Ipoh, Malaysia - Racing

Practice Makes Perfect
I haven't raced in a long time and with a few more races coming in 2020, I viewed this as a practice race.  I've only been training seriously for about six months so I don't really have the fitness to race, but it's good to get out there and become familiar with it again, see what works and doesn't work, get in some reps.  With the technology available now, I knew what time was realistic - I was targeting around 3.5 hrs based on my power profile.  Everyone now uses a power meter, which measures watts of output, and based on this you can predict your times pretty accurately.  The past winners of my category - 45 years and up - finish in about 2.5 hrs.  So, realistically, I was racing myself.  I wanted to see if I could hold 80% of my hourly power for the entire race - especially since I was not feeling well.

Ipoh, Malaysia - Street Art

There is A Lot of It
Anarchy Grandma gets my vote.

Ipoh, Malaysia - Old Town

Faded Beauty
There's a small river that runs north-south, dividing the old town from the older town, but after I crossed it I didn't notice much of a difference.  Most of the town is composed of beautiful, if ancient and poorly maintained, shop houses.  The Brits left behind many larger, grander buildings in their colonial style also.  After the tin industry crashed, things clearly went downhill.  However, I must admit to being immediately captivated.  Some may see an old wreck, ready for bulldozing.  I see an elderly, elegant lady wearing pearls and a slightly frayed dress, a knockout in her day.

Ipoh, Malaysia - Center Square

God Bless AirBnB
I rented a small house on the SE edge of the city, near the start of the race.  It also happens to be close to many cave temples, which I hope to visit before I leave.

Ipoh, Malaysia - The Reason

It Seemed Like a Good Idea When I Signed Up...
I'm here for a bike race this Sunday.  A 37 mile long KOM (King of the Mountain) race from zero to 4,800 feet.  We start out in Ipoh and head up into the Cameron Highlands.  I will not be crowned king, not even prince.  More like pauper of the mountain, but it should be fun.  Not really fun, per se.  More like an interesting experience.

Ipoh, Malaysia - Bus Trip Escape

Visiting Northern Malaysia
You can fly to Ipoh in just under an hour or you can take a more leisurely approach to the 350 mile trip.  The nine hours on the bus include 30 minutes for customs and immigration as well as an hour lunch stop in a small town called Yong Peng.  When I surveyed the Singaporeans I know about Ipoh they were non-plussed, many admitting they'd never been.  I knew then that I was onto something good.  Matter of fact, the bus was almost empty, just a few of us on the top level and hardly anyone below.  The bus captain looked to be an octogenarian, the wiry, been-through-it all-type.  He gave me an eye roll when I asked for help loading my luggage, so a helpful passenger stepped in.