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Cyclists battle fluctuating temperatures on Indonesian tour
“It’s the first day. It’s hot. It’s hard. It’s really unpredictable,” said Canadian Ryan Roth of Xspeed United Continental after coming second in the first-stage race.
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Perseverance pays off: Cyclists pedal up a hill in the fourth stage of the 2019 Tour de Indonesia cycling road race in the highlands of Ijen in Banyuwangi, East Java, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The stage stretched 147.3 kilometers from Jember to Banyuwangi. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
F
or cyclists competing in the five-day 2019 Tour de Indonesia, which ended on Friday, fighting others to be the fastest was not the only thing they had to do to win a stage in the country’s prestigious cycling race.
There was another foe they needed to tackle: the drastic change in temperatures.
In Monday’s opening stage, 90 cyclists from 26 countries started their battle for the 2019 title in a relatively comfortable morning temperature at Borobodur temple in Magelang, Central Java.
It was around 20 degrees Celsius at the historical landmark, but with humidity leveled at 75 percent – which was not ideal as the average level for health and comfort is between 40 percent and 50 percent.
However, when they reached the finish line in Ngawi regency square at around noon, the hot weather kicked in. The temperature app displayed a sweltering 34 degrees, which was not something many of the riders were used to.
“It’s the first day. It’s hot. It’s hard. It’s really unpredictable,” said Canadian Ryan Roth of Xspeed United Continental after coming second in the first-stage race.
Australian Angus Lyons of Oliver’s Real Food Racing, the Stage 1 Borobudur-Ngawi winner, concurred with Roth’s remark.
