Saturday Night Skate 28 April 2012 - Endurance Nightskate, Bishan Park to Night Safari

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain

Around 30 avid skaters completed the gruelling Endurance Night Skate with us on a warm Saturday night on the 28th of April, covering a distance of more than 16km. This route took us from Bishan Park to The Night Safari, via the winding paths of Old Upper Thomson Road, Sembawang Road and the uphills and downhills of Mandai Ave.

Our entourage set off at 8pm, transiting from Bishan Park 2 to Park 1, which has since finished renovation works and opened to the public. Skating here was easy, as the surfaces were nice and smooth after the revamp.

It did not take us long to reach Upper Thomson Road, and we embarked onto the path of Old Upper Thomson Road. This road, famous for its habitants of monkeys and long winding paths with various gradients, proved to be a challenge already as we stride along.

We had our first short break along Casuarina Road, where the famous Casuarina Curry Restaurant resides before embarking on the journey again. Besides dealing with the uneven road surfaces, we also had to be careful of the cars passing by.

The most hazardous portion was at the end of the route, with a long downhill slope leading right to the exit onto the main road. Thankfully, everyone managed to tackle this slope safely with the help of the Marshals and fellow skaters alike.

 

We continued along Upper Thomson Road, crossing under Upper Thomson Flyover and reached our second rest point at Thong Bee Road soon after. There is a famous coffee shop and dining joint there for the participants to recharge with food and drinks. This was to be the final resting point as there were none available from here on.

 

After the break, we made our way along Sembawang Road, bypassing Nee Soon Military Camp. This part of the route is a gradual uphill climb, with a slight downhill ride at the end, bring us onto Mandai Park Connector along Mandai Ave.

Mandai Park Connector proved to be make skating a breeze with its nicely paved concrete paths. However, the challenges came in the form of long uphill climbs and downhill rides, which demanded absolute control. Some areas were littered with twigs and branches too, results from the downpour earlier on during the day.

 

This part of the journey covered almost 60% of the entire route, and the participants had to sweat and toil to reach the entrance of the Singapore Zoological Gardens eventually. That alone proved to be satisfaction enough, as they posed for pictures with the colourful signboards.

The final phase of the journey was to travel from the main entrance into Night Safari, and this is the tougest of the entire route which really put our leg muscles to the test. Right from the start, the uphill climb begins, and it gets steeper further into the journey. After all the gruelling skating from earlier on, this final stretch really seemed tough for most of the participants and it took everyone quite a while to reach the destination.

By the time we arrive, everyone were drenched in their perspiration and obviously exhuasted. By there were no complains, as they are proud that they had completed the entire journey. The sweet memories will linger in their minds for time to come, and some even grabbed the opportunity to pose for pictures with the artifacts from the Night Safari as momentos, while awating for the bus to pick us up.

 

Another successful night skate, thanks to the fine weather and everyone's efforts!

Credits
Safety Car
Xavier

Photo
David

SAVs
Chong Boon
Justine
Mike
Chun Yang

Posted in Event

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