Yogyakarta (Antara Lampung) - The cycling and tourism event of Tour de Indonesia (TdI) started at the Prambanan Temple area, here, Thursday, with 94 cyclists from 19 countries participating.
The TdI will finish in Bali on Sunday (Jan 28). The participants are grouped in 15 teams, comprising 11 foreign teams and four local teams: KFC Cycling, PGN Road Cycling Team, ACC Cycling, and the Indonesian National Team.
The foreign teams are Sapura Cycling, Terengganu Cycling, 7-Eleven Team, Thailand Continental Cycling Team, Aisan Cycling Team, Interpro Stradalli, St. George Continental Cycling Team, Java Partizan, the Malaysian National Team, the Eritrea National Team, and the national team of Mongolia.
They comprise 19 U-23 cyclists, 29 cyclists from Indonesia, and the rest being Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)-registered cyclists.
After not being held for the last seven years, TdI has now been revived and upgraded from 2.2 to 2.1 UCI level, making TdI 2018 the highest level cycling race in Indonesia.
The race's first stage is from Prambanan Temple to Ngawi, Central Java, stretching 124.7 kilometers (km) in length.
"I see a huge opportunity for Indonesian cyclists (to win the stage). I hope our cyclists would be able to break my record and win the Yogyakarta-Ngawi stage," Ferinanto, the former national cyclist and currently coach of the Indonesian team, remarked.
The foreign participants include those from Malaysia, Japan, Eritrea, Australia, Thailand, and Mongolia.
The TdI will stretch 640 km in length, from Prambanan in Yogyakarta to Denpasar in Bali.
It comprises four stages: Prambanan Temple-Ngawi stretching 124.7 km, Madiun-Mojokerto spanning 117.5 km, Probolinggo-Banyuwangi covering 200 km, and Gilimanuk-Denpasar reaching 170.9 km.
The race will pass through 10 districts and municipalities in the three provinces of Yogyakarta, East Java, and Bali.
Chairman of the Indonesian Cyclists Federation Raja Sapta Oktohari stated that during the race, the participants will be able to get a first-hand glimpse of the scenic natural scenery and cultural arts.
