The 4th Annual Malakoff Charity Ride concluded 10 days ago but the sights and sounds of the ride still lingers in my mind. Cyclists hanging on to support vehicles as their thighs and calves cramped, the vast paddy fields as far as the eyes can see and local folks happily waving to the passing peloton were some of the many familiar sights as we headed for our 3-day ride from Yan, Kedah to Krabi, Thailand, via Wang Kelian and Trang.

This was the furthest and most challenging ride so far held by Malakoff, at 530km in distance. On the first day itself, the cyclists have to face tough terrains in Perlis and the last 10km of the 190km was the nastiest climb ever in Malakoff’s charity ride history. Even the toughest of cyclists gave up on the last 5km of the ride as the climb was very steep.

The second day, with a total distance of 180km, cyclists braved themselves in the rain for almost half of the ride. They started riding from the border of Wang Kelian at approximately 8am (Thailand time) and passing through peaceful Muslim villages in Thailand. The foreign signboards greeted the cyclists as they went by. The roads were as beautiful as the vast natural landscape as the road shoulders were wide and potholes were almost non-existent.

The rain that soaked the cyclists halfway through the ride didn’t dampen their spirits. In fact, not many cyclists stopped to nurse their cramps! Maybe it’s because the route was only slightly undulating and thankfully less rolling to cause cramps. The superb home-cooked lunch welcomed the cyclists and crew near Tom Yam town that were eagerly devoured by the hungry cyclist. At approximately 3pm the cyclists arrived in Watana Park Hotel in Trang for a well-deserved rest.

In Trang, some took the opportunity to treat themselves to Thai massages that costs around RM30 for 2 hours while some went into the town and visited the night market for some souvenirs.

The third day was blazing hot for the finale. Although the day started with a 10-minute ride in the rain, the cyclists were fooled into thinking that the day would be cloudy throughout and their skins would be saved from sun tan. It was hot all the way from kilometer 50 onwards that forced them to drink at least every 10 minutes on the bike. Some even had to stop to take a leak as the volume of water that they had consumed on the bikes threatened to burst their bladders.

At last, they reached Krabi Heritage Hotel in Krabi at approximately 4pm, all satisfied and sunburnt. After reaching the 530-kilometer mark from the start, the cyclists set aside the aches and pains for a while to take the opportunity to photograph their arrival in Krabi as a proof that their weekly training had paid off.

Congratulations to all cyclists and the wonderful supporting crew and see you again next year for another edition of Malakoff Charity Ride!

A big thank you to En Ahmad Jauhari continuous support for the Ride and to the committee for organizing this event!

Facts of the ride:

• The charity ride managed to collect RM 73, 880 from Newwin Engineering, Alstom Services, Rajah & Tann, Allianz Insurance, Algo Tech, Integrated Engineering Services, Sime Darby Energy PDP, Malaysian Coal Integrated Engineering, Sterling Insurance Brokers, Teknologi Tenaga Perlis Consortium, Global E-Teknik, Genting Sanyen Power, Inno Quantum, ISHI Power, KAF Investment Bank, Petronas Gas, Rangkai Positif, Shakab Enterprise, Sumi Power Malaysia, TOS Energy, Bank Rakyat, Al Rajhi Bank, Alcim Technology, Aras Marine, Bank Muamalat Malaysia, Tita Tech Engineering, Randy Tan & Ivie Ong, CIMB Islamic Bank, Rentak Jitu, PBJV Group, Dyna Dinamik, Zastra.

• The charity was distributed to 6 charity homes in Yan and Wang Kelian - Rumah Budi Yan Kedah, Rumah Amal Yan Kedah, Pusat LAtihan Dalam Komuniti Yan, Pertubuhan, Kebajikan Anak Yatim Perlis, Rumah Seri Kenangan Kangar, PDK Indera Kasih, at RM11, 480 each - and RM5, 000 to the community of Trang and Krabi, Thailand.

L-R: Kapten Faisal, Ibrahim, Razak and En Ahmad Jauhari chatting before the start of Day 2.

1. The oldest participant was Kapten Faisal Mohamed, who is 68 years old

2. The youngest participant was Raja Mohd Ikhwan Raja Yahya, who is 16 years old

3. The only lady participant was Muliaayu Ramli, wife of Mohd Nizam Ismail of Tg Bin Power Plant