Tour de Indonesia taking off today
The Tour de Indonesia kicks off today in Jakarta. The 1,352.2 kilometer race, ends in Bali on September 4th. In a sene the riders are very lucky, they are getting to rice across Java traffic free, something others only dream of.
I reckon drug monkeys, Jan Ullrich and
Floyd Landis, should join in, the could suck down all the jamu they want and no one would care.
24 teams to race in Tour d’Indonesia
The Jakarta Post, JakartaDefending champion Giant Cycling of Chinese Taipei will have to fend off the challenge from 23 other teams, including 12 from overseas, if it wants to retain its title at the fourth Dji Sam Soe Tour d’Indonesia from Aug. 24 to Sept. 4.
The nine-stage cycling race will cover 1,352.2 kilometers from Jakarta to the resort island of Bali.
Teams from Denmark, Germany, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Thailand have confirmed their participation in the event. Local teams from Jakarta, Banten, Garut (West Java), Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Sidoarjo (East Java) and Bali also will take part in the race.
“Three teams from Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and South Korea have pulled out from the tour to join another Asian-level championship in Malaysia,” race organizing committee chairman Ferry H. Josohadisoerjo said Tuesday.
The event is jointly organized by the Indonesian Cycling Association and tobacco company Dji Sam Soe. At the end of the race, the President’s Cup will be presented to the winner in the team category; the Sports Minister’s Cup for the top individual cyclist; and the Indonesian Sports Council Cup for the top local rider.
The opening 54.6-kilometer stage will start in front of the State Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs on Jl. Gerbang Pemuda in Senayan, Central Jakarta. Cyclists will do 21 laps around the nearby Bung Karno sports complex.
The second stage will then take cyclists 133.1 kilometers from Bandung to Cirebon (West Java). A hilly third stage will then see cyclists 187.3 kilometers between Cirebon and Purwokerto (Central Java), before the 245.1-kilometer fourth stage from Purwokerto to Surakarta (Central Java).
Along the fourth stage, which is the longest of the tour, cyclists will zip along hilly roads and through the small towns of Sukaraja, Banjarnegara, Wonosobo, Parakan, Temanggung, Magelang, Kopeng, Salatiga and Boyolali.
The next stage will be from Surakarta to Madiun in East Java (108.9 kms), then Madiun-Malang (183.6 kms), Malang-Jember (181 kms) and Jember-Banyuwangi (116.1 kms).
From Banyuwangi competitors will cross over to Bali aboard a ferry, before taking part in the final stage, a 147-kilometer ride that will end in Kuta.
“We will coordinate with local traffic police officers along the way to redirect or reroute traffic for the cyclists,” Ferry said.
The finish will be in Kuta, on Sept 4th, so look out for local news on the event
source : www.baliblog.com
Add comment August 24th, 2006