Dilemma Dileeema

[Tri Girl]

Singapore has an area of 693 sq km (268 sq mi). Comparatively, the area occupied by Singapore is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. Singapore Island extends 41.8 km (26 mi) ENE – WSW and 22.5 km (14 mi) SSE – NNW and has a coastline of 193 km (120 mi)

current population - 4.5 million residents
vehicles registered - 894,682

Well dang, that sounds like a teeny tiny overpopulated place. No wonder it's not so much fun to ride.
I can understand why you don't feel much motivation. I might feel the same. I guess there are no parks or trails (even if only a mile long or so?).
I'm glad you decided to go. I think it might be good for your soul to get out and put in some long miles. I hope you have a great time!!! I remember reading about your last trip. I can't wait to hear about this one.

[deeaimond]

I'm back!

and i survived very well (asides from the group drama, as is always, and the huge egos getting hurt- all men, i was the only girlie)

hills were tough, but slow and steady wins the race. at the end of the 2 days i moved from last in the pack to first few not because i got faster by too much, just the rest were too tired.

as well as the ego and hunger fuelled dramas, (big male egos and poor planning meant missed meals!!) one group member got stung by something while riding and had a massive allergy reaction... he swelled up like a balloon, in the middle of nowhere, fortunately, someone's dad was driving behind us for the trip there and could drive him to the next town.

for me, there was just one point where i almost bonked, fortunately i always have a bottle of Tang+sea salt drink on the bike. that saved me till we found the banana stand(small roadside shack selling of all things, bananas! really amazing coincidence, just what the pack of us needed most!. ! never been so glad to see a banana stand in my life.

I forgot to bring my camera home from work, but my friend was taking pictures so maybe another time i'll try to get some from him.

total distance clocked - about 310km / 192 miles
not too shabby for a once a week rider!

[Tri Girl]

Congrats, deeaimond! Yeah, men and their egos.
I'm glad you went and that you had a good time!! If you get some pics, we'd love to see them.

[deeaimond]

Congrats, deeaimond! Yeah, men and their egos.
I'm glad you went and that you had a good time!! If you get some pics, we'd love to see them.

someone was really quick and put up some group photos on the group forum
http://woodlandz.road2us.com/forum.htm

for scenery pictures, it will have to wait

[shootingstar]

Am curious, do you think there are many women in Singapore who cycle long distances /for fitness vs. functional/leisurely/recreational cycling? Have you heard of a local racing oriented group of women? That would be one indicator.

[deeaimond]

i would think most women in Singapore who cycle do so for fitness. Few people do it for functionality etc.

I'm not sure iff there are women specific groups, most are mixed gender. Most of the women i do see out on the road are with large groups of men. I guess there aren't enough women in one location to form a group of just women.

personally, i like mixed groups better, its not putting down women or anything, just my personal feeling. As it is there are alot of group politics in cycling, esp one that is based on location (people all live in the area) and even among other groups I know. It would be harder to distance yourself from group politics if it were an all women group. I just want people to cycle with. I do not need extra drama in my already very busy life. And trivial drama at that. With a men's group, just pretend you don't know what the men are saying and then let them deal with their own issues.

Female cyclists in Singapore are mostly looking for a fitness sport, or tagging after their boyfriends/husbands. former group can be extremely competitive, latter group can be plain annoying.

I've yet to meet any female cyclist i've enjoyed riding with (well there was one, but she lives on the other tip of the country... so i havent ridden with her in a long time) so, i just enjoy riding with the men and stay away from group drama

edit: oh yes i do recall seeing a one group of women, they looked very competitve and were speeding along one sunday morning. it was in a location far away from my home so i bet they're some pro athlete types and i'm happy trundling along at my 25km/hr pace. so i'll leave that alone. hhaha...

[colby]

Good to see you made it back and had a good time!! I agree with Tri Girl, pictures would be awesome.