First catching it after returning from Singapore early in March, I disregarded it as a tiredness from the travels and the scorching heat Malaysia had been chucking down. And so I continued training. But as the days went by, it got worse and eventually I was down with a slight fever (had no idea, thinking it was the weather giving me a hot head!) and went for the local doctors.
I got a basic check up and was dismissed with Vita C and cough syrup. But it did not help and after 7 breathless days, I decided I needed a proper doctor. Got some antibiotics and finally started recovering slowly, just a week out from the race.
As I recovered, I began feeling good in my training and was glad I still had some form to hit the roads strong. Wasn't quite the same in the pool though. But I'll get there.
Friday came pretty quite and Hafiz had just arrived in the morning from Penang, just after my usual early morning swim and a bit of gym. We chilled for a bit and tried going for a short ride, before thrashing it due to terrible traffic. Some stupid bus even threatened to drive head-straight into us! We got our bikes packed and had a good nights sleep. The following morning we were up for an early but quick flight down to Singapore. Pretty amazing for Hafiz, travelling 4 hours down, to pack the bike and travel to Singapore, race the next day, and travel straight back to KL, before another 4 hour trip back to Penang!
It wasn't long before we landed and tried to sort out our transport to the hotel (ended up getting in 2 separate cabs half the cost of a van), set up our bikes, and went out to try find our way to the race site for a course rekkie.. What was supposedly a 16min journey turned into a 1:45hr tour all the way to the north of Singapore, having absolutely no clue where on earth we were, under a punishing storm. Retracing our steps wasn't exactly helpful as all roads looked the same and only took us deeper in the wilderness! Anyways, we eventually found our way back to the hotel after asking dozens of taxis and pedestrians and started right from scratch, refusing to give up (better finding the roads now than race morning! ). And so we did, had a quick look and spun back for it was already close to sundown (and we were wet and exhausted!).
The Elite Wave was flagged off at 8 in the morning, which I did not mind and had gotten used to after many morning races which were typical in the warm climates of Asia. Besides, it was better that way, staying out of the sun. Within the first km into the 3km run I was soon close to the front, sitting comfortably at 6th place overall, where I held a good, strong but comfortable pace for the remains of the loop, pushing through some hills just to shake off any clingers behind me. I guessed to chase the veterans/pro's would've been over ambitious! Other than that, I maintained and tried saving some legs for the 20km flat, non-drafting bike leg. Very quickly we were into the transition and I grabbed my bike and ran across the uneven grassy grounds before mounting my bike.
My truly sincere apologies goes to the volunteer whom I ambushed as I was running with my bike. But honestly, you were completely blocking the narrow path out of transition!!
Feeling strong, I kept up a good pace (I think), not know what pace I was actually going at, with the sensor failing on me. It was fairly hard judging the pace just based on my gearings and cadence, but I managed, going by feel instead. I maintained a high cadence in a tight aero position throughout (with me new, sparkling Rudy Project Wingspan!). I must say, it really felt good being able to cut through the air with more ease. Eventually some strong veteran riders passed me but I held my ground knowing I was still strongly leading my age category, and wanted to stay out of trouble with the busy narrow roads as age groupers were flooding in and really putting up a dangerous obstacle throughout this 5km loop with 2 U-turns. Plus I still have another race the following weekend in Indonesia, being my first Elite Olympic Distance!
Soon enough it was time to dismount, where I was greeted with another volunteer smart enough to walk right into me with his back. In a quick, panicked reaction, I detoured trying to avoid another and possibly more serious collision, and my bike hit a cone and slipped off my hand. Falling and picking it up cost me valuable seconds (2 people passed me!) and possibly 2 overall placings. I just kept my calm (not as hard when you know you're still leading by a fair chunk) and went on with the race.
I managed to run down 1 guy but couldn't do much with the huge crowd of athlete clogging up the entire run loop. It was pretty difficult having to accelerate and slow down again for another blockage, weaving through tiny gaps you spot, and make long or uncomfortable detours to get around. I still managed to outrun plenty, so I guess being a skinny, narrow shouldered guy has it's advantages!Eventually got the the grassy bit of the loop that lead straight into the finish shoot, enjoying the moment with the crowd and a sigh of relief that it was all over.
Overall I guess you could say that I had lead in my category right from gun to tape!
It was a great race and I crossed the finish line to claim the title, 3min back from the overall leader. I felt good the entire way but failed to really push and test my limits. Guess I'll get my chance next week!
Aside from the half awake volunteers having me some worries, it was a great race, with the usual great organisation! Thanks MetaSprint for a wonderful race! It was a pleasure taking part in the event.
Thank you Rudy Project as well for Wingspan, without which I could have possibly lost out on a few placings on the bike leg. Thank you MET for supporting us all the way throughout the entire event!!
