SINGAPORE – On his first solo cycling trip overseas, Ong Swee Yong found himself lost in the Takatsuka mountains in Kyoto in complete darkness, not knowing whether he would make it out. Admitting that he had planned poorly, the Singaporean learnt an important lesson that day – if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. The 32-year-old IT engineer, who goes on frequent overseas road cycling trips, said: “It was a very silly mistake of mine when I was in Japan, because it was autumn and the sunset was earlier, I didn’t plan that properly so I cycled into a mountainous area at around 4pm.
“Halfway in, it was total darkness, I couldn’t see anything, it was basically my small light and my Garmin (GPS) that got me out of that route.” Seasoned rider Delvin Lee also recounted an experience of being underprepared while riding overseas. Lee, a director in the banking sector, was then in Britain for a six-month stint.
He remembered being comfortable in just a jersey and windbreaker in 4 deg C weather, but things soon changed when he was in the outskirts of the city. With the wind and rain intensifying, he felt his extremities freezing up. The 40-year-old said: “You don’t feel the cold until you actually go to the outskirts and I was only wearing a jersey and a jacket because I thought that was more than sufficient.
“I completed the ride, but it was not easy, it was only then that I realised the importance of being prepared for an overseas ride.” Ong and Lee are part .
