Toba Gran Fondo Day 1 - Race to the top!

Everyone got out before the sun was up because we were due to start riding very early to the starting point where the VIPs would do a flag off to start the event. The early rest the night before was good because everyone looked refreshed and early. I guess all those morning rides at 5am really paid off!

After a quick check on the bike, we rolled off to the starting point in the dark. At the starting point, we regrouped and made last minute checks.

Water bottle (filled with water), checked!
Working lights, checked!
Obligatory selfies and wefies checked!
Waving to the flying drones above us checked!

Not before long, the flag was waved and our ride commenced! Because everyone was wearing the event jersey, it's hard to find fellow Joyriders. Fortunately Joyce had everyone stick a Singapore flag on their bikes so it was easy to identify one another from the rear. Soon enough, there were small groups of Joyriders riding together.

All was easy on the flats as we approached the mountain and that's where the challenge begins. As a newbie cyclist, climbs remain a challenge for me. I mean, there's nowhere in Singapore can you find enough hills to climb in order to train for the kind of elevation required by Toba Gran Fondo.

Like all inexperienced newbie cyclists, I got over-excited and did not pace myself well at the beginning of the climb. Soon I over-exhausted myself and wasn't able to keep up with the peloton. Luckily I found Justin and stuck to his tail as we continued to climb up the mountain, following his pace. We stopped and rest at short intervals so that we don't overheat our 'engines'.

Bearing in mind the nutrition tips that Clarence and Jasmine has shared, I made sure I remembered to take my salt tablet an hour after we started the ride to prevent any cramps. They worked like a charm because I didn't get any leg cramps during the entire ride. Woohoo!

Cyclists behind us eventually failed the prescribed timings at the various checkpoints or got their engines 'overheated', they 'up-lorried' and got picked up by the sweeper vehicles with their bicycles loaded up the truck. Justin and I eventually became the last 2 riders left at the back, engaged in a cat and mouse chase with the sweeper vehicles. Our motivation was not to get picked up by the sweepers as we kept soldiering on up the mountain.

After the intense climb up to the top, we reaped the fruits of our labour as we sped down towards down. Rolling at 40-50 km/h, the gap between the sweeper vehicles were visibly growing. Soon, we reached our lunch checkpoint only to find that lunch was over. We grabbed some buns, had a quick bite and refilled our water bottles.

Luckily we found a few more Joyriders at the checkpoint so Justin and I rode off with them towards the finishing point for Day 1. Fortunately, the climb was mostly over and we were left with mostly flats with some rolling hills. I was cycling behind Sui as her cycling pace was quite comfortable for me. Her husband, Suwandi was leading the way in front of the pack. We made a few pit stops when we came across shelter areas so that our little free-and-easy peloton could re-group and ride together.

With less than 10 km left, everyone rode together to where we thought was the end. Turns out, there was another 500 meters to the finishing point at the resort so we just stopped to take photos at the signboard pointing to the entrance of the resort. The last 500 meters were of a different challenge as the resort was partially built and the roads into the resort weren't paved yet. We encountered lots of potholes, rocks and other precarious things that could either puncture the tubes on our bikes or send us flying head first down the slope. We rolled down the slopes cautiously and I kept behind Suwandi as he bravely navigated the dangerous path ahead.

Slowly but surely, everyone made it to the resort without any accident. *Thumbs up*

Tired and wary, everyone checked in their bikes, collected their luggages from the organisers and checked in to their rooms to rest before dinner time. I had a quick shower, left everything out in the balcony to dry and went to bed within 10 minutes. while some Joyriders who still had enough energy to check out the resort and scenery of Lake Toba.

Dinner was again, buffet-style so needless to say, nobody went back to their rooms without their tummy stuffed. Some of us opted for the obligatory post-dinner drinks, discussing the route for tomorrow's ride before we ended the night.