The Angry Engineer

Malaysia now exporter of jet engines (sort of)

2009-12-23T13:25:00.023Z

Most of you guys should know by now, that a pair of jet engines for an F-5E fighter plane, plus numerous other 'items' were stolen from a Royal Malaysian Air Farce (<-- this is not a spelling error) base in 2007. The air force only found out that they were missing during an audit last year and we, the public were only told about it this week (Dec 2009).

Investigation is, of course, still on-going, after 2 years, because our world class Polis DiRaja Malaysia deemed this case "manyak besar wor".

In other countries, the culprits would have already been found and caught within a week, branded a traitor and then shot in face. However, in super efficient Malaysia, we give the bad guys 2 years' head start because we are that damn good!

RMAF's Northrop F-5E Tiger II

Anyway, a bit of history: The F-5E first flew in 1972 and Malaysia recieved them from the United States in 1975 to strengthen the country against the communist threat. However, these aircraft are now obsolete and has been relegated to training and reconaissance duties.

Have you seen this J85 jet engine? £10 reward.

The stolen J85 engines were meant to be replacements for the aircraft fleet. The air force chief was quoted saying that the defence capability of RMAF has not been affected by the loss of the two engines. Well, that's great but if we didn't need those engines as spares in the first place, why were they bought?

Ever since the news of the stolen engines surfaced on the internet, the RMAF ended up being laughing stock all over the world, even in the UK. Some still find it hard to believe that items as big as jet engines can get stolen from a military facility. You have to wonder what the rest of the missing 'items' are. Radar? Ejection seats? Missiles?

Could this be missing too? AIM-9 Sidewinder missile

The engines were reported to have been sold by the thief to an undisclosed South American country. Wow... Malaysia is now exporting jet engines! How thoughtful of the government in not naming the country in case we piss them off. Or is it because they don't even know where the engines are, so they just cook up a cock and bull story to pretend like they are in control of the issue.

Now some questions:

1. Did no one notice the engines being craned onto a lorry? It's not like the engine is a light item that 2 guys can simply lift up. Each engine is reported to weigh about 200kg.

2. Did the gate security guard not wonder "Err... where you think you going with those, dude?"

3. Rumor has it that the engines were stolen from Sg Besi AFB (air force base). What were the engines doing there in the first place? Sg Besi neither has the storage space nor the technicians to service the engines. And F-5Es are based at Butterworth AFB.

4. MOST IMPORTANTLY, and the question that no one has asked: RM50 million for a pair of J85 engines??? The unit price of an F-5E aircraft is only USD 2.1 million (RM 7 million). Why do a pair of these replacement engines costs as much as seven F-5Es???

If you bring your RM100k Toyota to the garage to have the engine swapped and the mechanic told you that the engine costs RM700k, would you still let him do it? Something must have gone very wrong somewhere during the purchase.

Before the government even investigates this theft, they should first find out why the Defense Ministry approved the purchase of severely overpriced replacement engines which the air force don't even need.

I suspect whoever bought the engines in the first place on behalf of RMAF either received a lot of kickbacks for it or is just plain stupid.

Another reason may be that more than a pair of engines were stolen. Or the stolen engines weren't J85s but rather F404s which the new RMAF F/A-18 Hornet uses (and more expensive).

A school of thought that has been floating around the blogosphere suggests that RMAF never recieved the engines in the first place. The air force simply claimed that 'new engines were missing' to handle the accounting irregularities after finding out that RM50 million went 'poof' in the Defence Ministry's bank account.

If you click on the link below, you can see there is a big market for J85 jet engines. You will also notice that none of them costs as much RM50 million. Hmm... maybe one of our missing engines is in the list...

http://www.speednews.com/EquipmentResults.aspx?Search=Engine&Engine=J85

If you have any more theories, don't be shy and please do post it in the comments section. No theory is too stupid as the Royal Malaysian Air Farce has proven to us that absolutely anything can happen in Malaysia. Malaysia is indeed Uniquely Asia!

Fluffy the puppy

2009-12-14T21:42:00.026Z

Fluffy was born to a Maltese daddy and Shih Tzu mum in March 2009. His previous owner called him 'Bruno' because of his size when he was a baby.

Fluffy's first day at his new home

On his bed with his toys

We bought and brought him home when he's 8 weeks old and recieved his first shot. We re-named him to Fifi, after Michelle's Shih Tzu in Malaysia but after our vet corrected us that Fifi is actually a girl's name, we had to give him another name, hence 'Fluffy'. Not brilliant but we had to keep the pronounciation similar to avoid confusing our poor little puppy.

Fluffy chilling out on his bed

Playing with his pacifier

Fluffy getting dried after bath

Fluffy sleeping in his alternate bed. This cushion used to be Michelle's and one day Fluffy decided to 'leave his mark on it'. So we had to give it to him. Bad boy!

Training Fluffy

Running in the park

Fluffy loves BBQ!

Fluffy now... much bigger and weighs in at approx 9kg... slightly overweight for a Shih Tzu.

Sony Playstation 3 Slim review

2009-11-15T00:18:00.020Z

This is my review of Sony's Playstation 3 Slim 250GB. I bought the console from a local HMV store a couple of weeks ago and it came bundled with the Dark Knight and X-Men Origins: Wolverine blu rays, Metal Gear Solid 4 game and a official Sony blu ray remote, all for £284.99.

The Playstation 3 (PS3) is the third generation console in Sony's gaming lineage and presented a challenge to the X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii.

The PS3 boasts a immensely powerful 3.2 Ghz Cell Broadband Engine processor and an RSX graphics card. This enables high definition display, up to 1080p, to be displayed on a HD-ready television set. There is also a blu ray disc drive, a 250GB hard drive, wireless network and bluetooth connectivity.

Upon opening up the box, I was presented the blu ray discs, a Dual Shock controller, power cable, AV cables, printed manuals, and of course, the console itself.

The Slim version of the PS3 that I bought is lighter and smaller than its predecessor released earlier (a.k.a the Fat version), consumes up to 33% less power and is therefore quieter. It will also bitstream high definition sounds to your amplifier via a HDMI cable. If you don't have an amplifier that accepts HDMI connections, you can also output digital audio to your reciever via optical out at the rear of the console unit which allows legacy DTS and Dolby Digital to be played.

The first production batch PS3s came with 3 USB ports and backward compatibilty with PS2 games which were eventually watered down in latter versions whereby only 2 USB ports were provided with no backwards compatibility at all, as found on current versions.

Just after booting your PS3 up for the first time, you'd want to begin by customizing the video settings to suit your television set. If you have a 1080p tv, please do connect it to your PS3 using a HDMI 1.3a compliant cable and you will be rewarded with a rich and vibrant colors. When watching movies with dark scenes, you can clearly see the silhoutte of contrasting blacks, especially handy when watching Batman Begins and the Dark Knight.

Watching Star Wars Episode III on it was a wonderful experience. The CGI scenes have never looked more realistic and brings you closer to the action.

The load time for blu rays discs on the PS3 is also one of the best rated in the market, at a mere 5 secs. If you speak to owners of some standalone blu ray players, they will tell you that it takes an average of 20 seconds to a whole minute to load a single disc!

In addition to being a games console and blu ray player, the PS3 will also decode Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby HD and DTS-Master Audio on board. Obviously, you need an AV reciever that accepts both video and audio via HDMI to be able to output HD sounds. The result of this is a spectacular symphony of surround sound from your movies or games, bringing deep immersion into whatever that is happening on screen.

Whilst spinning the Dark Knight bundled disc, I can hear the drop of every spen bullet casing fired by the Joker in the opening scene. You can even hear Christian Bale breathing through his black rubber suit when the background ambient noise is sufficiently low.

When playing Metal Gear Solid 4, you hear bullets whizz past you as you trip the alarm, and you can tell when the enemy is about to stick a knife into your back.

From left to right, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Batman: The Dark Knight, Metal Gear Solid 4.

The PS3 comes with a single DualShock Six-Axis controller as standard. You can either connect the controller using a cable provided or you can use it wirelessly (using bluetooth). The joypad provides rumble and vibration feedback from appropriate games. The Six-Axis function detects movement in the joypad and allows you to control movement in the game by simply turning your joypad, a bit like Nintendo Wii.

The free official Sony blu ray remote.

The XMB menu

Once you've grown accustomed to the menu interface, I recommend signing up to Playstation Network (for free) where you can stay in contact with fellow PS3 owners, and also pay a visit to Sony's online store where you can download demos and trailers to games and movies.

Metal Gear Solid screen

Batman: Arkham Asylum demo screen

Blessed with a 250GB 3.5" hard drive and DIVx support, you can save and play your downloaded movies on the PS3 too! I saved a whole season of downloaded X-Files on the console and played it seamlessly with no problems at all.

There are two ways of importing your files: either via the network (if your PS3 is connected to your home network) or using a USB pen drive.

As mentioned earlier, this version of the PS3 consumes less power and quieter. Contrary to the 60GB version of the PS3, which could sound like a jet plane taking off, you really don't hear the console running at all. The fan noise is near inaudible unless you stick your ear right next to the unit.

To summarize, the PS3 is an extremely powerful gaming console and doubles as a reliable blu -ray player. If you are looking for a good blu ray player, I suggest you get the PS3 even though you don't play any games.

Imperial War Museum London

2008-10-27T13:19:00.030Z

Last week, I went to the Imperial War Museum in London to wait for my wife to finish her overtime work on Saturday.

Entrance was free of charge so that was nice. These are some of the exhibits that I particularly liked. Enjoy.

Wehrmacht Jagdpanther - Germany's WW2 tank killer

Russian T34 tank

British Army M3 Grant tank as used by General Montgomery

Little Boy atomic bomb, similar to the one dropped in Japan

Rheinmetall PAK 37 Anti-tank gun
Caliber: 37mm
Rate of fire: 13 rounds/minute
Effective range: 300m
Maximum range: 5484m

A big caliber cannon from a Royal Navy battleship

Italian midget submarine

Weapons used by British SAS during their counter-insurgency operations in Borneo

French Exocet anti-ship missile

A surface-to-air missile system

Rheinmetall Zwillingsflak 20mm twin barrel anti-aircraft cannon
Caliber: 20mm
Range: 2000m
Rate of fire: 1000 rounds/minute

Wehrmacht 8.8cm Flak 36 - also commonly known as the '88'
A very popular anti-tank gun used by the German forces of WW2. It has even been used as anti-aircraft artillery.

Focke Wulf FW-190
Sopwith Camel

North American P-51 Mustang

Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1A

Review: Yonex Ti-10 Long SP Gen II badminton racquet

2008-07-12T18:10:00.017+01:00

I bought this racquet as a replacement for the old Carbonex 8 SP which I have used for the past year, on loan from my wife. The Carbonex is not a bad racquet, but it is a very heavy bugger to manouvre.

During my holiday to Malaysia in May, I stopped by my wife, Michelle's hometown for a couple of weeks and eventually bought my Yonex Ti-10 racquet at a local badminton club there. The racquet that I bought was the last one available in the shop as Yonex was already superseding it with the newner, Gen III model.

I paid RM 450 (approx. £75) for this racquet and the shopkeeper threw in a Yonex bag, set of overgrips and BG-6 strings free. Pretty good bargain, I'd say.

I told the shopkeeper to string the racquet at 24lbs, which is the sort of tension I'm used to, but the Ti-10 can, apparently, take up to 30lbs! This strength can be attributed to the usage of titanium mesh in the frame and also the Muscle Power frame shape of the head.

Yonex says on their website that the rounded grommet holes in its Muscle Power frames eliminate stress-loading and fatigue of the string through contact friction, creating unity of frame and string through closer and tighter contact, and delivering more face stability packs power into hits.

Titanium mesh is the main ingredient in the frame. The technology's main benefit, according to Yonex, are a stronger and heavier fibre mesh, giving greater resistance to twisting forces generated on impact and mass-stablized frame. I think what this boils down to is a more stable racquet head.

Near high-end Yonex racquets like the Ti-10 are still produced in Japan. The shaft is made from high modulus graphite, which isn't a very dissimmiliar material found in modern racquets. High modulus, based on my engineering knowledge, means the material can absorb a high amount of bending forces before yielding.

This element is quite important in a racquet shaft to prevent buckling of the shaft due to the compression forces generated from lateral forces at the head.

Graduating from the Carbonex 8 to the Ti-10 isn't as scary a process as I had imagined.

It is a much lighter racquet and thus, very mobile and fast for defensive play, especially during a game of doubles. Probably why the Malaysian doubles team, Koo Keng Kiat and Tan Boon Heong chose the Ti-10 as their main racquet. Fu Haifeng of China is also another shuttler who uses this racquet.

Clearing is very near effortless, and drop shots can be executed very precisely. Being 'head-light balance', the racquet also takes less energy to manouvre around.

However, I found that my racquet's repulsion power is uncomfortably high for my liking. It could be the strings thats too tense but I have yet to find the real cause. When I do an offensive clear (low and fast clear to the baseline), the shuttle quite often goes out of the court. I guess, on the flip side of the coin, I can clear from baseline to baseline with less effort now. :D

At the net, the repulsion is also a problem for me occasionally. Shuttles tend to jump too high when I try to lob it over the net, even without much effort from my wrist. I just hope this is because I've used a heavy racquet in the past and easily overcome when I spend more court time with the racquet.

Now comes the interesting part: smashing power. Despite the high repulsion power, the smash power wasn't as great as I had imagined it to be. Yes, it definitely packs more punch than my old Carbonex 8 but comparatively, both the old Gen 1 Ti-10 and my wife's Ti-8 have greater smashing power than this racquet.

From top to bottom: Yonex Ti-8, Yonex Ti-10, Yonex Carbonex 8

The free Yonex bag that came with the racquet. :D

To conclude, I think this Yonex Ti-10 is a decent investment, considering the fact that I have not owned any racquets previously. If you are a smash maniac, then there are better racquets around but if you're looking a fast and nimble racquet for doubles play with decent killing power, then nothing else comes close (except maybe the Armortec 700 Technique).

Vital statistics

Price: RM 450 (discounted 2008 price)

Frame: HM Graphite + Titanium mesh

Shaft: HM Graphite

Stiffness: Extra stiff

Balance: Light head balance

Weight: 85 - 89 grams

Review: KSC Heckler & Koch USP Compact pistol

2008-07-03T20:02:00.019+01:00

Popularised by Jack Bauer in the action-thriller TV series '24', the Heckler & Koch (HK) USP Compact has been a much sought after piece of hardware in the airsoft arena. The USP Compact stemmed from the success of its original and larger USP which is the acronym for Universale Selbstlade Pistole or Universal Self-loading Pistol. The USP is a double action semi-automatic pistol meant for law enforcement use. Currently the USP is chambered for three different calibers: 9mm, .45 ACP and .40 S&W.

Now, for the review of my airsoft version of this pistol.

The gun came packaged in a moulded styrofoam case. Along with it is a detailed User's Manual albeit written in Japanese (sealed inside a plastic bag). There is also a small bag of BBs, loading tools, hop-up tool, hammer-lock key (a safety feature) and barrel plug. According to the manual, the airsoft model weighs 710g, which is virtually the same as the real steel model (real USP Compact weighs about 730g). The magazine can accept 21 rounds, and has a firm and sturdy feel to it.

The grip is very comfortable to hold and has a rough stippled texture on each side. On the front and back there are square checkering for added secure grasp. I find the grip fits medium-sized hands very nicely, but larger hands may require the extended finger floorplate. External metal parts include the rear/front sights, hammer, trigger, slide release, safety and magazine release.

Engraved on the slide is the official HK logo along with the text 'USP Compact 9mm x 19'. Under the slide, on the front receiver, is the recessed rail which will accept tactical lights or laser sights.

The bobbed hammer ensures that the pistol will not snag onto your holster while being drawn. The safety lever has been cleverly positioned on the frame to allow quick and smooth manipulation during a firefight. The safety lever has the letters S (safe) and F (fire) engraved onto it, with S painted white and F painted red. Pushing the lever upwards places the gun on SAFE and lines up the S with the “white mark” painted on the frame (the mark is repeated on opposite side for left-handed levers).

When the hammer is cocked, pushing the safety lever downward decocks the hammer onto a “semi-cocked” position (slightly raised). The trigger has to be pulled along with the thumb on the hammer to return it to fully uncock it rest (flushed with the slide). The gun can be placed on SAFE with either the hammer rested or cocked (for “cocked and locked” carry, US Secret Service style).

Performance

Injecting gas into the magazine is no different than any other GBB made by KSC. You can either load the ammunution by hand feeding it one by one or by using the loading rod which has been included. The mag holds 21 rounds of ammunition in staggered formation.

For the chronograph test I used the standard HFC134a gas and 0.2g BBs. I fired the gun under normal room temperature after warming up the magazine. At 20 feet,which is the normal engagement range for CQBs (close quarter battle), the pistol achieved 15 out of 21 grouping within 30mm, which is pretty decent.

A maximum velocity of 242 fps (feet per second) was attained but I recorded an average of 230 fps after discharging five magazines. You could probably gain an extra 20% out of the velocity if you use the higher grade gases but this may require significant upgrades to the inner mechanisms and will reduce the lifespan of your pistol.

After the last round is fired, the slide locks back just like a real pistol. Use your thumb to flick the slide release lever located just above the trigger to return the slide forward.

To remove the magazine, simply press down on the ambidextreous magazine release lever which is positioned at the forward section of the grip, below the trigger guard. The magazine will the fall off the pistol under its own weight.

Disassembling the pistol is a simple affair. First remove the magazine and then push the slide back slightly so the slide catch lines up with the pivot point of the slide release lever. Now on the right side push the lever out and remove it. The whole slide will run forward and off the frame. The outer/inner barrel, guide rod and spring can then be removed from the slide as well.

The pistol can be stripped without any tools for clearing jammed ammunition or maintenance.

There are also a variety of after market products which you can use to enhance the USP Compact, either aesthetically or mechanically. My future plan is to buy a threaded barrel for the pistol so that a silencer than be attached to it.

Vital statistics

Price: £70 (2006 price)
Action: Gas blowback semi automatic pistol
Velocity: Average 230 fps; maximum 240 fps
Weight: 710 grams

To conclude, the KSC USP Compact is a very reliable sidearm to complement your main weapon in airsoft skirmishes. So far, I have never experience any stoppages and I can only credit this to the quality of this pistol.

If you have £70 to spare and want a good pistol, then look no further.

Light airplane crashes into a house in Ipoh

2008-07-03T10:47:00.011+01:00

IPOH: Housewife P. Susila was stunned when she heard a loud bang and saw the object that crashed into her garden here yesterday, just metres from where she was standing – it was an aeroplane.

The two-seater Eagle 150B was largely intact and was upside down with its nose embedded in a patch of plants in Susila's nicely-maintained garden in Taman Chempaka. The wingtips had just missed the boundary wall and a pillar. A set of garden furniture just metres from the wreckage was untouched.

Relating the 1.30pm incident Susila, 49, said: “I was inside the house when I heard a loud noise. When I looked out of the door to check, I was stunned to see the plane in my garden, just metres from my doorstep.

”The two-seater Eagle 150B trainer aircraft crashed-landed in the garden of a double-storey link house in Taman Cempaka, Ipoh, Thursday. The trainer and trainee pilot survived the crash.

Soon after, several people were shouting at her to tell her to open the gate so that they could help the two pilots who were still in the cockpit, she added.

Trainer Mohamad Faizal Kamaruddin, 37, and his 23-year-old trainee Ahmad Tarmezee Ahmad Lotpi were in the airplane belonging to an aviation institute here.

It is believed that the pilot had lost control of the aircraft before it crash-landed into Susila’s compound.

Ipoh traffic chief Deputy Supt Mohd Rodzi Rajab said the two men, who were badly injured but in stable condition, had been admitted to the Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun.

Police said they were still investigating the incident and had yet to identify who was flying the airplane.

Chia Kwan Hong, who was having lunch nearby said he saw the plane hitting a tree first before it crash-landed.Chia, a 25-year-old computer salesman, said he and his father Kook Kheong, 51, rushed to the crash site to see if they could help the survivors.After 20 minutes, rescuers managed to free the two men from the wreck and rushed them to hospital.

(the above is an extract from TheStar Online)

Author's Note: The Eagle 150B was originally an Australian design but Composite Technology Research Malaysia has since bought the license and the aircraft is now being manufactured in Malaysia and widely used for training potential airline pilots.

I have personally seen this aircraft fly and perform aerobatics at Simpang Airfield, which also happens to be the Royal Malaysian Air Force museum. The Eagle 150 is a very capable trainer and there really hasn't been a lot of incidents related to the aircraft in its 10 years in service.

The official accident report has not been released so I shall not speculate on the reasons for the crash. Nonetheless, the photographic evidence does seem to suggest either engine failure or pilot error contributing to a stall.

To digress a bit, I also find the reporters choice of words a little awkward. The flying instructor was referred to as a trainer???

Airplanes used for training pilots are called trainers. In England, sport shoes are called trainers. People who coach trainee pilots are NOT trainers... they are called flying instructors! FFS.

This is what the plane looks like while intact.

MASWings Fokker 50 incident in Sibu

2008-06-24T13:41:00.011+01:00

Earlier this month (June '08), a MASWings Fokker 50, registration 9M-MGJ from landed at Sibu Airport without the nose landing gear (that's the front tyres in layman's term). The airplane took off from Kota Kinabalu International at dawn that day and was bound for Kuching, transitting at Sibu en-route.

The aircraft belly landed in Sibu at approximately 8am and fortunately all 26 passengers escaped the ordeal unhurt.

Pic taken on the night of the incident. Looks like the propeller blades just about cleared the ground. Otherwise, the whole drama could have ended more catastrophically.

9M-MGJ at the parking apron. Note the partially open front landing gear door.

Close up view of the nose being supported off a baggage cart.

The damage looked superficial but it is prudent to warrant a thorough inspection of the aircraft's structure and subsystems prior to returning the aircraft back to airworthiness. In the photo above, exposed wiring can clearly be seen from the damaged fuselage.

Apparently, the drama unfolded when, during final approach, the doors to the front undercarriage failed to open fully when the pilot tried to lower the landing gear lever. There is a backup system for lowering the gear on board the Fokker 50 which is electrically powered but it is not known whether the pilot attempted to use it.

Fokker 50 flightdeck (click to enlarge and see marked up location of main and alternate landing gear levers)

Greetings..

2008-06-23T15:50:00.002+01:00

Hello friends...

Welcome to my first blog. I've decided to call it what I did due to a recent occurrance .

A bit of history. The phrase was originally coined by Sir Walter Scott, ‘Lock Stock and Barrel’, generally taken to mean ‘the whole thing’, or ‘everything and all’. I’ve decided to give myself the liberty of ‘borrowing’ the phrase and modifying it.

After all, it is only apt since I completed a 54 mile charity bike ride recently (June 15) with a couple of burnt out brake pads on an otherwise intact bicycle.

So about the bike ride. It was the London to Brighton Annual Bike Ride for the British Heart Foundation (http://www.bhf.org.uk/) whose principal aims are to raise awareness against heart disease, to pioneer research and to raise the standard of health of those suffering from heart disease. Rob Witt ,my boss, was the one who came up with the idea of doing the ride initially, and got half the office to sign up as an office activity thingy. Obviously, I was one of them. Haha.

We kicked off at Clapham Common at 8.00am, which was actually 30 mins behind schedule due to the sheer amount of people at the starting line. Traffic was bad all across London. We had to stop at almost every traffic light and junction. It was still pretty safe though, as the police have cordoned off sections of the road for us.

The first set of hills came at right after we passed Carshalton. They looked well steep and I’d say at least 30% of the riders became walkers at that stage, but not me!

Disaster struck when I was descending down the second slope after Carshalton Beeches, when I had to brake violently to avoid slamming into the rear end of a few hundred stationary cyclists. Halfway into the braking process, my rear brakes failed to respond and I had to hit the front ones. Thank God that did the trick.

Rear Shimano disc brakes after being cooked

Then I smelt it. Just like the smell of plastic burning. Everyone was looking in my direction too! I went “Oh Shit, this can’t be good.”Looked back and there it was. Black smoke billowing from my rear brakes. I think I cooked them pretty well. Got off quickly to check. Was seriously considering pouring water over them but decided against it for fear that the sudden introduction of water might kill my brake pads right off. A minute later, smoke was gone. Prayed a bit and then tested the brakes and phewww… they were working again. Soon I was off again, on the road, but my mind was preoccupied with the bbq’ed brakes incident. Then I sort of decided that I have to plan my descents more carefully and use the brakes less often. My big fat body should be able to act as a giant airbrake too, if required.

Giant airbrake in action (yes that would be me)

Our team did three stops in all, at Nutfield Marsh, up on Turner’s Hill and Ditchling Village. I tell you, when you get off that saddle, you wish you won’t have to get back onto it. It wasn’t the legs that were aching, it was the arse! Your gluteus muscles sure take a pounding when negotiating the uphill bits of the ride.

The terrain profile of the entire journey

Fortunately for me, my adrenalin shots of Red Bull did its magic for me and I belted my way up all the hills on my bike, except for the Ditchling Beacon which is the last and hardest hill before arriving into Brighton. Man, what a hill it was. Even walking up was a struggle. Want to know how bad it was? Just imagine cycling up one of those steep car park ramps for a mile and a bit.

Anyways, the sea has never looked so beautiful and I caught sight of Brighton, our destination. I crossed the finishing line at approximately 2.30pm, after 6 and half hours on the road. These times obviously take into account all the traffic problems getting out of London and entering Brighton, and also the three’ pit stops’ that I had. All in all, I was satisfied with my performance, being my first time on a bike after 10 years. I managed to raise over £160 for the BHF, thanks to all at Scott-White and Hookins.

The prize really made it all worthwhile! (<--- sarcasm)

I will be looking to do this ride again next year and hopefully be able to finish in under 5 hours. I have learnt my mistakes from this experience and will definitely train harder and get proper tires for next year!

As a parting shot for now, this is a pic of my bicycle taken after the ride. It's a Kona Blast 2005 model.