My road bike, Mrs. F, was still in the shop so I opted to bring Shirley. So far, the farthest I've brought Shirley was the 10km ride to Manila Bay so I thought that a weekend long ride would be perfect for my touring bike.
Oz and I were supposed to meet at 8AM. But one of his tires exploded while pumping air into it. We were fortunate that it happened inside his room because that would have been an even bigger setback had it happened on the road.
So an hour later, we were off. It was my first time to go to Antipolo by bike so I let Oz take the lead.
The first challenge of the day was the climb along Sumulong highway. Aside from the Matabungkay race I joined a year ago and the city fly-overs, I had no experience in climbing. But I trusted the strength of my legs and my lungs so I pedaled on. I just applied what I know about climbing - go for high cadence not just high power. So I switched my gears and just kept pedaling in the smoothest strokes I can do on my platform pedals. Eventually, I reached Padi's point. To be honest, back then, I thought that was the most unforgiving part of the ride. Little did I know, it was just a warm up.
Eventually, we reached Teresa, Antipolo. It was almost 10:00AM so we opted to eat mirienda in Jollibee. Oz didn't bring a lock. Good thing my U-lock was big enough for both of our bikes. After refilling our stomachs with food and our hydration bottles (I accidentally left mine at home, good thing Oz lent me his) with water, we set out.
I look awkward
Our next pitstop, if I remember correctly, was at a store in Tanay.
Shirley takes a breather while Oz buys his Gatorade
This was actually the point wherein OZ asked me to decide where to go next.
Which way to go?
The choice was to either go straight along Manila East road then turn around after a few kilometers., or to go left and go up the Sierra Madre loop. When Oz asked me, my only thought was the uphill climb that we have to go through to go back to Antipolo, so I told Oz that we should just try the Sierra Madre. Oz had gone through it before and I've always been curious to try it so it sounded like the better option.
After a brief respite, we were on our way up the mountains. After only a few kilometers, the climbs started. Yup, it's plural. And it got steeper and steeper. The climbs seemed endless for me. At one particular point, I actually stopped and stretched my thighs because I was afraid of getting cramps. Then I took the photos of the ever-winding climb.
Looking back
Looking forward, it's just the same - more climbing and with no end in sight
Below, someone left his sole
And so Oz and I pushed through. We pedaled our way through long climbs and brief descents. We powered through the "Black Wall" (because according to Oz, that was a point wherein cyclists would "black out" from exhaustion). I didn't blackout but I really had to stand up on my bike to be able to inch my way through that very steep climb. Shirley is by no means light. She's a voluptuous bike and I had to bring all her kilograms with me up that Black Wall. Remember that U-lock I was so thankful for? It just added more weight to Shirley's well-endowed body. There were several times when I wish I had another lower gear in my bike. But I just told myself, "The next gear is all in my legs". So I continued to climb on.
My double-edged sword
I remember seeing posters of Padre Pio along the way, and eventually we were able to reach the crest of whatever mountain it was that we were climbing.
Boy was I glad to see this flat road
A few minutes upon reaching Brgy. Bayucan, rain started to fall. Upon reaching an intersection (what I believe now to be the intersection of the Tanay-Sampaloc Road and the Marikina-Infanta Highway), we took shelter in a carinderia. We refilled our water bottles and at some banana cue. We thought of eating rice but we figured that bananas are better for fuel. We still had a lot of climbing to do so we needed a quick source of energy.
(Not quite) sheltered from the rain
After a short rest, we headed out into the rain. Biking in the rain wasn't easy. It was really cold, especially when the wind blew. Then there was a stretch of downhill riding. When you're going downhill at 45kph, raindrops feel like needles poking the eyes. It wasn't a pleasant experience. I had to close one or even both of my eyes for a few seconds. Aside from the stinging rain, riding downhill is also dangerous because the slippery roads can make the turns very dangerous. We had to apply our brakes more often than than usual to control our speed. Eventually, our rims ate through our brake pads causing more difficulty in controlling our speed.
We also did a lot more climbing, in the rain. We saw other bikers going through the same route. For a few kilometers, I tried to stay in contact with a group of 6 bikers. They said they came all the way from Fairview and they were doing the loop as part of their race training. On the climbs, I tried my best to stay in contact with their group but the task is harder on flatter roads. Shirley was simply to heavy compared to their aluminum bikes. So there were times when I was all alone on the climbs. I remember a time when I was passing through a road that cut through a mountain or is built in between two mountains. Aside from the falling rain and the sound of my chain, the road was quiet. It was serene and peaceful. It was actually at that moment that I thought to myself that I was in an awesome ride. There were also parts of the ride wherein the road is mostly covered with fog.
Eventually, I reached Cottage Gardens. I saw the biking team take a break so I joined them. They were waiting for one of their teammates who had brake problems. I opted to wait for Oz so we can go through Bosoboso and Cogeo together. The descents were dangerous so I wanted to know if he was safe. The bikers I was with were taking photos of the scenic view. Unfortunately, my phone was acting up so I wasn't able to take any photos.
The scene (via Kontedstories.com)
Me, the bikes, and the rainy scenery
So we went down from Garden Cottages and went up through Bosoboso. Around this time, I got really hungry so I stopped by a vegetable stand along the road and bought some cashew nuts. It was so cold that vendor remarked that my body was already smoking. After eating a handful of nuts and taking a swig from my water bottle, I continued my climb through Bosoboso. I stopped one more time mid-climb to stretch my thigh muscles. The cold weather was making my legs stiff so I needed to do the stretches to prevent my thighs from cramping up.
Before reaching Cogeo, I waited for Oz since I wasn't sure if I'd turn left at the intersection. And so we rode through the busy streets of Cogeo. He warned me that the streets of Cogeo are unforgiving. True enough, after riding through its bumpy roads, my shoulders felt sore. Bad street conditions lead to a lot of vibrations on the bicycles. The wrists and shoulders absorb most of the shocks. So as we went through Cogeo and Marikina, I kept on shrugging my shoulders to help loosen them up.
Along Marcos highway, the homestretch of our trip, Oz decided to go through Temple Drive to cap off our ride. I wasn't particularly enthused by the idea of going through another climb but as always, I was up for it. Oz seemed to have a lot more energy in his legs than I do because I had to pedal a little harder just for me to catch up with him on the straight roads. Eventually, we got through Temple Drive and we parted our ways along Bonny Serrano.
110km in over 6hours of cycling
So far, this ride has been one of the best I've ever done. Obviously, I need to do more long rides like this. I've been such an urban cyclist, I sometimes forget the joy of riding in the open road. I look forward to more impromptu long rides like this. This ride was also a perfect way to break-in Shirley. I'll be bringing her on a tour and I target to ride 100km everyday. This was a good indication of how well Shirley and I work together. All I need to do now is to practice with her carrying more weight.
Things I learned from this ride:
1. Always bring one (or 2) water bottles.
2. For long rides with a lot of climbing, Mrs. F might be better than Shirley.
3. Leave the U-lock at home.
4. I need to get Shirley her own cyclocomputer.
5. I need a better phone for taking pictures.
6. Wear longer socks.
7. Buy a toe clip for that precious upstroke.
8. Bring energy gels on long rides.
The Route (this isn't exactly the route we took, but I guess this is near enough):
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