admire them for being able to do it.
We cycled from the starting point which was at Swinburne, into Kenyalang, Sekama and stopped off at Hilton for the pledge-signing ceremony between 13 officials plus a quick refreshment session. The first thing that hit me when I rode my first ever charity bike ride (or bike ride in general as I've not rode on one for 7 years or so) was how amazing it felt to be up so early and feeling energised for a good cause. Most Sundays, I'd be in bed feeling quite rubbish because of my Saturday night ventures but for once, I wanted to change that. Anyway, it was awesome. I felt like I made a sense of achievement just for waking up and saying YES to this. And since I'm into fitness, what's my excuse to turn it down?
Next thing was watching the PDRM Kuching Branch (that's the police) at work by haulting traffic and guiding us safely throughout the ride. Again, I found new respect for them. I also enjoyed watching the guys having fun - being able to cycle with us and just enjoy the morning air. My thoughts were that it must've been a mini holiday for them to do this and not bother with chasing criminals on the streets. I also realised how beautiful Kuching is when you ride a bike. It's so much different from being in your car. You learn to appreciate every bend you take. You appreciate the sun and the feel of the city so much more although I was paranoid for half the time about the cars behind me and as a driver myself, I totally understand why drivers get mad at cyclists. But you can't blame cyclists - there are designated lanes for them to cycle so they are forced to share the road with everyone else.
We made a pit stop at Hilton Hotel for the pledge-signing ceremony and also light refreshments. As Jane and I sat down in the conference room, I realised something else too - the officials that came for this signing, the men who took a 2-hour boat ride and a 5 hour drive just to watch Kuchingites unite to conserve our wildlife - these people have dedicated their lives into tackling issues and raising awareness on something that most people brush under the carpet. Imo, there is something so touching about people who give a sh*t about this. Act of selflessness.
Anyway, this is one of the things we had for our mini refreshment session:
I haven't had doughnuts in so long, they tasted good! Thanks to Hilton Kuching for providing the refreshments.
We continued our cycle back to the University and I enjoyed every moment of the ride. On the way up Kenny Hill, I told myself that I could've done a much longer route and ironically, the moment I praised myself for being fit enough for this ride, I was already struggling to cycle up the hill. My knee was starting to feel tight but I pursued the hill because, well, I can't be defeated by a hill. 😒 All those hours at the gym to be knocked down by 1 hill was not happening.
We finally made it back to Swinburne and had a small presentation from Prayekti Ningtias, a marine biologist from WCS Indonesia, about our current wildlife issues.
PDRM Kuching helped us along the way and were great to ride with! Sorry Jane, I know you eyes were closed for this hahaha!
I would definitely do this again and I'd take the longer route next time. I'm also proud of Jane and myself for making it through with rented bikes thanks to Jumry and Jordan and also a massive thanks to Douglas Tan for hooking us up with the slots for hitz! Gotta give it to Hilton for the sweet refreshments, BCCK for the post-ride tuna sandwiches and also Raw Kitchen Juice for the amazing juice that we cyclists needed.
Y'know what? Do something for a cause. Get out of your comfort zone. Go and try zumba - really.
🍓
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