Peninsular Divide 2024

Day 2: Monday October 21 2024 Riders Update as at 7.00am

Men’s Solo

1. Cap11 Handika @handika8 km518
2. Cap18 Vlad @marxistcyclist km421
3. Cap2 Khairul Fauzi @khairulfauzi.ahmad km388

Women’s Solo

1. Cap14 Patricia @patricia_lisia km443
2. Cap15 Chairunnisa km360
3. Cap17 Nora @nora2180 km357

Before commenting on the current leaderboard after 24hrs of racing, let me share what happened during the night.

Night Re-cap: Our crew at CP1 @rahdziezainal & Fuad reported that as per midnight, 17 riders already checked-in at CP1. First to arrived at CP1 was cap11 Handika at 7.02pm, exactly 12hrs after start time. After a short rest & re-fill, he continued into the next segment. Soon more riders arrived as you can see on our reels update. A few of them like Cap14 Patricia & Cap18 Vlad choose to continue cycling after a brief break while others were staying either at the hotel or the nearby mosque.

After 24hrs: Those difference in the sleep strategy explained the big shift in the overall position as at 7am this morning. Those who choose to forgo long rest and braved the remote & gravel segment throughtout the night were gaining time on their rivals and move upwards the leaderboard. At 7am even Cap15 Chairunnisa who only arrived at CP1 at 2.45am were suddenly in front of Cap17 Nora who arrived 3hrs earlier at 11.44pm. it’s interesting to see whether the lack of sleep will eventually affected them today or later in the race.

Today’s Route: If yesterday the participants rode through rolling hills & 14km gravel segment, today’s route from CP1 to CP2 would not be much difference. They will cycle through beautiful rolling hills through palm oil plantation & along Sg Pahang, the longest river in Peninsular Malaysia. They will also pass by the iconic “Titik Tengah Semenanjung” point along the way. From CP2 km580 they will continue to weave through another 230+km of rolling hills through beautiful jungle of Pahang until km817 Sg Koyan. This would be the last refill point before they start the long climb to CP3 KM916.

We’ll keep you updated with more pics & vids on the road later, stay tuned!

-Race Director-

Day 1: Riders Update as at 3.08pm

Men’s Solo

1. Cap11 @handika8
2. Cap20 @maxmutnovsky
3. Cap8 @honsteven

Women’s Solo

1. Cap14 @patricia_lisia
2. Cap24 @ryna09
3. Cap17 @nora2180

At the front, the leader change hands at km198 Paloh town. Most of the frontrunners had a quick stop there for a refill before entering the first gravel segment. This is where cap 11 Handika bypass cap20 Kai to take the lead. As at 3.12pm Handika still continue cycling non-stop as shown in his tracker while Kai already lost his glasses in the gravel segment.

The lead also change hands in the women solo category where @patricia_lisia overtook @ryna09 before the gravel segment start. Whether they can hold on to those leads remains to be seen as tired legs and fatigue started to build up.

The first gravel segment from km199.5 to km214 turned out to be quite dry despite of the rain in the morning. From km 214 Bekok town they will race another 126km to CP1 Hotel Grand Sri Muadzam. This CP1 is a crucial point for refill & rest before they enter a long 150+km segment of small villages, plantation & jungle where there might be very little options for replenishment. Will be very interesting to see who will brave the segment thru the night and those who choose to call it a day after 340km of cycling.

-Race Director-

Day 1: Riders Update as at 11.05am

Men’s Solo

1. Cap20 @maxmutnovsky
2. Cap11 @handika8
3. Cap8 @honsteven

Women’s Solo

1. Cap24 @ryna09
2. Cap14 @patricia_lisia
3. Cap17 @nora2180

The front pack already passed the 100km mark after 4+hrs. Depends on individual startegy, some riders already made refill stops while others might stop later.

After rolling terrain on paved tarmac for the first 199km, all the riders will faced the first gravel segment after Paloh small town. While it’s not a technical segment, the continuous rain from last night will definitely make the 14km gravel segment more “interesting” 😁

We’ll bring you live feed & pictures from the segments later, stay tuned 🔥

-Race Director-

The 2024 Peninsular Divide Ultra Cycling Race flag-off today, October 20, in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. Despite rainy conditions, the race began early in the morning, around 7.05AM, as cyclists embarked on this grueling 1,500 km self-supported journey. The route takes participants from the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia all the way to Wang Kelian in the north.

You can follow the dots directly on FMC website or via Dotwatcher page.

25 participants completed their registration, bike check & safety briefing today. The breakdown for the 3 categories will be:

1. Solo Men = 18 pax
2. Solo Women = 5 pax
3. Pairs = 1 pair

The atmosphere during the afternoon was relaxed with the participants mingling freely and talking to each other. It served as a moment of respite for everyone after the challenging journey to the starting line and the anticipation of adventure they will each face starting tomorrow. A quick rain shower during the briefing didn’t seem to dampened the spirit of the participants, most of them were seen enjoying the personal & group photo session afterwards.

The inaugural Peninsular Divide self-supported bikepacking race will start at 7am local time on Sunday October 20 2024. The route will feature 1500km diatance and 20,000 meters of elevation gain over 93% of paved roads and 7% of rugged gravel paths. They have to complete the course by Saturday October 26 before 7pm.