KLMBH

Riding the fastest trails in Bukit Kiara: 2K-Apollo Riders:...

bashweb — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:11:25 +0800

Riding the fastest trails in Bukit Kiara: 2K-Apollo

Riders: Alan Knowles - Banshee Spitfire and Olivier Falcoz - Banshee Prime

Music:

“Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet
“El Kitapena” by Manu Chao

—
Promoting a safe and sustainable use of trails in Bukit Kiara and Selangor considered as ones of the finest MTB trails in Asia #SaveBukitKiara

traks.org.my / klmbh.org

Directions To KLMBH #225 @ Kuang, Sunday 30 June 2013

hyhmtb — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:14:00 +0800

Date: 30th June 2013

Time: 09:20 for briefing, 09:30 sharp for On On!!

Venue: Gravel Road off Taman Matang Jaya
GPS Coordinates: N3 15 04.6 E101 34 15.6 / 3.251278, 101.571000

Hares: Ying How, Eric Teo, Mike Kwan, Kevin Vincent Phang, Albert Chua and Mark Lim

Description

The Long is approximately 24km and the Scenic is 14km.

The Bash is set around the Orang Asli village of Kuang. The idyllic setting of a village nestled in the Bukit Lagong Reserve stands in stark contrast to large quarries in the area. The Bash will start along the main gravel road used by the quarry operators and will consist of a mixture of rubber, palm and forest trails. The hares have also built a 300m long single track in a pristine section of forest that will bring the riders on the Long to a pristine swimming area fed by a river that originates deep within Bukit Lagong. The trail is a bit twisty in sections but take the time to inhale and look around and you will notice the beautiful environment that is the forest.

A short break or even a swim in the impossibly cool and refreshing waters is possible but don’t hang too long or risk being cut-off from Long. The Long is an undulating ride made up of a series of hills. There is nothing too steep nor high and of course, all trails are rideable for the fit and strong. The Scenic is less hilly and should be within reach for most riders.

Directions

View Larger Map

1. Drive along the NSE towards EXIT 114 - Hospital Sg Buloh. and exit Toll. Zero trip your meter here

2. Immediately exiting the Toll, you will see Hospital Sg Buloh in front of you. Drive 500m to a T junction. Turn right

3. Km 1.3 – Traffic light junction and pedestrian bridge overhead. Turn right into Jalan Besar which takes you into Kg Melayu Sg Buloh. Lots of stalls, shops selling Thai food, a wet market, nursery, provision shops and shops selling pottery on both sides of the road

4. Km 2.9 – De Chiengmai restaurant where KLMBH held a dinner a few years back

5. Km 3.0 – Junction, continue straight

6. Km 3.3 – OYL factory. You enter the industrial area of Sg Buloh

7. Km 3.5 - Hong Leong Yamaha factory on your left

8. Km 3.8 – Traffic Lights. Factory with curved green roof. Continue straight

9. Km 4.3 – You arrive at Matang Pagar

10. Km 5.5 – Turn right into Jalan Impian when you see the “Stesen Keretapi Kuang” sign board

11.Km 5.8 – Hoarding on your left. Go under the tunnel below the NSE. You will see a sign “Selamat Datang Ke Taman Matang Jaya”. Immediately after the tunnel, turn right into Jalan Matang Jaya 5. You will see 3 storey shops here

12. Km 6.3 – Tian Hwang Plaza on your left. Take the first left and you will see power lines on your left and a tall hedge on your right. This is will lead you to a gravel road. The hash site is located 500m from the junction

On On !

Help Us To Help You: Mountain Biking Code Of Conduct

bashweb — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:40:17 +0800

Know where you’re going - there’s no Search & Rescue Team out there
Keep to the track and don’t speed (well, not too much…) - travel within your own capabilities, and have regard for walkers. And pythons
If the trail is wet, choose another trail or day ride - tracks erode more easily when wet
If when riding you come across a muddy section, go through it, not around it - this helps stop the trail from widening. Yup, your bike will be muddy
Ride only on open fire trails, don’t make new ones - there are many kilometres of trail already. And join us at TRAKS Days
Carry your bike across soft streambeds if an engineered crossing is not available - stirring up the streambed kills aquatic fauna. And doesn’t clean up your bike
Travel in small groups to minimise impact on other trail users and wildlife - this helps to lessen the impact
Don’t ride around fallen trees or rocks, help keep the trail narrow - valuable vegetation grows on the edges of tracks. Your bike isn’t that heavy to lift anyway
Don’t ride over trailside vegetation - you could roll over Kiara’s python
Don’t skid or break slide, apply brakes evenly, both on front and back - helps to avoid erosion. You’re not featured on PinkBike anyway
Slow down when encountering other users - especially horse riders - this reduces the risk of accidents. Even they’re from the Berjaya Equestrian Center
Don’t shortcut across hair pin bends - bends and zigzags help to reduce erosion. Strava doesn’t care
Ride over water bars, not around them - this prevents the trail from widening. And improves you bunny hops skills

Putrajaya Challenge Park Gets Hammered Hope you did enjoy your...

bashweb — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:31:40 +0800

Putrajaya Challenge Park Gets Hammered

Hope you did enjoy your last run on the “Free Cross Trail” aka the Red Run, No. 16 on the Map. This is now how it looks like… quick chat with the workers showed they’re building a “memorial”.

A memorial to what…? Stupidity?

Najib Commits To “50% Permanent Forests”... Really? Save Bukit Kiara Then !

bashweb — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:10:23 +0800

Najib Commits To “50% Permanent Forests”... Really? Save Bukit Kiara Then !:

Serious…?

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has renewed his pledge for a greener Malaysia and wants to see at least 50% of the country

Announcing the First Enduro Asia MTB… Sep. 22d 2013 @ Bukit...

bashweb — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:58:00 +0800

Announcing the First Enduro Asia MTB…

Sep. 22d 2013 @ Bukit Kiara, Malaysia

Riders: Alan Knowles, Greg Philips, Sam Middlehurst, Chris Cable, Ronan Jezequel, Olivier Falcoz

Read more: http://www.enduroasia-mtb.com/

Bashlog: KLMBH #224, Sunday 02 June 2013 @Lembah Berengin

bashweb — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:11:49 +0800

KLMBH #224 Long Ride by Scott “TDF” Roberts

View it on Garmin Connect
Download the .gpx file

KLMBH #224 Short Ride Report, Sunday, 2 June 2013 @ Lembah Beringin

bashweb — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:55:11 +0800

Not having ridden the Bash in a very long time, about 4 years, I was a little apprehensive. Will my knee hold up? Am I fit enough to get round? Will I get lost? Will I remember how to use the gears? Pushing all the questions aside I overcame the first hurdle and got myself to the bash site (starting point? Does it even have a proper name?) without scraping my bike off the roof rack at the tolls.

Somehow at registration I ended up signing up as a member – how did that happen? Clearly the Bash has become more hard-sell since my last outing. So, RM70 the poorer I went back to the car and set about assembling the bike. I was pleased to find that I had remembered to bring the front wheel – always a concern. Another concern was that it seemed to be terribly hot. After exchanging a few ‘it’s terribly hot’ conversations with familiar faces and stocking up on Hammer Gels, I retreated to the shade by my car to await the briefing. Unlike registration, the KLMBH briefing hasn’t changed at all. An exhausted-looking hare does his best to explain what we are to face while 50 plus people gather round, carry on with their personal conversations and largely ignore him. Note to self – next time leave bike aside somewhere and squeeze through the crowd on foot to be within in earshot of the hare. I managed to glean that on the short ride I would be following square paper, there were no checks (Fab, I have never quite understood the point of them. Someone has already figured out the route so why do we have to pretend to have lost the way and put in all that extra distance looking for it?) and, from the waving of red and white hazard tape, there were some kind of hazards.

On On! And then everyone else moved off. Not wanting to be one of the hazards I waited and followed at the back where I met Ying How and Ai Ling. I generously offered to ride with them and provide assistance if HYH found himself struggling at any point. We had a nice easy start along tarmac roads passing partially inhabited terraces of houses and others only partially built. The golf course was in better shape and looked to be more popular than the housing. I was just beginning to think that this bashing lark was not quite as tough as I remembered when there was a hill. What gear am I in? What do I press to make it easier? Things were suddenly getting terribly technical when thankfully we met someone with a flat who wanted help - a marvellous excuse to stop. Ai Ling and I supervised while HYH helped the damsel in distress, then with much frantic gear changing and some alarming crunching noises coming from the chain I made it up the hill.

And then it all became a bit of a blur – not from the speed of any of my descents, you understand, but from the oil palm and more oil palm nature of the terrain. Variety was provided at one point by a section of rubber, but for the most part we followed trails wending their way through rows and rows of oil palm. I know it is not very PC to like oil palm but to ride through I think it is great. The tracks are wide enough that I can trundle along slowly on one side and there is plenty of room for speedier souls to pass. There is also plenty of shade, it is really green and you meet the occasional cow. The downside is of course that it all looks the same and the cows crap in the middle of the trail. Today’s oil palm was no exception. The tracks were ride-able even for me and the hills were not too demoralizing. There was one I had to walk up, but as I have been out of action for a while I am going to allow myself that. The obligatory group of alarmed cattle had such a cute calf with them that I had to forgive them their lousy toilet habits.

Scattered at intervals along the route we negotiated the hazards – a large ditch to carry our bikes across and some stream crossings involving a bit of a scramble. After nearly 2 hours of riding we emerged from the shade to the openness of the strange ghost town area where, at a guard house in the middle of nowhere, I stopped to take advantage of the “KLMBH Fruit and Drinks Sale”. Some children here sold me chilled melon and a can of 100Plus which saw us through the last couple of shadeless kilometres.

So, I discovered my knee did hold up, I am fit enough to get round and I did not get lost. I could do better when it comes to using the gears, but then that is what the next bash is for.

Rebecca Thomason

KLMBH #224 Long Ride Report, Sunday, 2 June 2013 @ Lembah Beringin

twodogsroberts — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:43:00 +0800

Venue: Lembah Beringin

Date: Sunday, 2 June 2013

Hares: Nik Mohd Zaim, Lembah Beringin boys and Beringin Bikerz Club

Alright, let’s jump right to the point. Verdict on the bash? F***ing awesome. Yes, I said it, I think this was a really well done ride, and even more so since it was done by newbies. This gang has never set a ride before, and they went out and created something in Lembah Beringin that needs to be ridden again and again. If this was Britain’s Got Talent show, you clearly would have made it to the next round!

To be honest, I went here today thinking that I needed to manage my expectations; know that paper would be scarce, paper would be confusing, checks would be too easy, the ride wouldn’t be that scenic, and everything else negative that I could think of which typically comes when we have virgin Hares. You have now debunked that perception. Well done guys and thank you.

A little more details than just this!

Ages ago I used to run in Lembah Beringin and we parked nearby the Sekolah before it was even built. This was in the late 90s just after the Asian Economic Crisis. It was meant to be a place for people to live to escape the city, yet still close enough to commute to KL on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the economic crisis impacted the developers and people in general, and the area became full of abandoned properties. Those abandoned properties still dot the landscape as could be seen by the link homes directly across from the school, but the area seems to be having a bit of a revival.

I hit the nail on the head with one or two predictions for the day, but was squashed with a couple of others. One prediction was that it would take 30 minutes to reach LB… Well, thanks to the new wheels, I made it there in 28 minutes from Desa Sri Hartamas J. I think Rob could have made in about 20 minutes or less in his suped up Audi. When I arrived at 8 am he, Alan and Jerry already had the canopies set up, but with only Alan’s Honda CRV sitting there. Eh? No yellow Banshee car?! No Audi?! Seems they had a group hug experience and all shared a ride to the bash site!

The other piece that was accurate was that there were rolling hills, but what I forgot was that the southwest quadrant of the area was a wee bit more than just rolling. Sorry guys for those who I told “oh, it’s all just rolling hills”!!! I did say that if I was wrong it was Rob’s fault and not mine, so I stand vindicated of any wrongness spouting from my mouth!

And slowly more and more people trickled in. I’m surprised that there weren’t hordes of KLMBHers in attendance, though. What was the count at the end of the day? 150? Was there a recount on the election results from GE13 going on someplace? Another protest gathering? Or were people worried about my other erroneous prediction; newbies setting a ride?! Again, squash that for future reference … all of us J!

Interesting to note how many families came today; fathers and sons, husbands and wives, or the entire family. Superb! Of course I had to practice subliminal advertising with Conrad’s son, Harry. He was riding what has to be one of the smallest bikes I’ve ever seen ridden on a bash. Told him that as he grew bigger and needed an upgrade, to make sure that he asked for “Shimano XTR components and a composite frame.” Harry furiously scribbled notes and firmly lodged it in his mind, much to the chagrin of Conrad!

Then there was Shiney with his son, Noah. Now here is a poor state of affairs if I’ve ever seen it. Can you imagine having to ride with Shiney all the time, let alone listen to him? My gosh. I wonder if he launches into his non-stop wisecracks with his son like he does with us?! Actually, I think he probably was … since somewhere along the ride, towards the end, we came across them climbing a hill in reverse. Shiney claims he was taking a piss when Noah kept riding, but that’s bollocks. We know he was talking so much, didn’t pay attention to paper, and the next thing they knew they were going in the wrong direction! Well done, dad!!!

And shame on you, husbands, for not paying attention to your wives! I think one lass a) won’t be riding for a while and b) won’t be talking to her hubby for the next few days. The night before, he said “come and join me for an easy ride with the KLMBH, honey. It’ll be nice to do a little us time on the trails.” I wonder if she was thinking about that when she endo’d on one of the descents! Now, I didn’t see this happen, but I hope she doesn’t have any scrapes and bruises on her face. Imagine having to sit next to her at dinner while being scolded for bringing her along and … trying to keep a straight face as you looked at the bandages! Okay, probably not totally accurate, but my over-active mind just has this image stuck up there J.

Then there is Mike Phoon. His wife, Evanna, has really been scorching the trails in Kiara becoming almost as fit as Mike is, and probably better at technical climbing than he is. However, when Mike and I got back to the Bash site today, he waited and waited and waited and waited. Pondering where said wifey was! While on the trail still, said wifey managed to post on FaceBook how hot of a day it was and how Mike Kwan was needed to repair a sidewall tear in her lovely, sort of new, 29er wheel! So, Mr. Phoon, a) why haven’t you taught her how to repair a tire problem and b) why weren’t you there to help her?!!! Case-in-point, Patrick Potvin even rode with his girlfriend, Aida, and helped her repair about five flats along the way! Now there’s a real man … staying with the better half! Ooops. Okay, so Liz also had her own gear problems today, saved by Loon J. As the scribe, I won’t elaborate on that!

Let me jump around some more and go to the start of the ride! This began at almost 9:30 am following a superb briefing by Nik, our illustrious lead hare. Told us that long was on shredded paper, short on square paper and that the two intersected each other about three times. He also gave just the right amount of knowledge on what to expect, had tape in his pocket to show us what he did for the cautious areas, etc. Brilliantly stated. On-On.

My company for the entire ride was the super fit Oskar (with a “k” from Sweden) who is a gentleman … much better than our other fellow FROPs who tried to abandon us later on! As we set off, I remember how at an earlier Bash he was a little stunned at the heat of KL having arrived in October 2012 from the colder climates of Northern Europe! Well, he now seems well acclimatized having literally soared up the hills that I told people didn’t exist, leaving me in the dust more oft than not! The surroundings were full of sunny, blue skies, spindly Acacia Mangium trees, double-track plantation roads and did I mention hills? I mean hills with real climbs? Climbs that were brutal in the open terrain on a hot and sunny day?! Oh, but it was only rolling hills, right?!

The first check was 5.5-km from the start of the ride and this was pretty much a piss to break. No imprints in the grass going forward, so after a lesson in American Indian pathfinding to Oskar, we turned around and went in the forward direction onto paper. And another lesson here for the fellow FROPs that joined us later (e.g. Roberto, Mike Phoon and a few others): we waited at the start of the paper until we were certain that a) the paper was closed and b) our fellow FROPs were there to continue the pleasant ride together!!!

On-On. More damn hills in the sun!!! Did I say there were hills? And man did we climb this time around … at around the 8-km point we started to go vertical. I was able to ride the first steep climb up loose gravel, and just kept grinding away on my lovely 2-10 gear train. Oskar, in front of me, rounded a bend and disappeared. When I rounded the bend I thought “oh shit” … because the road was still climbing … and up near the top was our Acclimatized Swede still on his saddle. I tilted my bike to the side, planted right foot, unclipped, and started walking. Looking at my heart rate monitor at this point, it was at 187 bpm. What’s that formula for max heart rate?!!! 220 – age? Shit. I died back there since I was over my max according to normal medical science!

Climbing back into my saddle just after that section, we continued to ascend to the peak where, at 185-meters elevation, we encountered a panoramic view of the entire area; 365 degrees of majestic scenery as far as the eye could see. Great view … oh … and Check #2. Sh**. This meant only one direction to go to check … somewhere down!!! Yours truly went forward and was a kind soul letting my fellow FROPs rest. What a gentleman I am, see Mike and Roberto, take note!!! Fellow FROPs help out fellow FROPs! We look after our own J. After going down for 200 meters, I found zippo, nada, zero, rien de tout … and turned around to push my bike back up to the bl**dy check. Didn’t I say to someone that newbie hares don’t know how to set good checks? That they would all be a piece of cake? Nik, hats off to you!

Back up and over the hill. Off goes Megat to the back-right trail, and yours truly said “stuff it” to checking anymore. Someone, Tom (?) went to the left where he soon paper. The problem was that we didn’t know if it was him or Megat calling, and despite repeatedly asking if it was Megat who found paper, he didn’t say “yes or no”! So I bombed down, found the start of paper, caught up with Tom, and we both waited until people joined us. After being assured by Lloyd that the paper was being closed, we all, together, took off. Mike and Roberto, take note at how friendly we all are to one another J!

When we finished that excellent descent, we eventually hit a tarmac road that was quite pleasant; shaded, flat, two orang asli’s bathing in their skivvies in a stream that we passed, little orang asli huts dotting the side of the road, and into palm we came. Right about here, in a nicely shaded area on vivid green grass, we encountered a sign for drinks and food with a Perodua Kancil parked in the shade and an umbrella at the back. I think it said something like “KLMBH Sale: food/ drinks” … and it wasn’t free. Darn. Screw this … keep going! I think this was one of the co-hares or a friend of a friend helping out to make money off of the suffering we were facing! Did anyone stop to take advantage of this roadside treat at 13.3-km into the ride?!

Now, here’s where my bubble burst. I was completely let down by my fellow FROPs when we encountered Check #3! This was at 14.2-km in to the ride, and the check was nestled in the trees on a terrace in stunningly beautiful palm estate. Vivid green colors all over the place; green palm trees, green grass, green moss covered estate road, green sky … sorry … I mean blue skies and … rolling hills … these were the rolling hills I remembered … and the area was real shitty. I mean, there was cow shit everywhere! And cows! I guess that if their dumpings are here, the likelihood of the cows being somewhere nearby increases with time!

Okay, so Roberto goes forward, I go forward, Roberto goes back to the check, I do too, but I continue downwards and check where we came in. I turn around, go back to the check, and my fellow FROPs are gone … all in the span of 2 minutes. WTF?!?!?! I hear On-On being called above me, so I short cut in front of Ian by climbing the terraces to get to the road above, and soon find paper. Chew was closing it like a good lad (thanks Chew). About 200-meters of gentle climbing, I come upon the good natured, fellow FROP, a true gentleman … Oskar … waiting for me! What a nice guy. I ask him, where are the others? He said “about two minutes in front”. WTF?????

I told him, “we’ll catch them on the downhills … Mike doesn’t go fast on those sections, especially if there’s loose gravel! ” Well, we climbed all the way to the top of this hill, skirted onto a palm terrace, and began a series of absolutely smashing downhill sections, both on terraces as well as double track road. Soon, we made a sharp right off the double track onto more single track. This section was great! Tight single track, all rideable, and we were able to blast by the slower rides; some of whom were now Short riders … we had rejoined the Short ride somewhere back there!

After rudely blasting by a few riders on this narrow trail, we eventually came upon a stream crossing, and lo-n-behold, there was Mike and Roberto. Hello there!!! Who are you guys? We don’t recognize you? Are you friends of ours? No, can’t be. Maybe in a previous life … and we spewed, and spluttered by them, ignoring Conrad and Harry trying to cool off in peace in the river. Think we flung Harry aside as we cursed and swore at our former friends, clawing our way up on the other side of the embankment! On-On back onto more fast and flowy single track trail!

This section of shaded trail eventually took us into the back of Lembah Beringin on the road that connects Lembah Beringin to Kerling. Here, we exited, turned left onto the road, turned right at the guard shack/ boom gate, then went back into trails that weaved on abandoned land that was ultimately meant for housing back in the 90s. Coming back onto the road a short distance later, we then cruised up to our cars and the Bash Canopies.

Total distance was 26.6-km, 658-meters of ascending on those rolling hills, and a total of 2 hours to complete.

Now, the scribe report doesn’t end here. On behalf of the KLMBH we need to do a bit of preaching.

Anyone who doesn’t carry at least 2-liters of water, preferably 3-liters, on a KLMBH ride is a daft idiot.

Regardless of whether you’re riding the long or short. Rule-of-thumb is that our body needs to consume 1-liter of water per hour during strenuous exercise. If you expect to be out there longer than 2-hours, carry three liters of water.

The next time that someone fails to do this, and you face problems, we are leaving them out there on your own.

Also note that hot days, which surprisingly exists in KL, tends to sap people’s energy more and cause electrolyte imbalance. This equates to exhaustion and a potential for cramping. Hydration salts, electrolytic replacement supplements, and energy bars/ gels are essential. Bring them next time, or crawl back on your own.

Signing off for the night.

Two Dogs!

Announcing the First Enduro Asia MTB… Looking for the best trail...

bashweb — Thu, 30 May 2013 11:27:55 +0800

Announcing the First Enduro Asia MTB…

Looking for the best trail rider in Asia… the search begins! Are you the one?

Riders: Greg Philips and Olivier Falcoz

Directions To KLMBH #224 @ Lembah Beringin, Sunday 02 June 2013

bashweb — Tue, 28 May 2013 16:08:00 +0800

Nah, that’s not Lembah Beringin… this is Flange shreddin’ in Kiara ! Next time you guys send better pictures !

Venue: Lembah Beringin

Date: Sunday 02 June 2013

Time: As usual, briefing will be at 9.15am, Bash start at 9.30am. There will be no rubber time…

Hares: Nik Mohd Zaim, Lembah Beringin boys and Beringin Bikerz Club

Location: GPS coordinates 3.581279 , 101.533176 / +3° 34’ 53.30”, +101° 31’ 59.39”

Park along the road side of Sekolah Kebangsaan Lembah Beringin.

View Larger Map

Description from The Hares

The Long Ride

25km mixture of plantations, rubber and stream crossing. Similar route as short but with an additional 10km of double track and inclusive of the highest climb of this Bash, steep-ish for average riders. Sunblock lotions is a must for all long riders. The Long Ride follows on shredded papers and targeted 3 checks.

The Short Ride

15km mixture of plantations, rubbers and stream crossing. Starting off on road together with Long riders before splitting apart on second junctions where short turn left while Long riders turn right. After 8km on bike, short rider will eventually joining back with the Long ride route by venturing into single track and stream crossing. Moozie repellent is a must. The Short Ride follows on square papers and no checks [WTF?!?].

As for the kids joining the short, should not be a major problem as long as adults are following, just to make sure that the kids able to have fun without any nasty things happen at the singletrack sections and the stream crossing.

Directions

Proceed on Jalan Duta towards Jalan Duta toll gate of North-South Highway
Drive from Duta toll towards the directions of Tanjung Malim/Ipoh
Drive about 58kms before turning left to the exit toll of Lembah Beringin (Which is the next exit after Bukit Tagar)
Exit toll Lembah Beringin and drive about 1km before turning left on the first junction to Jalan Lembah Beringin 1 (You will notice a Lembah Beringin Golf Club signage at the junction)
Drive about 1.2km by passing a small guard house and golf course on your right hand side. On seeing a mosque ahead of you, turn left on the junction before the mosque
Park accordingly along the road side of Sekolah Kebangsaan Lembah Beringin and the futsal cour

GPS coordinates 3.581279 , 101.533176

On On !

The fastest trails in Bukit Kiara - Around the Mountain,...

bashweb — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:12:00 +0800

The fastest trails in Bukit Kiara - Around the Mountain, Flintstone’s Playground and Lower Carnival

Riders: Alan Knowles - Banshee Spitfire, Olivier Falcoz - Banshee Prime, Ronan Jezequel - Santa Cruz Blur

— The Trail Association Of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (TRAKS) promotes a safe and sustainable use of trails in Bukit Kiara and Selangor considered as ones of the finest MTB trails in Asia

#SaveBukitKiara

Found In Bukit Kiara: Puppies For adoption Sorry for the...

bashweb — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:07:00 +0800

Found In Bukit Kiara: Puppies For adoption

Sorry for the only-slightly-related post, but in his walks in the Bukit Kiara forest a friend has come upon several abandon puppies.

They are maybe 1 month old and active, but can not survive long living in the forest reserve alone. Your home or even the backstreet rubbish bin is better place. If you have the resources and want to liven up your home, consider taking one of them. He’s keeping them alive for a short while longer. We also don’t want ferals barking up the trails, competing with the native residents, so help him clean them out. They will be gone soon one way or another, and we’re not talking JLN’s way of slash and plow ‘til it’s a bare muddy desert.

Help Kiara, help your home, and help the pups…

Follow your front wheel !

bashweb — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:05:00 +0800

Follow your front wheel !

How can i register as a member?

bashweb — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:01:02 +0800

If you wish to join as a member, bring along RM70 (actually one RM50 note and two RM10, you get the idea) at the next Bash location, fill in a form at the Bash registration counter and you’re in for one year! Member’s fee for Juniors under 18 is just RM50.

Alternatively, you can head to the Membership Registration Page and proceed with your online registration right now !

Or, if you are not sure whether you want to become a member? Easy; give it a try by riding as a guest while paying a guest fee of RM15. If after the ride you decide that the Bash is the bees’ knees, the most fun you have had with your clothes on and you’re craving for more, then you can join as a member by paying the difference. Of course, this is same-day valid only.

MTB vs. bulldozers: A picture is worth a thousand words - Photo...

bashweb — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:08:00 +0800

MTB vs. bulldozers: A picture is worth a thousand words - Photo by Vincent Lim

Chris Akrigg - five

bashweb — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:47:08 +0800

Chris Akrigg - five

GE13: The Two Candidates' Pledge For Gazetting Bukit Kiara

bashweb — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:03:00 +0800

Friends Of Bukit Kiara (FoBK), the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and the Trail Association Of Kuala Lumpur And Selangor (TRAKS) holds a dialogue with the two GE13 candidates for the Segambut parliamentary seats, Lim Li Peng and Jayanthi Devi Balaguru, whereas they will pledge to gazette Bukit Kiara once elected.

The planned destruction of Bukit Kiara by JLN, DBKL and Berjaya

Candidate Lim Li Peng (Democratic Action Party) Makes Green Pledge To Save Bukit Kiara As Permanent Forest Reserve

Candidate Jayanthi Devi Balaguru (Barisan Nasional) Makes Also A Green Pledge To Save Bukit Kiara As Permanent Forest Reserve

Former French President Jacques Chirac, was quoted saying “A politician’s promises only bind those who believe them.” People of Segambut, it’s up to you to engage now and prove this is wrong.

The Battle To Save Bukit Kiara, A National Treasure - By Chui Lim

bashweb — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:00:57 +0800

“There is no greater calamity than to under-estimate the strength of your enemy. For to under-estimate the strength of your enemy is to lose your treasure. Therefore, when opposing troops meet in battle, victory belongs to the grieving side” - Lao Tze

In Defence Of A De-fence-less Bukit Kiara

It began in late 2011 with the erection of an unsightly metal fencing 3.6 meters high along the famed trails of the forest in Bukit Kiara. (coordinates 3°8′5″N 101°38′28″E). Dubbed The Great Wall “ by TRAKS (Trails Association of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor), the battle-cry was sounded when bulldozers moved into a tranquil, defence-less Bukit Kiara to clear swathes of forest to make needless temporary tracks and roads causing collateral damage to flora and fauna, soil erosion, pollution to pristine streams downhill and fragmentation of existing trails network.

These trails have been designed and painstakingly crafted by TRAKS volunteers for bikers, hashers, runners and hikers taking into account sustainable and minimum environmental impact on Bukit Kiara based on IMBA International Standards and Trail-Care concept. Famously touted as “the only such world-class green lung in the heart of the city” the 37 kilometer trails have show-cased Bukit Kiara and Malaysia on the international tourist map. Since 2007, Bukit Kiara had been designated with approval by Cabinet as “Taman Awam Berskala Besar i.e. TABB or Large Scale Public Park of 466.86 acres but its gazettement remains elusive till today.

Huge Park At Bukit Kiara by Ng Si Hooi - The Star Online, 29 June 2007

In defence of a defenceless Bukit Kiara, TRAKS volunteers turned to film-making to record and disseminate virally the damage and “rape” of what is sacred ground to them and a refuge to thousands of park-users.

An activist, aided by TRAKS volunteers, ignited a petition campaign launched by Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK), an NGO formed in 2001 to protect and preserve Bukit Kiara. The Save Bukit Kiara campaign is aimed at urging the authorities to:

Gazette Bukit Kiara as a Permanent Forest Park
Halt all construction activities on Bukit Kiara immediately and
Say no to development in or around Bukit Kiara

Walking The Talk To Save Bukit Kiara

Malaysian Nature Society, a key ally in FoBK, fronted the Awareness Walk of 15 July 2012 as the campaign gained momentum with thousands of people rallying to save Bukit Kiara. The Awareness Walk was successful in raising awareness of the need to protect and preserve one of the last remaining green lungs in the city for sustainable development. The campaign was also instrumental in immediately halting construction activities on Bukit Kiara. Assurances were given by the Minister of Local Government and Housing that Bukit Kiara will be gazetted as a Public Park upon the resolution of the issue of leases of specified lots to two large corporations.

Chor Orders All Construction Works At Bukit Kiara Stopped by Vijenthi Nair - The Star Online, 31 July 2012

What seemed to be a “victory” for the aggrieved side was short-lived however. In October 2012, FoBK was informed by the Mayor of City Hall (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur or DBKL) of Berjaya Corp’s development plans to build a commercial building, condos, a huge stadium, exhibition hall, hospital, etc. in the adjacent leased equestrian lots as well as a private access road to the Bukit Kiara trails!!!

An FoBK Coalition comprising of 44 Residents Associations (RAs) and 19 Environmental NGOs in the Klang Valley was quickly forged to counter the threat of commercial development and to press for the gazettement of Bukit Kiara as a Forest Park. A Save Bukit Kiara Walk took off on 17 March 2013 after FoBK’s appeal letter of 9 December 2012 to the PM, who passed the buck to the Mayor of DBKL, was met with indifference.

The second protest Walk reflected growing support for the Save Bukit Kiara cause as about 3,000 people showed up that Sunday morning. Supporters came all walks of life; concerned with questions of sustainable development, global warming, pollution, traffic congestion, possible increasing crime and even devaluation of property values in the surrounding areas that may accompany the proposed development. Children held posters of “save the forest and animals” while a banner cried out with “what about us?” to plead with the authorities and developers not to compromise the needs of future generations.

RAs, NGOs March To Get Bukit Kiara Park Gazetted - New Straits Times

Did you stand up to be counted to save your joy in Bukit Kiara ? by Lim Chui Choo - The Malaysian Insider, 18 March 2013

Will the protests of the grieving side in opposing the proposed development plans of Berjaya Corp be heard and halt development in and around Bukit Kiara? Will the primary objective of FoBK’s campaign to gazette Bukit Kiara as a Forest Park since Cabinet approval in 2007 be finally translated into reality in 2013 by the authorities?

The Ever- elusive Gazettement Of Bukit Kiara

According to the authorities, the gazettement of Bukit Kiara is held up because DBKL has not surrendered the leased equestrian Lot 52314 of 62.57 acres back to the Federal government due to a caveat placed on it in April 2008 by Berjaya Corp. (S- 21NCVC-52-2011, para 17).

Why did Berjaya place a caveat on Lot 52314 in 22 April 2008 after Cabinet had already on 27 June 2007 approved for the specific Lot to be part of Bukit Kiara in TABB outlined in the Kuala Lumpur Master Plan? Why was the registration of Berjaya Corp.’s caveat placed 15 years from entry in 1993, not rejected by the authorities then on justifiable grounds in the public’s interests? Why was the monthly rental of RM5,000 paid by Berjaya Corp. from 1993 till October 2000 for Lot 52314 of a good 62.57 acres further reduced to a mere RM2000 thereafter till 2010 ‘out of goodwill”? ( S-21NCVC -52-2011, para 38).

Approval for surrender of Lot 52314 back to the government had also been agreed by the Federal Territory Land Working Committee on 29 December 2009. The decision was conveyed to DBKL vide its letter dated 12 February 2010. Why did DBKL take more than a year to issue notice to Berjaya Corp. to surrender Lot 52314 only on 25 February 2011? ( S-21NCVC-52-2011, paras 35 & 41)

The High Court Ruling in the case of DBKL vs Bukit Kiara Resort Bhd( KBRB) of Berjaya Corp on Lot 52314 to remove Berjaya’s caveat ordered for a Lease Agreement to be executed between DBKL and Berjaya. The Court dismissed DBKL’s application for removal of Berjaya’s private caveat with costs on 21 September 2011 (S-21NCVC-10-2011, paras 72- 77). Why didn’t DBKL appeal against the High Court Ruling in the interest of an anxious public impatient with the elusive gazettement of Bukit Kiara?

Did DBKL follow the guidelines spelt out in the National Council for Local Government (NCLG) vide a Policy formulated on 9 August 1999 which states very clearly that “For open space that is not surrendered, action must be taken to ensure that it becomes government land and be subsequently reserved and gazetted”?

Lot 52314 comprised of 20 acres of open spaces ( Parcel D) and 43 acres of polo field and grandstand ( Parcel E) which will come within the ambit of the NCLG 1999 Policy on “open spaces”. According to former Town Councillor Mak Khuin Weng, - Our Right To Open Spaces - The Nut Graph, 15 November 2010 - the Policy cannot be ignored as the NCLG is defined under Article 95A of the Federal Constitution. Since Article 95A mandates that the policies of the NCLG be followed, the failure to implement the policy is tantamount to contempt of the Federal Constitution. Was the NCGL Policy adhered to by DBKL?

Why was compulsory acquisition of Lot 52314 of 62.57 acres also not considered by the government under the Land Acquisition Act 1960 in the interests of the public to enable the gazettement of Bukit Kiara, one of the last remaining green lungs in the city and a national treasure to the people?

Development In Bukit Kiara – For Profit?

According to The Star dated 4 December 2012 “City Hall told to separate Bukit Kiara land” the Mayor was quoted as saying “We have to follow the court order and nothing can be done now”. The report added that DBKL had “also proposed to the developer to include a hospital, community facilities and an international school in their project”.

Did the Court Ruling order DBKL to separate Kiara Land or to approve development on lot 52314? (S-21NCVC-10-2011 paras 72-77). On what authority did DBKL have to separate Kiara Land or approve any development on Bukit Kiara in conflict with what is expressed in the Title or upheld by the FT Ministry?

A Title search by FoBK on 18 March 2013 on Lot 50642 of 69.8 acres shows that the “land was to be used for equestrian and recreational purposes only…”. Similarly, a Title search on Lot 52314 also explicitly states “for equestrian, recreation and polo grounds only”.

Why then is any form of development even considered by DBKL since Section 108 of the National Land Code 1965 says a local authority cannot over-ride the ‘expressed conditions” stated in the Land Titles? Isn’t DBKL’s action seen to be in conflict with the directive of the Deputy Chief Secretary of the Ministry Of Federal territory and Urban Welfare who had said on 6 January 2010 in a meeting between DBKL and Berjaya Corp. that the government still upholds its decision NOT to allow any development in Lot 52314 and Lot 50642 based on the terrain and surroundings? (S-21NCC-52-2011, para 21)

A Fierce Green Fire

In the light of the questions revolving around the disputed Lot 52314 of 62.57 acres, a Title search was also conducted on 16 April 2013 on the leased Measat Lot 54268 of 100.154 acres in Bukit Kiara. This lot had been leased to Measat Digicast Sdn. Bhd in April 1998 for a term of 30 years. Why is there no pertinent information in the Title regarding category of land use, expressed conditions and whether it is a qualified or final title as it has been leased since 1998? Why was a caveat registered on the Lot in 29 April 2009 after Cabinet had already clearly designated it in June 2007 as an integral part of TABB in the KL Master Plan? Who had placed the caveat?

Will the questions raised regarding the leased lots 52314 and 54268 be addressed by the authorities to fulfill the government’s promises to place the interests of the public first to finally gazette Bukit Kiara?

Will Berjaya Corp. chose to leave a lasting legacy of a national treasure in its natural state as a ‘gift’ to the people and future generations to remember it by?

Will ‘victory” be rightfully accorded to the anxious public and the grieving side in its battle to commit the government of the day to finally gazette Bukit Kiara i. e. TABB of 466.86 acres as a “ Forest Public Park” as endorsed by Cabinet in June 2007?

Ultimately, “victory” in any battle can be achieved by only you, the people who can save Bukit Kiara, our national treasure from being developed for profit. A US documentary film entitled “A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet” poses this blazing question to all of us:“ If they can turn The Grand Canyon into a ‘cash register’, is any national park safe?”

The answer is up to you.

Bashlog: KLMBH #223, Sunday 21 April 2013 @ Ulu Yam Baru

bashweb — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:52:51 +0800

KLMBH #223 Long Ride by Scott “TDF” Roberts

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KLMBH #223 Short Ride by Olivier Falcoz

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