Mountain biking is one of the more dangerous sports but these women have been happily blazing the trails, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup
THE air is muggy in the hilly forest near Lembah Kiara Recreational Park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Under the canopy of trees I hear shrill insect noises, along with the sound of revving cars and of people exercising in the park below.
I am furiously getting bit by mosquitoes but Siti Hajar A Bakar, 37, graciously hands me her mosquito repellant. She’s an old hat at this, spending most weekends riding her mountain bicycle (MTB) in forests such as the one we’re in this Sunday morning.
We are joined by fellow MTB enthusiast Tan Chia Huei, 35, and they continue to ride up and down the dirt track, over rocks, tree roots and steep slopes.
“You’re all very brave,” comments an older female hiker we meet on the trail.
But being fearless is only one part of mountain biking. “It’s a sport where you have to assess the risks and your own skillset at every turn,” says Siti Hajar. “You meet many obstacles along the route that you need to overcome, but you get to do it in a fun way.”
She adds: “Mountain biking changed my life. It gives me confidence in my everyday life and the way I conquer challenges. Plus I get to meet some very nice people in the MTB community.”
OFF-ROAD RULES
As the name suggests, mountain biking is done off-road in the wilderness. The track — of dirt, gravel or over large boulders — is usually small and can only fit a single bicycle at a time.
It’s rough and uneven, with various obstacles a rider can crash into along the way.
The situation is different for cyclists who ride on the road. The lycra-wearing riders with their aerodynamic bikes usually only need to focus on being fast, and consistently so. You can say that their path is straightforward and all laid out, nice and neat.
But MTB routes are less obvious. The trail are bumpy with sharp corners and steep descents that can take riders unawares since vision is obscured by terrain and large trees.
So when Siti Hajar talks about risks, it’s because riders prefer to go fast over these obstacles. But of course they need to do it safely.
It takes split-second decision-making. How fast do you pedal? When do you brake? How do you steer in this tight space? Do you have too much momentum? If you jump, is there a place to land? The right answers often come with experience, helped by a good bike that the rider is familiar with.
Special features on an MTB includes a suspension system to help absorb the effects of an uneven terrain and large tyres with treads for increased grip.
A straight handlebar helps the rider navigate more securely while disc brakes are more efficient at stopping than regular rim brakes.
A rider will need safety equipment as well, ranging from helmets to knee pads and elbow guards.
There are special MTB shoes that are stiff and with flat soles that grip the pedals well to stop the feet from slipping especially during rough or wet conditions.
“Accidents can and will happen, so you have to be prepared,” says Siti Hajar.
“Personally, it doesn’t happen often nowadays as I’ve learned not to do silly jumps and things like that. But last year during the Chinese New Year holiday, I had to undergo surgery after my worst MTB injury.”
“I was using someone else’s bike and I admit I didn’t do all the necessary checks with the brakes and tyre pressure. I was attempting a jump but I ended up going too fast and the bike slipped underneath me and I landed on my shoulder.”
She didn’t think much of the injury at first but after a week of not being able to lift her arm, Siti Hajar went for a scan and found that she’d torn a ligament on her right shoulder. She now has an artificial replacement, which was required since she wants to continue with her active lifestyle.
“The hard part was finding the courage to come back and ride again. But I know that I wanted to keep doing this and I had great support from everyone.”
GREAT RELATIONSHIP
It is quickly noticeable that the local MTB scene is overwhelmingly male. It is perhaps the danger aspect that puts women off.
Moving fast on narrow paths that overlook deep ridges with no safety rails can be very intimidating.
But Siti Hajar and Tan believe it’s also because of the lack of access to getting involved, be it guidance or location.
“A lot of guys tend to over or underestimate what girls can do. They either push you too hard that you hurt yourself, or put you off by not believing in your ability,” says Siti Hajar, who started mountain biking almost 10 years ago when she was studying and working in Australia.
“I was recently in Whistler near Vancouver, Canada which is a centre for MTB with my husband and I saw many women riders and even older riders. It was a great environment and there are so many trails that are well-marked and protected by the government.”
She admits that the learning curve for MTB can be quite steep, and there aren’t many places with an easy trail where newbies can pick up the necessary skills.
Kiara isn’t suitable for beginners so she usually takes them to Putrajaya Challenge Park some 40km away.
An easy trail is one that is relatively smooth and wide but with enough bends and bumps to help new riders get a feel of what the sport is all about. It helps if the trail is not too steep or hilly because mountain biking is a tough cardio workout.
“Once you get the hang of things, the best way to learn is from your peers,” says Tan, who started mountain biking in 2012 when she was living in Switzerland.
“Hajar is always one step ahead of me so I learnt from her on how to do certain things. And when we’re afraid to do a jump, we support and encourage each other.”
“I fell a lot when I started and I still fall nowadays. You just have to be okay with that and get up again. It’s a mental game, because once you fall at a certain obstacle you might be afraid to go there again. But you need to believe in yourself and overcome that fear.”
That said, a rider’s safety is their own responsibility. “I’ve decided not to join races this year. I’m happy to ride on weekends and push my limits a little bit but not too crazily as you would in a competition,” says Tan.
She tells me that the trails at Bukit Kiara with its criss-crossing tree roots and steep slopes were started by MTB riders voluntarily, although hikers use them too. But being in a prime real estate location means that trails can suddenly disappear to make way for a development project.
“The silver lining is that hikers and riders get along here,” says Tan. “That doesn’t happen overseas. Riders and hikers don’t share the same routes and they don’t want to, but it’s different here because people know there are very few wild recreational spots in Kuala Lumpur,” she explains.