I reach and cross The Wall

Finally, I did it. The Wall is the dangerous and the infamous uphill curve along the way to Timberland Heights, San Mateo, Rizal . The curve is so sharp and steep. It's located just after the Columbary of the Divine Shrine.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to San Mateo, Rizal to attempt to reach The Wall. I parked along the road just before the damaged bridge and brought out AlitePot.

I'm glad the repair of the bridge has started and on going. Only pedestrians, bikes, and motorbikes can pass over the makeshift bridge, which is a narrow plywood.

After crossing the bridge, I pedaled up to The Wall. I made it; and, I was elated. I didn't attempt to go further and turned back.




From Aling Tina's Eatery, I made a second and third runs. But, I reached the Columbary only and turned back. On my fourth run, however, I again reached and crossed the wall up to about a hundred meters beyond. I stopped and rested before proceeding. While resting, I saw a biker climbing up in a zigzag direction. When he passed by me, I greeted him and his style. Then, I followed him in the same style. After reaching another hundred meters, I turned back.

To conclude my ride, I made another run, the fifth, up to Columbary and returned back to where I parked my car.

Ride with typhoon "Santi"

We're in La Vista Balanga Inland Resort at the height of typhoon "Santi" yesterday morning.

When my sister-in-law invited us for an overnight stay in the resort, I'd planned of bringing AlitePot and ride within Balanga City again.

I woke up at around 6:00 am and monitored the weather. It was already windy with light rains. Santi's already nearing. I walked around and surveyed the resort.

By 7:30 am, I put AlitePot out of the car and pedaled one round within the resort. Then, I went out to the highway. After pedaling for about a kilometer along the highway towards the city proper, I decided to go back for safety reasons. The wind's already strong; as the typhoon could be over the area already. The resort's spacious enough to bike around. The adjoining mango orchard was open and I pedaled there too.

After an hour of biking, the wind's getting stronger. It made pedaling laborious. Nonetheless, I continued but took extra precautions and watched for falling trees and branches. Fortunately, none befell upon me. There were times that I stopped biking and sought shelter.

The bad weather calmed at about 10:30. And, I went out to the highway again and pedaled for about 30 minutes.

Here are the pictures of the paths and trails I traversed:

Within the resort:

In the Mango Orchard:

AlitePot taking her bath:

Bike Show at the Manila Auto Salon 2009

The Manila Auto Salon (MAS) 2009 will be held on November 26 - 29, 2009 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. It's beside the SM Mall of Asia (MOA)

It's not all about car and trucks. As an added feature, it has special albeit small section for bikes and bicycles, which will show vintage, resto-mods to modern and contemporary bike and bicycles and scooters too.

Here are the pictures of the bicycles I took at MAS 2008:

Pedaling in standing position

I was in UP Diliman from around 10:00 o' clock this morning to around 2:00 o' clock in the afternoon for my Saturday biking. I prefer this period as there are lesser bikers, joggers, walkers, and strollers around the academic oval.

As part of my training for uphill climb, I practiced pedaling in standing position while climbing the steep roads and driveways. At first, it's very difficult and my bike wobbled. But, after some more tries, it became easier.

Places I'd practiced the pedaling while in standing position:

• At the elbow of Juan Luna St.;
• At the short trail at the back of Executive House;
• At the driveways of UP Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall;
• At the newly constructed roads going to UP Institute of Mathematics;
• At the driveway of UP Pagasa Observatory;
• At the driveway of College of Business Administration.
  

Tomorrow, I'd attempt to climb up The Wall and beyond!

Bike and Row for Proper Nutrition

On October 25, 2009, a biking and rowing event, dubbed as "Wastong Nutrisyon - Bike and Row 2009", will be held.

It's a 30-kilometer mass ride (bike) in Makati-Mandaluyong and Pasay and rowing (row) in Pasig River from Manila. The two groups will meet in Makati-Mandaluyong bridge, where they simultaneously announce their stand for "healthy living and active lifestyle".

There's also a costume contest. Come in with your favorite fruit or vegetable attire.

Click here for more details. Or, for your inquiries, please email wastongnutrisyon@gmail.com or text +639184689413 and+639166910274. You may wish also to visit the Wastong Nutrisyon site.

My red helmet

You may have noticed from my photo shoot that my helmet is colored red. I bought it when I bought AlitePot. Actually, I was choosing between white and red colors. I chose the latter to match with the bike's color.

Its brand is Lazer - X3M model. I got it for P1,400.

Photo of the helmet taken from Lazer website. I took photos of the actual helmet but the resolutions weren't good.

My first photo shoot

I was in San Mateo, Rizal last October 4 for my uphill climb training. I didn't have my camera with me as it's still for repairs. I happened to meet another biker, who gladly took some pictures with his phone and sent them to me via bluetooth:




Thanks buddy!

Exploring University of the Philippines - Diliman (Part 2)

At 1:00 PM today, I left home to bike. I hadn't decided yet where to go. I was choosing between San Mateo, Rizal and UP Diliman. And, the latter won!

Instead of pedaling around the oval, I again explored the places I wasn't able to explore before. Some places I explored were the:

• Delos Reyes St.
• Velasquez St.
• A. Ma. Regidor St.
• Aguinaldo St.
• M. Viola St.
• G. Bernardo St.
• P. Valenzuela St.
• J. P. Laurel St.
• G. Apacible St.
• Agoncillo St.

I also practiced my uphill climb in Juan Luna St. and in the driveway and parking area of the UP Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall. I also found short trails near the Executive House.

After four hours, I packed up.

I almost reach The Wall

I was glad the weather yesterday afternoon was already good in Metro Manila despite super typhoon Pepeng's presence in the northern part of the country.

At about 1 pm, I left home in Novaliches, Quezon City and proceeded to San Mateo, Rizal to resume my uphill climb training. Last Sunday, I wasn't able to train due to very heavy traffic in going to the training site. San Mateo was still in chaos then. The San Mateo - Batasan bridge was full of debris and occupied by residents in the area practically blocking the road; hence the very heavy traffic.

I parked my car in a nearby village along Kambal Road - one of the roads leading to Timberland Heights. The other road from Barangay Ampid is still impassable as portion of the road connected to bridge has collapsed. The bridge itself is not damaged.

Thence, I pedaled uphill towards The Wall. As I reached the Columbary, my new mobile phone message alert went off. It's time to rest anyway; so, I stopped and read the message. It's just a joke message from a friend. After a few minutes of rest, I rode AlitePot and pedaled uphill until I reached an elbow. I thought I had enough and decided to turn back.

At home, I checked my progress from the Google Map and learned that I almost reached The Wall.

Another wet ride

For two consecutive Saturdays, I was forced to pedal in the rain. The first, it was Typhoon "Ondoy" who battered the country. Now, it's Super Typhoon "Pepeng". The former directly hit Metro Manila and dumped worth of one month rain; while, the latter is far away from the metropolis; yet, it still caused rain albeit not heavy.

As a certified bike addict, I was itching to pedal again - rain or no rain. To satisfy my addiction, I just pedaled around inside our village and did more than 10 kilometers only. It's a good timing that as I parked BikePot (my first bike) in our garage, my daughter Jaja had just finished preparing our snacks of taco.

I'm hoping it wouldn't rain the whole day today; so, I could go out and ride.

My new mobile phone

I just bought a new mobile phone - a black Nokia 1208. It's very cheap at P1,450 ($33) only.

Actually, I don't need another phone for communication. I'll just use this phone during my bike rides. It's much smaller and lighter from my other phone, a Nokia Communicator E90, which is bulky and inconvenient to bring and carry on bike rides.

Nokia 1208 and Communicator E90

One feature I like about the 1208 is the flashlight. Also, it would not be heart wrenching if this phone is lost or damaged while riding.

Please click here for the Nokia 1208 specifications.

The 2009 Ilocos Norte Eco-Bike Ride

BRIGADA BISIKLETA welcomes everyone to join the 2009 Ilocos Norte Eco-Bike Ride, on October 18, 2009.

It is a critical mass ride advocating the use of bicycles to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and at the same time maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Assembly time is 5:30 am at 365 Plaza Parking Grounds in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. The 40-km ride will start at 6:30 am. It will pass through Laoag City, Bacarra, Vintar and Sarrat, before heading back to San Nicolas.

Registration is free and raffle prizes shall be given away.

For more information, visit http://brigadabisikleta.multiply.com