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Gran Fondo New York Indonesia to kick off in Lombok in September
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Foreign tourists enjoying coastal view in Lombok. (Shutterstock/File)
Lombok is set to host an international cycling competition dubbed the Gran Fondo New York (GFNY) Indonesia on Sept. 3.
“It didn't’ take long to convince GFNY that Lombok would be the best place for this event; the process took only two months. With all of its beauty, we believe that Lombok will give a memorable and captivating experience for the participants,” said GFNY Indonesia promoter Axel Moeller.
According to its website (https://gfny.com/about/), GFNY is “a personal endurance challenge where you compete against others, the clock and yourself.”
The race in Lombok will be divided into 80-kilometer medium and 181km long course options. Participants of the former category will receive a chip timing to measure their own record.
“The GFNY Lombok Indonesia tour will start from the northern area of Sengigi. After passing through the beach route on the right side, the race will continue to Mataram City, passing through the Cow Monument and the One Thousand Mosques Monument and then headed to Sekotong, traversing through the village area,” said Tourism Ministry's Nature Tourism Agency head Hendry Noviardi.
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Along the road to Central Sekotong, cyclists will get to marvel at rice fields, a gold mining area and two traditional markets.
“There will be a total of eight drink stops available. The first drink post is located at the 40km point. Here, participants can take a rest while enjoying the view of the ocean and Lembar Port,” added Hendry.
One of the most interesting sites that the cyclists can enjoy is Nambung Area, where the route is dominated by steep climbs and offers the view of Indonesian local villages.
“The route is very narrow with a river gap on the left side of the street, but the view of villages will be a memorable one. There will be an uphill with 60-degree slope; this is the place where cyclists have to get off the bike and walk,” said Hendry.
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From Nambung, the journey will then continue to Batu Jangkih. Cyclists will be able to take a lunch break when they arrive at the 100km point, which is in the Batu Jai area.
From there, the route continues to the north, Central Lombok, Pusuk Pass that offers the view of Mount Rinjai from afar, Nipah, Malimbu and then back to Sengigi with the finish line located at the Santosa Resort.
The 180km route will take around 10 hours to finish, meaning that racers are expected to reach the finish line by 4 p.m.
Apart from Lombok, GFNY also holds similar events in several locations across the globe, from mid 2017 until early 2018, including Brazil (Aug. 6), Germany (Sept. 3), Provence (Sept. 30 – Oct. 1), Cozumel Mexico (Nov. 12), Chile (Nov. 26), Bali (Feb. 4), Colombia (March 11), Uruguay (March 18), Costa Rica (April 22), Jerusalem (April 27) and Malaysia (April 29).
The final race will be held in New York, United States, on May 20. (kes)
