Hundreds of residents of Ngawi, East Java, unfazed by the scorching heat of 34 degrees Celsius, flocked to the town square on Monday to wait by the roadside to watch the 2019 Tour de Indonesia cyclists cross the stage one finish line.

Each cyclist was met by applause and cheers as they crossed the finish line after cycling 182.7 kilometers from Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java. The event was made livelier by a cultural festival, with students dressing in traditional attire and staging a parade with decorated bikes.

Regent Budi Sulistyono welcomed the opportunity for Ngawi to host an international event, saying it could unlock opportunities in trade and tourism. He said it was the regency’s second year partnering with the race organizer.

“Ngawi has gained in popularity as more people now pay attention to our regency. We should treat this as a moment to improve our hospitality and tourism,” he said.

Budi said the race had created business opportunities, adding that he had asked Indonesia Cycling Federation (ICF) chief Raja Sapta “Okto” Oktohari to bring investors to build hotels in Ngawi.

At present, there are only a few two-star hotels in the regency.

The enthusiasm of Ngawi residents also caught the attention of World Cycling Center director Frédéric Magne, who came to the event as a representative of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

“Cycling is a fantastic tool to promote the country. It’s a way to promote tourism in a green way, as we encourage people to ride bikes more,” he said, adding that Indonesia had huge potential in the sport.

On several occasions, Okto reiterated that the tour was more than just a road cycling race, but also provided opportunities for the region’s passed in the race to promote themselves on the international stage.

“Like today, we stopped at Ngawi, and Magne asked me why there are [many] tusk symbols all over the regency, and I told him there was a discovery of ancient fossils here. This [interesting fact] is one way to tell the international audience they should visit Ngawi,” he said.

On Tuesday, the cyclists completed the second stage from Madiun to Batu, with the Netherland’s Jeroen Meijers of Chinese Taiyuan Mioyogee Cycling team finishing first. Competing in his first Tour de Indonesia, Meijers clocked in at 3:51:12 for the stage that saw riders face a tough climb from Kediri in East Java until the finish line.

Meijers said the key to his win was his ability to tackle the climb, which he said was not too steep.

“[Today] was a little bit more about control. Yesterday was more about attack. It was more relaxed, a little bit more like Europe,” he said.

Ryan Roth of Canada, who represents the XSpeed United Continental, will wear the green jersey for the third stage, as he leads the pack, recording a time of 7:48:14 across the two stages. Roth, who finished second on Monday, finished the second stage in sixth.

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