A HASHing we will go!

I decided to check out the HASH.

Well, it started with all the talk about the days of riding kemansah being numbered on the fakawitribe.com forums. I casually thought… “shit! I must try that place”.

OK, I usually ride the rough stuff but I have been known to dabble in a bit of trail riding with my soulmate in FRIM and between the 2 of us, we have always wanted to check it out. ((plus... Black Beauty has not gone out for a spin for a long time. Back to topic…)

I don’t know what made me click on the HASH website (http://groups.msn.com/klmbh) but I was stoked when I found out that the next HASH was going to be in Kemansah! Sweetlah! Spoke to the wife… and we are set.

Who can I rope in???

I knew Ben Viermann (Team ????) rode a bit of XC so during my usual ride in Kiara I told ben in passing that I wont be riding “next Sunday” because I’ll be doing the HASH. Ben’s eyes poped… “I want to go!” Ben = IN.

Later in the week, somehow… Jason, of the bike boutique, must have found out we were going because I got a text from him asking me for spare forks and skeweres coz he really wanted to do the HASH. Jason = IN.

In the FRM chatroom a couple of nights later, Zure (AG Suspensions Racing) wants in. “But I got no bike!” Little did he know I got an extra hardtail albeit a 4X race bike with one chainring. Hehehe… “I am going to wear my kneed pads!” Why I asked. “I love my knees!” hahaha… Zure = IN.

Day before the HASH, I was riding Kiara with Fadzlee (KSH Cycles/Oakley), Derek (Insane Riders), Aaron (Elemental Riders) and a few others. By then, most of them already know that some of us will be HASHing on Sunday. Fadzlee tried his best to persuade Ben and I to ride Kiara or Kajang. By 10pm, I got a text. Fadzlee = IN.

Another text soon after. Derek = IN.

0830. My House. RV point. Fadzlee to pick Zure up at 0700.

0800. Ben calls. Fadzlee at Zure’s apt. but his phone is off (Zure watched the WC race earlier in the morning. Hahaha). I call Zure’s alt. no. Ringing. Sorted. Change plans. Meet at Taman Melawati.


Carpark Taman Melawati. RV point HASH 27th July 2008. Hardtails galore! Soo many!!!

Zure comes up to me. “Rizal, Fadzlee wants to do a wheelie when we flag off!” Hahaha… friend, this is a HASH, not a race!

I yelled to Jason, “Hey, you may want to run down the basic rules and regulations for a HASH to these downhillers here! Hahahaha!!!” Coming close to start time. We got registered. Long or Short? Scenic or Suffer? As typical 1st timers, we went for scenic (should have gone for the Long!!!).

We’re off in the 2nd wave! Scenic wave. Next thing you know, Zure and Fadzlee is gone. OK. Knowing the pedaller Zure and fadzlee is, I thought. Ok. Bye… bye… See you at the carpark while the rest of us enjoyed a slower pace…


A visitor from Germany armed with a Japanese camera and an American bike! Achtung! baby!!!

Nice initial ride on the tarmac to the trail entrance was a gentle introduction to HASHing and its nice to ride in such a big group that basically comprised the MTB community as a whole including DH/FR riders. Hehehe…

My weapon of choice is now a SC Chameleon. Black Beauty. Setup for trail and XC riding complete with dual chain ring, e-13 Dual Ring Security chain guide and a pump!!! Hahaha… that’s as XC as I get. 30lbs of goodness. I really have not ridden Black beauty for a bit so this gave the a great opportunity. I was a bit worried about my tire choice tho. 2.35” Kenda’s Small Block 8s on Mavic XM819’s but that was soon proved to be a waste fo time, worrying that is. The Small Blocks 8’s performed superbly under those conditions. Nice!!!


Jason “tubeless” Tan. Sorry dude, had to be done! Hehehe…


Its just as I had imagined. Its all up hill in 4 stages. Climb flat… climb flat… climb falt… short teaser downhill… climbbbbbbbbb… and then… We’ll come to the end section in a bit.


Push up session

We passed some really beautiful stuff (shows I don’t ride outside Kiara much does’nt it?) and a really beautiful bamboo tunnel along the ride. In truth, the climb was not that bad. We managed to get there pretty easy. Well sometimes we needed to join the crown and push the bike up but definitely nothing like hauling 40lbs of race machine up kiara a few times a day. Hahaha… This was easy. PROVIDED you are on the right equipment. Did I mention our Hero Derek riding a V-10? The terrain was a mix of single track, some technical bits and climbing. did I mention climbing?

But in the end, the trail was relatively fun to ride and not too dificult for a beginner or even a 10 yr old. In fact, a 10 year old did ride (I think he is 10). Mr Simon Jeffries’s kid if I am not mistaken. So there u go. If a 10 yr old can do it, so can u lot.

Back to the last section…

2km of the sweetest singletrack downhill!!! Woo Hoo!!! Reward!!! Before setting out, I remember thinking to my self… “100mm Rockshox Judy and 90mm stem!”. Down we went. That was fun!

Back at the carpark, we arrived and Zure and Fadzlee was already cleaning their bikes and changing. I think they had fun. Looked like they had fun. Zure comes up to me and asks me, “Rizal, so what was your time?”. A racer to the end!

It was fun! It was a good time! I’d do it again.

Rizal
dirtworks-Fakawibikes/Banshee