🕷️ Crawler Inspector

[Sitemap](https://medium.com/sitemap/sitemap.xml) [Open in app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.medium.reader&referrer=utm_source%3DmobileNavBar&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------) Sign up [Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40limxyong%2Fround-the-island-rti-experience-and-learning-points-eeba359f3407&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------) [Medium Logo](https://medium.com/?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------) Get app [Write](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fnew-story&source=---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------new_post_topnav------------------) [Search](https://medium.com/search?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------) Sign up [Sign in](https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40limxyong%2Fround-the-island-rti-experience-and-learning-points-eeba359f3407&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)  # My First Round the Island (RTI) ## Experience and Learning Points [](https://medium.com/@limxyong?source=post_page---byline--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Xian Yong Lim](https://medium.com/@limxyong?source=post_page---byline--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) 3 min read · Dec 18, 2021 \-- Listen Share Press enter or click to view image in full size ![]() I FINALLY COMPLETED MY FIRST RTI\! When I got my first foldie in September and started cycling regularly, I set a goal to complete my first RTI by the end of the year, and I am proud to say that I finally did it! I could not have done it without the help of my cycling buddies. You guys are the best\! Having just completed it and experiencing some sore, I thought I would pen down my experience and learning points to help those who are contemplating doing an RTI. **Cycling in the rain is likely to be part of the experience** There are some important decisions to be made before the ride. Cycling in Singapore carries the inherent risk of facing the wrath of the rain, which is frankly speaking worse than the sun. So you need to decide, if it rains, do you want to carry on or take a rain check? If you choose to proceed, mentally prepare yourself to ride in light rain, and be inevitably caught in pouring rain sometimes. Be ready to embrace the cold as it can get very chilly. In my experience, we had planned to set off at 5am, but it was pouring at 4am, so we had to move the starting time to 9am. We had a pleasant morning ride through Yishun and Woodlands area, but was caught in a few showers in the afternoon near Lim Chu Kang area, and was absolutely drenched at night at ECP. After a while, we simply did not care if we went through puddles of water. I felt like I was cycling and experiencing Wild Wild Wet at the same time. **Dedicate a lot of buffer time, and agree on response to unforeseen circumstances** Whether you like it or not, something will go wrong. If you are doing solo, it’s easier to call a cab and head home when that happens. In a group, decide what to do if you encounter problems. In my experience, we stopped for several times to either wait for the rain to stop, or get some emergency bicycle repair done. I got home a lot later than I initially expected, but since I didn’t plan anything after that and for the next day, it wasn’t an issue. **Go slow if fitness is your concern** Prior to RTI, I was doing regular 50–60km rides almost every other day, and sometimes consecutively. My favourite was TMCR, and I almost inevitably went into this frenzy of cycling at top speed to push myself. The result was always exhaustion at around 30+km mark, riding slightly slower for the rest of the ride, and finding myself unable to go beyond 60km. If fitness is your concern, just be disciplined and go much slower than you normally would. The average speed for my usual rides is around 24km/h, and for this RTI, it ended with 18.7km/h. At that speed, I was telling my friends that we could go on forever. Well, I was only partially right… **Find your ideal saddle position and riding posture\!** I started experiencing a lot of pain in my left arm and my feet were threatening to stop working after the 100-km mark. I also woke up with minor back pain. I would say that I am pretty comfortable with my saddle position and my riding posture, yet I still experienced all that. My suggestion is to try out slightly longer rides (60km?) before attempting RTI, not just to test your stamina, but also to find your ideal saddle position and riding posture. I shall not repeat common tips such as bringing repair tools, spare tubes, and spreading the load between each member of the group. Those are regular tips you can find online on longer rides. If there’s a will, there’s a way. 世上无难事，只怕有心人。There were so many moments during the journey, or even before we started, when I thought, that’s it, no more RTI. Nobody in the right mind would want to ride \>100km in the rain, but we did it. So, again, I would like to thank my cycling buddies. Next time, we will do Lamp Post 1\! [Cycling](https://medium.com/tag/cycling?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Rti](https://medium.com/tag/rti?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Round The Island](https://medium.com/tag/round-the-island?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Folding Bike](https://medium.com/tag/folding-bike?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) \-- \-- [](https://medium.com/@limxyong?source=post_page---post_author_info--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [](https://medium.com/@limxyong?source=post_page---post_author_info--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Written by Xian Yong Lim](https://medium.com/@limxyong?source=post_page---post_author_info--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [15 followers](https://medium.com/@limxyong/followers?source=post_page---post_author_info--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) ·[19 following](https://medium.com/@limxyong/following?source=post_page---post_author_info--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) According to my student, I am low-key cool but high-key annoying. 🙄 ## No responses yet [Help](https://help.medium.com/hc/en-us?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Status](https://status.medium.com/?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [About](https://medium.com/about?autoplay=1&source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Careers](https://medium.com/jobs-at-medium/work-at-medium-959d1a85284e?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Press](mailto:pressinquiries@medium.com) [Blog](https://blog.medium.com/?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Privacy](https://policy.medium.com/medium-privacy-policy-f03bf92035c9?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Rules](https://policy.medium.com/medium-rules-30e5502c4eb4?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Terms](https://policy.medium.com/medium-terms-of-service-9db0094a1e0f?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) [Text to speech](https://speechify.com/medium?source=post_page-----eeba359f3407---------------------------------------)

## Experience and Learning Points [](https://medium.com/@limxyong?source=post_page---byline--eeba359f3407---------------------------------------) 3 min read Dec 18, 2021 \-- Press enter or click to view image in full size I FINALLY COMPLETED MY FIRST RTI\! When I got my first foldie in September and started cycling regularly, I set a goal to complete my first RTI by the end of the year, and I am proud to say that I finally did it! I could not have done it without the help of my cycling buddies. You guys are the best\! Having just completed it and experiencing some sore, I thought I would pen down my experience and learning points to help those who are contemplating doing an RTI. **Cycling in the rain is likely to be part of the experience** There are some important decisions to be made before the ride. Cycling in Singapore carries the inherent risk of facing the wrath of the rain, which is frankly speaking worse than the sun. So you need to decide, if it rains, do you want to carry on or take a rain check? If you choose to proceed, mentally prepare yourself to ride in light rain, and be inevitably caught in pouring rain sometimes. Be ready to embrace the cold as it can get very chilly. In my experience, we had planned to set off at 5am, but it was pouring at 4am, so we had to move the starting time to 9am. We had a pleasant morning ride through Yishun and Woodlands area, but was caught in a few showers in the afternoon near Lim Chu Kang area, and was absolutely drenched at night at ECP. After a while, we simply did not care if we went through puddles of water. I felt like I was cycling and experiencing Wild Wild Wet at the same time. **Dedicate a lot of buffer time, and agree on response to unforeseen circumstances** Whether you like it or not, something will go wrong. If you are doing solo, it’s easier to call a cab and head home when that happens. In a group, decide what to do if you encounter problems. In my experience, we stopped for several times to either wait for the rain to stop, or get some emergency bicycle repair done. I got home a lot later than I initially expected, but since I didn’t plan anything after that and for the next day, it wasn’t an issue. **Go slow if fitness is your concern** Prior to RTI, I was doing regular 50–60km rides almost every other day, and sometimes consecutively. My favourite was TMCR, and I almost inevitably went into this frenzy of cycling at top speed to push myself. The result was always exhaustion at around 30+km mark, riding slightly slower for the rest of the ride, and finding myself unable to go beyond 60km. If fitness is your concern, just be disciplined and go much slower than you normally would. The average speed for my usual rides is around 24km/h, and for this RTI, it ended with 18.7km/h. At that speed, I was telling my friends that we could go on forever. Well, I was only partially right… **Find your ideal saddle position and riding posture\!** I started experiencing a lot of pain in my left arm and my feet were threatening to stop working after the 100-km mark. I also woke up with minor back pain. I would say that I am pretty comfortable with my saddle position and my riding posture, yet I still experienced all that. My suggestion is to try out slightly longer rides (60km?) before attempting RTI, not just to test your stamina, but also to find your ideal saddle position and riding posture. I shall not repeat common tips such as bringing repair tools, spare tubes, and spreading the load between each member of the group. Those are regular tips you can find online on longer rides. If there’s a will, there’s a way. 世上无难事，只怕有心人。There were so many moments during the journey, or even before we started, when I thought, that’s it, no more RTI. Nobody in the right mind would want to ride \>100km in the rain, but we did it. So, again, I would like to thank my cycling buddies. Next time, we will do Lamp Post 1\!