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The dilemma between upgrading Tour de Indonesia and supporting local cyclists
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Cyclists race in the last stage of the 2019 Tour de Indonesia in Bali on Aug. 23. The five-staged tour stretched 825.2 kilometers from Central Java to Bali. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
G
etting the nod from world cycling body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), organizers of the Tour de Indonesia have already considered the idea of upgrading the 2020 tour – although this has led to concerns about cutting off opportunities for local cyclists to race at home.
The 2019 race, which was the second staging of the race after a seven-year-hiatus, received praise from the UCI, which boosted the Indonesian Cycling Federation’s (ISSI) confidence in leveling up the classification of the race to 2.HC from the current 2.1.
The UCI classifies races according to a rating scale. A higher rated race will result in the successful riders receiving more world-ranking points.
In road racing, the UCI categorizes single-day and multi-day (stage) races. There are four ratings for the races, namely top-tier world tour, second-tier HC (hors catégorie, or beyond categorization), third-tier .1 and fourth-tier .2.
The world tour includes the famous Tour de France, while the 2.HC has Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi among others in its calendar.
The five-stage 2019 Tour de Indonesia, which ended on Aug. 23, was a third-tier 2.1 race. It is, however, the highest classification in the Indonesian race calendar because other races in the country, such as the Tour de Singkarak and Tour de Ijen, are in the 2.2 category.
Nevertheless, after the 2019 tour ended, ISSI chief Raja “Okto” Sapta Oktohari evaluated the idea of upgrading the race. Leveling up to the 2.HC rating would automatically limit the opportunity for local cyclists to take part in the tour.
