2024 L'etape Melaka Insta360 X3
My first L'ETAPE event.
Love the Experience!
Cycling with 1000 others, going through the hills together.
Sharing our Pain and Fun!
It is very hard to maintain your tempo (pace), andrenaline will kick in, and your competitive self will try to roll faster.
My original plan was to roll 30-32kmh consecutively until Checkpoint 2.
And determine my pace for the second half.
I did not want to bonk for my first Letape event.
BUT from the start, we were all rolling at 35kmh.
Surprisingly, drafting kept my heartbeat low.
The main challenge came after 73km (Checkpoint 2).
There were so many insane climbs between CP 2 and 3.
A wall face us immediately after CP 2, and force many to switch to small chainring :)
But the worst experience was NO isotonic drinks in ALL four water points.
Shameful that Letape allows this to happen!
We cyclists need the extra salt to boost our energy.
As we proceed further, more cyclists started dropping off, or rest at the side.
Many were strained by both slopes and sun, and have to go up the safety lorry.
Overall, I love the ride experience.
It would be tough to run a similar size event in SG, as island-wide road closures would be impossible!
My Merida bike is only 3 months old.
And Lekas (Oct) will be next :)
ps.. Do follow our cycling adventures here -https://sengkangbabies.com/tag/cycling
