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Bali Hill Training Camp

July 14, 2008

Final Day

Well it is sad to leave such a beautiful place like Bali, espcially when we all had so much fun with the challenging hill climbing camp. There is no doubt that I was pushed to some of my limits but overall I am pleased with my performance on the rides and the runs. Everything was excellent, from the company, the challenge, the food and the accomodations.

Posted by Jeff at 12:05 AM | Permalink

July 13, 2008

Day 4 – 113km – Who Said Anything About a Recovery Ride?

It was my error but for some reason I thought that our final day of cycling was to be a day of recovery after the brutal climb on Munduk. When I mentioned it to Coach Mike that the recovery ride was more challenging than I thought it would be he responded with ‘who said anything about a recovery ride?’ Needless to say today was no recovery ride. With more than 40km of climbing and some steep grades of 20%, today’s 113km ride was enough to take the final bits of energy from my tired body. It was a great ride in a sense that the scenery was nice along the way and this time I managed the climb with my feet on the pedals versus yesterday’s climb slogging up the massive Munduk. http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6229296

Today’s ride however was more characteristic of a climb than yesterday’s inhuman climb. The weather was overcast which was great for preventing overheating and keeping us cool as we (well me anyhow) struggled up the climb. The plan was to do the climb and then descend to a well deserved lunch at Naughty Nuris in Ubud. The top of the climb at 5700 ft was in the clouds so it was very cool and visibility was very low. After rounding the final turn and hearing Mike say ‘all done’ it was a great feeling, especially after the humbling experience that Munduk provided the day before. As with most of the activities on this trip, there was still more fun to be had. The descent of 35km was very challenging, with sharp turns, steep grades, dogs, cows, chickens, cyclists and other vehicles all sharing the road. It was a bit nerve racking hitting a maximum speed of 75 km/h on this descent, especially with my cold numb hands and the ultra bumpy roads.

Still Going Strong After Munduk

Winston and Christian before the final climb

Paul and I faking the camera out by not showing our tiredness

Posted by Jeff at 11:53 PM | Permalink

July 12, 2008

Day 3 – KOM – 160 km -Munduk MONSTER Mountain

Normally KOM refers to the ‘King of the Mountain’ and the title is bestowed on riders who are the first to climb to the top of the big climbs in a cycling stage race. Today however the KOM really means Killed on the Mountain! This was by far the hardest climb I have ever experienced! With more than 50km of climbing, 160km distance and a maximum gradient of 42%, only a few select super-athletes made it up this monster mountain without stopping.

Winston Cervantes is a nice gentlemen who I ride with in Singapore. He is very dedicated, riding a few times per week, sometimes as early as 445am in the morning. Anybody who knows Winston knows he is a very soft spoken fellow who is pleasant to be with during our social rides. Today I saw a different side of Winston that was unhinged by the climb we did. When we climb in Singapore Winston is normally ripping up the hill and sometimes I call him a goat because he can climb mountains with ease. Remembering that Singapore is a fairly flat place, we don’t have much exposure to real mountains and it is precisely that reason why we came on this Hill Training Camp in Bali. So we set off very early at 630am to start our 160km ride to the ‘Munduk Climb’ which has been touted by some as the ‘toughest climb in Asia’. For the past day-and-a-half, our coach Mike, and our host Neil, have been terrifying the group with stories of riders who did not make it, had to walk sections of this climb, and with tales of steep gradients that would make most goats cry! The stories got so bad that I actually started thinking that these guys were really full of it and that they had been completely overblowing this to get our anxiety levels up and ensure that we rested well before the big day. Actually, 160km ride with more than 50km of climbing is a big day. Confusion was high as the facts seem to change by the minute (there is 1 climb, 2 climbs, 40km, 35km, etc). After pushing off we rode very conservatively pushing an average speed of probably 21km/h… which is very slow. Nobody was feeling like tearing off because we were all keeping our energy to make the monster climb later in the day. As we rode along I really started thinking of many cliches I know such as ‘there is nothing to fear but fear itself’. Repeating this and other positive messages would equip me with th strength I needed to get up that hill….no matter what. Despite our best efforts to strategize how to successfully make this climb, all the plans went to hell as we had to deal with a much tougher climb than expected. Winston also revealed a whole new side of his personality which involved some interesting comments and potentially tears (it was raining but not that much).

Some excerpts from the climb

Car from behind to Winston: Beep Beep
Winston to driver: Shut Up

Dog ahead barking at Winston: Ruff Ruff
Winston to dog: F*** Off

Inspirational Message from Jeff to Paul and Lachlin: If we rest during the easy parts like this, and knock off the steep parts like we just did, then we should be able to make this climb. (this turned out to be wrong as I found out two minutes later)

At one of our recovery points on Munduk -
Winston: Whose idea was this trip anyhow? – this is where I think I saw tears
Jeff: Yours!

So while only a few select super-athletes actually completed the climb without stopping, we all managed to finish up at the summit and enjoyed a well deserved plate of rice and some hot lemonade before making our descent. I won’t mention names on who made it without stopping and who did not, however I congratulate all the riders for a massive accomplishment. I however need to get new cleats for my shoes as I admit I wanted to experience some of Munduk on my feet!

Psyched Up and Ready to Climb Munduk

Ever since I have had my new Garmin computer I live and die by gradient numbers. I asked Mike a number of times about the gradients of this climb hoping to catch a glimmer of insight into what it would be like. Here is the ride of Munduk http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6222349

Look of Apprehension Before Munduk Climb

Mike Leading the Group – He was wearing black that day and I am not sure if there was a message in his selection of outfit!

Posted by Jeff at 02:15 PM | Permalink

Day 2 – Ride to Jatiluwih – 88km

It was a perfect day for our first ride as the air was cool and the sun was hidden behind a layer of clouds. Today’s ride would take us from the Ombak Villa to Jatiluwih, a place in Bali that is popular with photographers given the beautiful rice fields and other scenery there. The ride was designed to get the athletes accustomed to the riding conditions in Bali (dogs running around, some chaos in traffic, holes in road, etc). The pace was enjoyable and we managed 88km and a introductory climb of 2300 feet. Check out the ride here: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6214748

We set out at 9:30am behind Mike, our coach for the training camp. The group was a very fit group who mostly do triathlons and I think everybody there (except Winston and I) has done Ironman Triathlons and numerous other races. We knew that it would be a challenging training camp with such a group.

The Group – Before the first Ride. Not sure what we will look like at the end of this camp!

Mike Setting the Pace

Coffee Break at Jatiluwih

Posted by Jeff at 02:14 PM | Permalink

Day 1 – 0km with Lunch and a Rub

Well we were pleasantly surprised by the luxury accomodation at the Tribob Bali Climbing Training Camp. So pleasantly suprised that we actually did not ride a kilometer but instead opted for a nice lunch in Semniyak followed by a power massage back at the villa. The Ombak villa is nicely situated on the southwest edge of Bali Indonesia overlooking the Indian Ocean. It is truly a dream palace that includes a great tennis court, infinity pool, nice pool table and an ocean front cocktail gazebo which we used each evening to watch the beautiful sunset. Truly paradise! We did manage to assemble our bikes and play a bit of tennis before getting ready to do our first ride on Friday morning. The trip will cover three long rides, some runs and a swim. This trip is really designed for triathletes who are training for their next big race but I looked at this as a great opportunity to ride some great climbs in Bali versus our normal rides in traditionally flat Singapore. The hill training camp includes a notorius climb up Munduk which people say is very difficult and in many cases requires cyclists to dismount and walk their bike up the hill. That intimidating ride will take place on Saturday morning after our warm up ride tomorrow.

Paul and Winston – Lunch at La Luciola