Jon Tham and Adrian Yao finished the bike ride at Bukit Rotan at 7.30pm this evening. Although they did not reach Subang Jaya as planned, it was, without a doubt, a truly remarkable and amazing effort on their part!
We salute them both and they are our very courageous heroes for today!
At 4.30pm, Jon texted me to inform me that they were going “pedal by pedal”. Adrian was experiencing severe mental and physical fatigue. I told Jon to prioritise safety, take a rest and take it easy and slowly. There was no deadline to meet, they should take their time.
At 6.00pm, Jon and Adrian were still cycling as they headed towards Kuala Selangor.
Connie and I had been waiting eagerly at my house and at 7.10pm, we went to Little Wonders to wait. There, we were joined by Amy Lim, proprietor of Subang Pet Products and our very keen supporter. Jon had already informed me that they would not be completing the ride all the way to Subang Jaya. Our plan to ride with them on the last leg from SS14 would be cancelled. Now, it was a matter of how much further they wanted to cycle.
By 7.30pm, Jon and Adrian reached Bukit Rotan, but it was already dark, and that made it very unsafe for them to continue the ride. So, Jon and Adrian decided to call off the ride then and take a Grab to Subang Jaya.
A video from Adrian when they were in the Grab: https://www.facebook.com/adrian.yao.52/videos/10161884767050484/
Jon and Adrian reached Little Wonders at 8.30pm.
Here are our heroes!
Little Wonders had prepared this simple but very meaningful deco at the table.
This is the “replenishment” meal specially prepared by Little Wonders for Jon and Adrian.
As Jon and Adrian tucked into the delicious and nutritious food, they talked about the day’s experience and how enriching it has been for both of them. As each of their stories unfold, we learnt how much more than a ride this has been for them.
While Adrian kept apologising for not being able to finish the ride as intended and said if Jon had ridden alone, he would have made it all the way to Subang Jaya, Jon, on the other hand, said he was amazed by Adrian’s fighting spirit and that if he had to do it all over again, he would not ride with anyone but Adrian.
Here’s what happened on the last lapse of their ride. By 4.30pm, Adrian was already struggling mentally. Before this, the longest distance Adrian had ever done was 160km, so 250km was totally new for him. Jon thought of calling the ride off then, but it was Adrian who insisted on persevering. So, Jon let Adrian lead. From there onwards, Adrian was literally running on “zero tank”, but it was his amazing fighting spirit that kept him still going for another THREE hours, refusing to give up. They only ended the ride at Bukit Rotan because it was already dark and too unsafe to continue.
It was actually because of this ride and our publicity of it that Adrian decided to take up this challenge and contacted Jon. We all thought Jon and Adrian were good friends before, but actually no, they only met because of this ride!
And now, Jon and Adrian are the best of buddies – their friendship sealed on a very special level today, through this shared journey of mental and physical endurance and supporting each other emotionally.
This bike ride has unveiled so many learning opportunities for Jon and Adrian. From mundane tasks like repairing punctured tyres (and Adrian experienced three punctures while Jon had none), stretching one’s physical and mental endurance and connecting spiritually in friendship and prioritising support for one another above all else, this ride has indeed brought out the very best in our two heroes, Jon and Adrian.
There was the element of fun too: https://www.facebook.com/adrian.yao.52/videos/10161884340220484/
To Jon and Adrian – on behalf of AnimalCare and all our supporters, thank you so very much for all your efforts and the lessons of strength, compassion, humility and honesty that you have taught us through your sharing of today’s journey. We are so proud of what you have achieved on so many levels.
To all our well-wishers, thank you so much for your donations, moral support and encouragement.
And last but not least, a very special thank you to Edward and Mark of Little Wonders Cafe, for helping us publicise the ride, preparing the nutritious after-ride meals and taking a special interest in Jon and Adrian’s wellbeing.
Goodnight! It’s been a great day!!
The total tally: RM11,456
Mr Zurik 100
Tabs & Friends 100
The Cow Clan 100
Manja & Family 100
Yap Chin Kwan 100
Khoo Ming-Yi 50
Beanie 200
Avant Pet Sdn Bhd 500
Jia-Wen & Bunny 150
Sihui & Tabs 150
Mong Looi 150
NandaLeonie Hong 600
Anonymous 100
Teddy XL 100
Tan Lai Fun 50
Shen, Reita & Bev 100
Mary Yap 50
Ginger IMO Daffodil & Rosie 50
KC Chia 50
Peggy Quah 50
Angeline Yee Siew Ling 100
Connie James 105
Anonymous 500
Jasmine Ee 3000
Chua Kah Yi 200
Carol Chong 50
Kenneth Lim Hai Leong 100
Ryan Koo Hoong Lin 51
Julia Chong, Premala Narendra, Irene Leong 200
Tan Tay Thye 100
Kok Khee Wee 3000
Kyo Ikuyo 100
Rose Loong 100
Kenneth Kuan 100
Belle & Freya 200
Ivy Yap 100
Agnes Cheong 100
Yap Shyan Le 20
Tan Ping Ping 50
Foo Heng Chin 50
Amy Lim 100
Yeong Wei Lean 30
Calvin & Jurene 50
Anonymous 200
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