This was my first Lekas Bike event.
What an experience!
It was FUN cycling on Lekas Highway, which is normally off limits for bicycles. Imagine 4 to 5 lanes of “HIGHWAY”, without cars, trucks nor motorbikes, only bicycles!
Roll to your Heart’s content!
I would not hesitate to recommend Lekas to fellow cyclists! Joining a cycling event with thousands others is simply amazing!
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Since we are near to KL, I planned some extra activities to make our adventure more memorable too.
Our Itinerary:
Friday – Reach Kajang
Saturday – Race pack collection, evening Race starts
Sunday – Cycle Pantai Temiang (Seremban)
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You might notice there are a lot of food photos in this post. Food and points-of-interests are always top of my mind during an adventure!
And of course Good Company!
We went through the rain and cold together.
Alas Mr Rain decided to gatecrash Lekas Bike event and lingered with us for 3 full Hours!
Day 0 – From Singapore to Kajang
My Lekas journey started on a bump. We were supposed to meet up at Punggol 0700, but I woke up at 0655!
Drove down to 2nd meetup point and caught up with van and kakis 🙂
(No excuse, but back to back work commitments and travel meant I needed more rest)
On a side note, our van (mini bus) can accommodate up to 7 road bikes (maybe two need to remove front wheels). Van will be less comfortable than coach.
Once we were in the van, the trip to Kajang (Semenyih) was smooth.
But it took us 9 hours including jams, to reach our hotel. Ouch!
You may view our Lekas Highway video first before reading the blog.
1340 Late lunch at Tangkak , famous beef noodle.
1600 Reached Kajang
Stayed at Marvelot Hotel for two nights.
It is about 7km away from start point. Personally, I would prefer my homestay to be within 5km of bike event.
Our room cost only SGD $32 for two nights!
Marvelot room is very small, not much space after we park our road bike. But I cannot complain too much as price is already very economical.
Do take note there are fewer F&B options in our neighbourhood. We had to Grab 4 to 8 km away for more food options. (Kajang famous for satays).
Kajang bus terminal is just behind our hotel, but there is no direct bus from Singapore. Those who are keen to bus up to Kajang will have to start from Larkin terminal (Johor).
Fyi, most cycling events (or running events too) are relatively affordable, compared to Singapore’s. RHB Lekas bike event cost RM200 for registration, and it comes with a jersey.
For 6,000 registered cyclists, 105km of Lekas highway would be closed! Imagine closing 10km of CTE, Social Media will condemn the Transport Minister!
2023 Lekas was 120km, so 2024’s 105km is a discount 🙂
Nevertheless, the 800m+ elevation is still demanding.
First night in Kajang, kaki went shopping for badminton racket.
The friendly boss recommended the best Restoran Six One for our dinner.
Appetising salad, sour but really builds up our appetite.
Restoran Six One’s signature dish is the claypot fish (charred like unagi) This was the best dish for us, over 3D2N in Malaysia!
Crunchy outside, fragrant and tender inside. The fish pairs well with the claypot rice. (Some locals call it Unagi claypot)
The fish bones are left to simmer in the rich and sweet broth. Yummy.
Event day – Race pack collection
From Saturday morning, we already know the weather forecast will not be dry. And the rain cloud only grows more menacing as the day sets.
Small walk around our neighbourhood.
-Convenience store checked
-F&B checked (limited options)We heard from ex Lekas alumni that most shops would close by the time we complete Lekas (post midnight).
Thus we might have problem finding supper.
Decent breakfast at a discreet coffeeshop.
1130 Lunch at Restoran Choon Kian. Eat and carbo-load before our race.
Although the shop name has “辣湯”. It is pepperish, rather than mala.
1530 We taxi to event site to pickup our race kit (and jersey).
Those living in Malaysia would likely have pickup their race kits in PJ.
Foreign cyclists would likely pick Kajang as alternate site.
Lekas Bike Event start point is at ‘Plaza Tol Kajang Selatan’, with nearby access road ‘2.956867 101.824203’.
Book a Grab service, but there is no POI nearby. Hope our drop off point is near to race kit collection.
(End up we chose poi ‘Synergy Radiators & Auto Parts Sdn. Bhd., Bandar Teknologi Kajang, Kajang’ to drop off)
Our Grab (taxi) validated our pre-loaded cycling route (from hotel to start point). This orientation was helpful for us. As a matter of fact, we spotted many cyclists who lost their way in the evening.
With rain and dark roads, it was a challenge to navigate safely.
1830 – We are supposed to gather and roll to the start point, but look at the swollen clouds surrounding us.
The question was no longer whether it would rain, but how heavy is the downpour!
If things got worse, maybe with thunderstorm (GG), there might be a delay or even cancelation. Should we prioritise safety or should we push on and try our luck?
Right till the last minute, we were still pondering Go or No-Go!
We decided to roll slowly to the start point.
We rode, and we knew we were in for wet riding conditions. The floor was never dry from hotel to venue, and the next few hours.
Until the last minute, the option to Quit was real.
Many folks were encountering the same dilemma as us. I suspect a significant portion chose to play safe and abort.
We motivated each other to participate and bring home happy memories.
Lo and behold. Many crazy cyclists at the start point. By being here at the start point, we are already winners!
1945 race starts and off we go.
The highlight for me was cycling through the tolls! What a novelty! 
I could not take a lot of photos during the route. Cold shaking limbs, blur lens watermark, photo quality would be bad. I took more videos.
I was super conscious to ensure my own safety (and fellow cyclists) while I was filming. Safety first.
There should be 4 or 5 waterpoints for those attempting the 105km.
(Estimated pitstops at 27km,44km,68km, 88km,95km)
Seasoned cyclists would pre-select which waterpoint to refuel.
Those going for podium would not even need to pit stop.
For newbies (ie me), many will fail to filter sharp-left to the waterpoints. The waterpoints are normally at R&R spots (Rest and Relax).
Those who enjoy some creature comfort at the waterpoints would notice the vibes and buzz. Volunteers kept our spirits up.
Music, bananas, hydration and even muscle rub.
Lekas bike event was very well organised.
We are all soaked by now, but nothing will stop us from enjoying our FUN!
Special mention to the volunteers!
They braved the rain to ensure we got our replenishment! They stayed late to issue our cycling medals at the end point. I never hear any complains from any of them. Kudos!
What you do not see or experience from the photos was the cold snap!
We have heard seniors highlighting that Highway cycling at night was already cold.
After the rain, going downhill was chilling!
We had to rely on our cadence to keep our core warm.
I only managed to regulate my temperature after the u-turn at the halfway point.
Due to the non stop rain, our phones and cameras would fog up. Cycling goggles also blur.
There you have it. From Start, KOM then End.
Rain accompanied us 105km or 3 hours!
Yet, Lekas Bike event is still one of my BEST cycling events.
For those who are interested, the KOM segments are around one mountain elevation. You would have to climb slowly for 2 km 4 to 8% gradient up the hill (Please pardon me if my figures are wrong).
Very manageable, if you can draft behind a pack.
Celebrating our milestones.
Most of us celebrated 105km, except Joe who celebrated extra 20km :p
Kudos to my Lekas kaki!
The end point venue was party mood, so festive.
Folks got to enjoy some nice bee hoon and satay. We need something to keep us warm.
Superb experience!
I went to tabao some delicious night snacks 🙂
Reach our hotel only at 0130.
We were all tired and washed out (literally).
After the adrenalin wore off, I felt a slight bit miserable.
Damp, cold, past my sleeping hours. But contented!
Slept at 0230 or 0300, only to wake up at 0600.
The next adventure awaits!
Do catch our Pantai Temiang appointment at the video below. This is Malaysia’ famous scenic New Zealand road. (Blog will be up soon)
Post event summary:
Lekas was my second bike event in Malaysia. The first was one Letape Malacca. However, the organisers and volunteers were much better prepared in Lekas, compared to Letape.
Ask those who attended Letape 2023, and they will share their misgivings.
No isotonic drinks, no bananas for first three checkpoints. Those who were swept do not have aircon coach, but only lorries 🙂
For those who wish to compare, Letape (Malacca 2023) was longer and tougher. We had to climb a lot under the mighty sun.
Do pop by my Letape experience in Youtube video below:
Visit our Malaysia biking adventures
ps. Cycling in Malaysia and further away is getting more popular. However, many are still asking about best mode of transport to bring our bikes across the causeway. If you are considering coach or van chartering, the best practices, do pop by my own blog feedback here