Those of you hoping to witness West Sumatra'€™s broad range of ethnic Minangkabau cultural attractions should not miss the Tour de Singkarak, an annual event that covers almost all parts of the province.

Beginning with its inception in 2009, the international cycling race bearing the motto '€œSports and Tourism'€ has strived to promote the region'€™s natural and historical tourism as well as its unique cultural diversity.

This year'€™s event, the seventh Tour de Singkarak, was held across nine days, from Oct. 3 to 11, 2015. Welcoming 132 participant cyclists from 32 countries, the race saw each cyclist ride a total distance of 1,151.5 kilometers in nine stages, each of these taking one day to complete. The race routes now cover 18 of 19 cities and regencies in West Sumatra and it is due only to its geographic conditions that in Mentawai Islands regency has yet to be included.

Along the way, racers would normally have been expected to enjoy amazing panoramic views but, sadly, with the haze from South Sumatra, Jambi and Riau partly engulfing West Sumatra this season, the areas'€™ natural charm failed to come into perfect sight. Even lakes Maninjau, Singkarak, Diatas and Dibawah were partly obscured.

Meanwhile, captivating cultural shows offer participants and visitors a worthy substitute. Each year the cities and regencies present a refined array of art and cultural performances near the start or finish points of the race. The distinctive features of Minangkabau tradition have always been admired by visitors, including racers and officials.

A martial arts club from the foot of Mount Talang in Solok regency, Singo Putiah (White Lion), delighted audiences with dance, fighting technique and debus (feats of invincibility). Despite the apparent danger, body parts of performers remained unharmed as the performers trod on broken glass, dagger steps or used their abdomens as chopping boards.

In Payakumbuh city, duck owners held a duck race on a 100-meter track. In the traditional post-harvest contest, farmers and duck breeders fielded their ducks, encouraging them to fly along the path, with the fowl reaching the farthest distance claiming the champion title. Don'€™t assume that this is just any ordinary duck race, these ducks are well-trained, with both farmer and breeder alike taking great pride from the racing skill of their birds.

With the arrival of riders, Pariaman city, with a school training monkeys in coconut harvesting, boasted its monkey climbing and coconut picking competition. Monkeys, trained with the daily task of gathering coconuts from about 30-meter-tall trees, demonstrated their quick and intelligent skills. Two of them proudly showing that they could follow instructions to pick green and yellow nuts from both upper and lower clusters.

Further alluring audiences with new creations designed for the cycling race occasion, at the beginning and end of each day, groups of captivating youths, male and female, staged a variety of cultural dance performances at start and finish locations.

With all the activity, the multifaceted sport, art and cultural appeal, you wouldn'€™t think that there would be time throughout the nine-day Tour de Singkarak to explore anything more, but you mustn'€™t forget West Sumatra still has its famous culinary treasure known as masakan Padang or Padang cuisine, which is worth savoring in the course of the annual cycling event.

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