Saturday Night Skate 29 March 2014 - Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to The Singapore Zoological Gardens

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain

Earlier showers did not dampen our spirits, as 20 skating enthusiasts joined me for our night skating from Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to The Singapore Zoological Gardens.

This route brought us through Old Upper Thomson Road, famous for its winding road and home to some of the greatest number of wild monkeys, Sembawang Road and Mandai Park Connector along Mandai Ave.

There were new faces amongst the participants, including two students from Temasek Polytechnic and a couple of children who have been die-hard fans of this activity since last year.

We set off promptly around 8pm and headed towards the other part of Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park, towards Upper Thomson Road and went onto Old Upper Thomson Road after crossing the road. It was a good warm-up as we tackled the gradual uphill climb along this road, while keeping for a look-out for the constant passing by of vehicles behind us.

We had our first short break at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road for a quick drink, before embarking on the more challenging later part of Old Upper Thomson Road. The uneven road surface finishing and various degrees of gradients added on to the challenge, as participants who are trying out this route for the first time started showing signs of fatigue.

The main highlight of the route came when we went donw long gradual downhill slope near the exit which increases our speed unknowingly. Much attention was given to ensure everyone slowed down significantly and skate down safely.

After a short skate pass the flyover, we soon found ourselves on Sembawang Road, and we had our second break at an eatery along Thong Bee Road. Some participants grabbed the chance to have a quick bite while others were contented hydrating themselves. This was to be the last break as no other such amenities can be found for the remaining route. We had to move at a slow pace as some areas were still wet from the earlier rain.

Having a well deserved rest

We did not take long to reach the junction of Mandai Ave and transited onto Mandai Park Connector. This gruelling route, which spans across a distance of 5km, proved to be a challenge too. With long uphill climbs and steep downhill rides, we had to control our pace while keeping a look-out for the debris from the trees on the ground.

Eventually, we approached Mandai Lake Road, and the gleaming sign boards of the River Safari and Night Safari greeted us. Everyone grabbed the chance to snap a picture with the nice sign boards while taking a breather and ready themselves for the final part of the journey towards the main entrance of the zoo.

Night Safari

Picture with the backdrop

It was a long uphill climb on the initial park of Mandai Lake Road and participants stretched their leg muscles to the limit and skated along. After passing the water body of Upper Seletar Reservoir, we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel as we skated downhill into the bus bay area out the zoo to bring the activity to and end.

It was great to taste the success of hard work, especially for participants who had their maiden journey on this route. We covered a total distance of 16km over a period of about 140 minutes.

Credits
Safety Van
Ken

Photo
Sonny
Jon

SAVs
Edmund

Posted in Event

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