It was a dark and stormy (ride)....(May 17, 2007)

It was a dark and stormy night...All right, Snoopy used this first but it's an apt description of how I felt riding alone in the wee hours of the morning along the famed Thomson-Mandai route.

Woke up at 5am and started my solo ride in the cool early morning air. Less than ten minutes along Thomson road, I turn left into a side road which takes me to the dark path up along Mandai reservoir.

Rippling like a black mirror with the faint reflection of the clouded moon above, Mandai Reservoir, appears like a landscape out of a dream. A breeze blows over the water and is eerily cold. I must confess this is not the part of the ride that I stop to smell the err... roses. Surrounded by trees which cast skeletal shadows on the aspalth, the Mandai path looked haunted. The chilling air along this route does not help, neither does the fact that there is no rider or any vehicle on the road at this hour. Suffice to say that my speed along this path is faster than usual.

On the return journey back from Mandai and the U-turn at the abandoned Shell station, I overshot the turning back into my favourite creepy Pierce road. Realizing I was heading toward the expressway, I quickly dismount and walk along the side of the highway back to the traffic lights crossing. Big mistake. While walking back to the traffic lights, the rear wheel struck a sharp glass or metal and punctured. I then remembered my friend Jason (my bike sponsor) cautioning me never to ride or go near the sides of roads as they are usually full of sharp debris-not very kind to bike wheels.

I dragged my injured bike back to upper Thomson road, finally reaching a petrol station. The service girl was kind enough to allow me to use the phone as I got nothing on me at all. I was glad to get a cab. And more than happy to load my bike into the cab, head home & live to ride for another day.


PS. Boys Scout's motto: "Be Prepared" is good advice. Ever since this incident, I always make sure that I bring my mobile phone, cash & ID on my rides.