RIFLE RANGE BOY: Audax

Learnt a few new words over the weekend. A cyclist earns the title of randonneur once he successfully completes 200km of long-distance cycling. In some countries, Audax (bold in Latin) is the term to differentiate elite cyclists and clumsy riders with clunky vehicles. Once he completes the 200km course, he receives a certificate, a Brevet.

Cycling as a sport started at the turn of the 20th century when people not only discovered its versatility but also found it to be a woman empowerment tool. For the first time, ladies sprung to learn cycling. For Victorian women, it was their licence to partake in politics and business. The ease of cycling changed their gender-assigned roles confined to their homes.

Women Power

It also became a fad then for boys and girls to find romance on the wheels. If in the 1950s, it was cool to hang out at ice-cream parlours, teenagers got their kicks by cycling side by the people they fancied.

The road at their feet and a convenient contraption at their disposal were the best excuses to venture out to explore the world. And they did. The desire to get from Point A to Point B grew. Soon it became a popular recreational activity to complete a preset destination. The idea was not the race to end. The essence of the whole exercise is camaraderie, exploration and teamwork. From the offset, it was emphasised that randonneuring events were not races, but a social event, a test of tenacity and to work as a team.

PD Waterfront

Randonneuring has been popular amongst local enthusiasts for the past few years. After the lack of sports events over the Covid era, they all come out with a bang. At the spur of the moment, probably not in the best state of mind, my cycling buddies decided to sign up for a 200km cycling event. A local conglomerate, with the pretext of promoting their lifestyle living apartments and such, got the official licence from Audax Club Parisien to sanction the event here in Malaysia. Audax Randonneurs Malaysia has planned out a series of long-distance cycling under its umbrage. I think they have plans to have 600km events (gulp!).

Under cover of the dark, just after 5 am, the event started from Kota Kemuning in Shah Alam. Amid the cool breezy tropical morning, we, the seven members of my chain gang, cruised along the small state roads along Sepang district to Port Dickson via Tanah Merah. What? I thought Tanah Merah was in Kelantan. Now I know! Just like there is a Kota Baru in Perak, just like Kelantan has Kota Bharu. By then, the day had broken, but the sun was not emitting its powerful rays. Traffic was slowly building up. Again cycling along the country roads, this time detoured towards Tanjung Sepat, Morib, Banting and back to where we started.

It was a long day. For most of us, it was a new experience altogether. We were familiar with cycling 100km or thereabouts, but 200 was a new monster. The last 40 km was the longest 40km that we had ridden. By 5pm, it was all over. We had one casualty who cramped all over. Another two were too fast for the rest. All in all, came back in one piece, shaken but not stirred.