Everyone said that trying to cycle in KL was for the insane. The drivers are crazy, the roads are in bad condition and you’ll get run over. I ventured out onto some relatively quiet streets but I felt hemmed in by highways and more highways and ramps and didn’t dare to get onto the roads.
Then I slowly started making cycling connections on Facebook and found myself on 5 or 6 KL and Malaysian cycling Facebook-groups. My first encounter with really riding around town was with the guys from the Roadlink bike shop in Bangsar. I joined them for a Sunday morning ride through the heart of KL. We visited Dataran Merdeka, Bukit Tunku, Hartamas and Bukit Damansara.
You could ride through town after all! But it felt safer in a group!
First ride around KL with the Rodalink Bangsar guys
Then one day there was a story in the local newspaper about a guy who was making a map of cycling routes in KL. I couldn’t wait to call and went over to meet him. Jeff gave me several blank copies of his map and asked me to fill in where I ride. Unfortunately, his map didn’t extend to where I live and I was still timid to ride much around town.
And then he started with his survey rides. I have joined several of the Saturday morning rides. Usually there are 10-20 cyclists who join and ride around checking and verifying routes that Jeff thinks might be good for cyclists. This week, I did my first post-dengue ride around Sentul and Chow Kit. We rode on busy roads, crossed railroad tracks, circled river islands, saw an otter in the river (!!!!) and had a great time.
I can’t wait to see the final product of Jeff‘s efforts!
Weightless in the World 