Having climbed up Fraser the afternoon before, I was relishing the prospect of hurtling down to the bottom before climbing up Genting. Slightly mad, no doubt, but can you blame me? I was first down to Kota Kuala Bharu with an average of about 34 km/h and a max of 65 km/h. Before you ask, the 65 wasn't down a curvy hill road; it was coming down a long straight downhill stretch after the dam. And I wasn't even panting! I love this gear setup. Up boleh, down oso can.
Getting down to the bottom before anyone else has its disadvantages. I had to wait three or four minutes before the next fastest group made it down and nearly an hour before the last of our group got there, partly because Pascal had decided to make his mark on the hill :-) Read about it elsewhere.
Then came the scary part: going up Genting. After a short flat bit to the bottom bit, the pack got strung out. With my max of a 25-tooth sprocket, I wanted to stay a few cogs up so that I could have the satisfaction of shifting down to an easier gear further up the slopes. It didn't last long. I was down to my last cog but one pretty soon and then down to the largest and easiest cog soon after.
Grinding up the slopes, strangely, I didn't cramp and I didn't hurt (that much). I just kept grinding and felt tired and thirsty. At which point, I'd stop and eat a little, sip a little water. I didn't want to walk. I wasn't cramping so walking just seemed pointless. I preferred to just be slow up to the top.
To cut a long story, I did make it to the top. On a compact and an 11/25 cassette! My average dropped from the aforementioned 34 to a 21 to the top of Genting. So what. I made it to the top and that's all that counts. Next time --next time???-- maybe I'll up the ante and try to get up without using the 25.
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