Hi there, someone suggested i try out the RRI trail for biking newbies. So far i've only found brief directions to that biking spot which doesnt help much as i'm going with another newbie. Would be most grateful if you could provide more details on the following:

1) Directions: which is more straightfwd - Tropicana or Sg Buloh? I'll be coming fr Subang. Detailed directions would be most helpful, tq ;)

2) Trail description: Where does it start and end? how many trails? will i get lost w/o a GPS gadget? what will i encounter - river? steep descents? unrideable terrains? i already hv my industrial strength mozzie repellant *hiaks*

3) Duration: it's 6km per lap. how long is that pls?

BTW this will be my first serious off road ride in preparation for the upcoming eco race *gulp*. Wish me luck ppl ;oP

Thanks lots!

-- judogurl (judogurl2148@yahoo.com), April 29, 2003

Answers

ermm , do you know how to get to centre point? if you do , theres a mcdonalds around that area (very easy to spot) and if you are on the road and you see mcdonalds on your left(not your right) , go straight ahead till you reach a cross junction. turn right at this junction and you'll pass a SONY building on your right, keep going straight and follow the road till you reach another junction then turn left here and you'll pass shakey's on your left. (a few other shops) . then go straight and turn right at the next junction into a housing area. keep going not far and you'll spot an opening on your right to the rubber estate.

i doubt you'll get lost w/o a GPS gadget and i haven't encountered any rivers or unrideable terrains.

try it out :) and have fun

-- Jeffrey (uglyj@swirvemail.com), May 03, 2003.

go girl!!! good luck on your "test run" and more on that eco race. don't forget that extra pair of socks.

eric

-- eric (eareyes2001@yahoo.com), May 05, 2003.

Sorry Judogirl, this response is a little late if you want some practice before the eco-x, but I'll post it for the benefit of others. RRI directions don't seem to have ever been posted, which is a shame as it has something to offer both beginners and racers. Caution, these distances are only from my rather spotty memory.

If you are coming from Subang I would suggest the route past the old Subang Airport. Continue past the airport and all the restaurants, past Subang New Village, keep looking for signs to Sungai Buloh. A couple of kilometers and a few twists and turns after the restaurants you will come to a T junction which is the road to Sungai Buloh. Take a right and after about half a kilometer you will find a dirt road on your right which is the main entrance to RRI. It is customary to park there and cycle in.

If you want to follow the old Sea Games cross country course, follow the main road in about a kilometer to the first good sized road on your right. Go right and after a few hundred meters watch for singletrack on your right. That's it. From there it goes up, right, down, left, down, left, up, left and winds it's way to the top of the big hill with the radar tower, then back down parallel to the tarmac radar tower access road, then right again and parallel to the main Sungai Buloh road that you drove in on. (Yes, the race course does go through the giant sea of mud.) The only way to avoid the mud is to detour via the Sungai Buloh Road. Either way you will wind up back at the main RRI entrance, shich is the start/finish.

The rest of RRI is much more mundane, mostly well maintained plantation access road. It's nice if you want to crank out a few kilometers without fighting traffic or tearing up a set of knobbies, but not technically challenging. Be careful though, it's easy to get disoriented as it all starts to look the same after a while! And don't forget the mozzie repellent.

Cheers, Pat

-- Pat Brunsdon (p_brunsdon@yahoo.com), May 05, 2003.

Thanks guys..i'll be sure to check it out soon. I'm not sure how many of you went for the adventure race but the technically challenging mtb trail in Pangsoon left me a wobbly mess with the humble realization that I need to do more off-road rides before i sign my life away again :P

-- judo (judogurl2148@yahoo.com), May 05, 2003.