As Jakarta baked, with temperatures hitting 32 degrees Celsius on Saturday, inside the revamped Jakarta International Velodrome (JIV) — which is located in Rawamangun, East Jakarta — the air was way cooler and fresher.

Protected from Jakarta’s hot and humid weather, two Indonesian athletes sporting red-and-white jerseys pedaled their bicycles at full speed inside the velodrome, practicing for the Asian Games’ cycling track event that will be held from Aug. 27 to 31.

This month marked the first time that the cycling track team practiced in the nation’s first international standard velodrome, which is also a Games venue.

“This is good news for the team because it really pumped them up to train and fight harder. Before this they used the velodrome in Malang — which is larger than [the one in Jakarta] — but it is below international standard,” one of the national team’s officials, Abid, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

With these outstanding facilities, the Indonesian team could practice and maybe win international titles, Abid added.

The original venue was built in 1973 and demolished in 2016 to make way for the modern velodrome that has been transformed into an international standard venue and certified by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which is the world sports cycling governing body.

The UCI praised Indonesia for completing two outstanding cycling venues, namely the JIV and the Pulomas International BMX Center, which are only 4 kilometers apart.

UCI president David Lappartient could not contain his admiration when he visited the venues on Saturday, calling them world class and the best in Asia.

Lappartient said the facilities at both venues would become the legacy of the Games for Indonesian athletes, as well as Asian and international cyclists. The outstanding facilities, he believed, would bring out the best in the athletes.

“The venues are really top class. I’m grateful that I got the opportunity to visit them. […] With this kind of quality, you are ready to host many international competitions in the future, including the Cycling World Cup,” he told the press on Saturday.

The Pulomas BMX Center used to be a soccer field before it was transformed in March. It was designed by Tom Ritzenthaler who has built several iconic BMX tracks across the globe.

Both the JIV and BMX center received “Class 1” certification from the UCI.

“The velodrome has capacity for 3,000 people,” said Indonesia Cycling Federation [ISSI] president Raja “Okto” Sapta Oktohari. “With these high quality venues, I hope we can apply to host a future World Cup.”

Okto added that the nation would host the 2019 Track Asia in January. It is the biggest cycling track competition in Asia.

At Saturdays’ press conference, Amarjit Singh Gill, the chairman of the Anti-Doping Commission at the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), applauded Indonesia’s commitment to improve cycling.

“I think with the investment [in the cycling venues] it clearly shows how serious the Indonesian government is to build the best facilities,” said Gill.

Okto said he hoped the two venues would boost the team’s performance in the Games.

“I hope we get at least four gold medals from cycling.”

Meanwhile, Asian Cycling Confederation secretary-general Onkar Singh said the new venues would help Indonesia to improve the skills of its athletes.

“You already have such wonderful venues, you also need great coaches and more importantly train your athletes at an early age — around 14 to 16 — to prepare them for big competitions. These are the three key aspects that you must embrace,” he told the Post.

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