The long feared 3000+ meter of climbs day. Roads mostly perfect and new tarred, but some section broken. Temperatures high in the afternoon. Climbs not too steep. Some windy parts.
Alarm got off at 4:45am for an early start into a supposed to be long cycling day. Breakfast at 5:45 and on the road at 6am. Once out of Labuan Bajo, we spent all day on the Trans Flores Hwy, a mostly good paved and narrow road winding itself through the central mountainous region. The climbs were almost evenly spread between the morning section and after lunch. However, the temperature met its high after noon, with 44°C and no shade available with the sun in its zenith. It was a very scenic ride along the mountain ridges. Slow uphills followed by fast descends. However, there was a negative change in the attitude of some of the Indonesian people. We got the first rocks thrown on us by young kids and bad English expressions yelled at us. Furthermore begging for money and pens is everywhere. However these are exceptions, the friendly ‘Hellos’ still a majority. In Ruteng we were immediately surrounded by scholars, who collected signatures from foreigners in their notepads. So we had an autograph session, at the door steps to our hotel and later on we were accompanied into town by youngsters. They approached us from all sides, wanting to shake hands and ask for our names and country. In most cases they only seem to know 2 to 3 English phrases and don’t seem to be interested in the answers and cannot answer simple questions.
Only 2 more riding days, before we leave Flores in Ende and fly out to Kupang to continue in Timor.
A short 108 km riding day to the ferry port. And even shorter 4 km the next day from the Flores port to the hotel. However a 6h ferry ride (calm sea), with a 2 hours departure delay due to loading problems made it a long stage.
Someone must have removed the fast gears of yesterday’s long distance ride. Somehow I was going on real slow motion … well, mostly on purpose, as my DLR was again in the handlebar bag. I was riding with Henry again, which meant a lot of stops to enjoy sceneries, get drugged from the infinite numbers of different green you see and inhale the smells of the fruits and veggies of the fields. A longer stop a ‘Little Las Vegas’ and a school made the day. No hurry, as we stay directly at the ferry port over night, with a scheduled departure at 9am the next day. I even stopped at a sea salt field and harvested fresh ‘Garam’ for Hanns, who is always in need to ‘spice’ up his food. Eric, Gerald, Stirling and I got the VIP ‘Dance Room’ suite for the night. Don’t envy us, it was a basic accommodation. No toilet seat, but a showerhead and a bucket. Stirling reserved the only available bed for himself. We 3 got so-called mattresses, which were as thin as a bed sheet and indescribable filthy. Thus we had to call Danu, our driver to get access to our camping gear and unroll the thermarests and sleeping bag liners. Late breakfast at 7am, as the ferry is supposed to leave at 9am earliest (we will find out later why there is no real schedule). An ‘undefined’ German in the group spread rumors the night, that there is no beer allowed on the ferry, and luggage will be inspected (like in Sudan). In the morning brain cells were spinning wild to create ideas how to smuggle beer on board and keep it cold during the 6+ hours ride. At the end it was harder to access the beer in the van than to get it wrapped and on board, as the vans were parked so tight that one had to climb over roofs of cars and seats of motorcycles to get to them and eventually get to the bags with the ‘smuggled’ goods. Even after the beer was finished the Smugglers were taking all efforts to remove the evidence of their ‘wrong doing’ and they distributed the empty bottles in all available trash bins on board. Unloading the ferry was much easier. We were first in, thus going first out. 4 km to the Hotel and back to paradise at the beach, which unlimited beer and bottled wine. 1 Rest day in Labuan Bajo, before we will have the longest climb of the tour – 3200m accumulated for the day. No scuba diving this time, no mountain hiking. I developed another cold at the last 2 hotels with AC. Luckily the aircon time is soon to be over and tenting is on. No more room sharing, compromises, etc. I’m master of my own comfort!
The ferry left with 2 hours delay at 11am. Loading was not as chaotic as the Aswan ferry to Wadi Halfa, but also a nice game to watch. Bicycles and motorcycles where shifted around to use the available space as efficiently as possible. A huge truck with a generator hardly made it around the corners and over the humps into the hull. Smaller vans were coming, unloaded and left again. Then there were 2 huge trucks, pilled up to the sky. It was immediately obvious, that they exceeded the max. height and had to be partially unloaded from the top of the stack. No idea, why these trucks are not measured the night before and made ready to fit. Everyone lines up as early as possible, since there is only 1 ferry a day, and once full, you have to wait another day.
Good news. My phone situation will improve. I get a new S4A in Darwin from Canada, delivered by my TdA fellow riders Ursula & Rae, who will join the tour in Australia. And there may be a chance to reincarnate my ‘brick’ at a phone clinic in Darwin, too. Thanks to my Doomsday fellow David, who researched the address for me and is also prepared to join us in Darwin.
Perfect road conditions, efficient peloton, nasty head and cross winds.
The longest cycling day (by distance) of the Trans-Oceania. We had to make a decision:
Either ‘sleep with prostitutes’ in a less than basic place, get food poisoning or even worse
Or add another 20k to the original 172km and end up in a supposed to be cleaner and better place.
The decision was easy and we agreed on a 192 km day. The strong riders, who would be able to finish 172 km would also make the 192 km, whereas the riders who only ride half a day could decide from where the begin, lunch or refreshment …
I decided to stay lightweight this day, DLR, extra clothes, … left in my daily bag. Only the necessary water, food and GoPro was loaded. Angry Bird got to ride a van.
I organized a small group (Gerald, Eric and me) to stay together, form a peloton and share effort to break the strong wind. However Eric was again late for breakfast and didn’t join us until our first Coke stop at 62km. Soon after Gerald and I left we run up with John and Paul, who joined us and we cruised along with a remarkable pace. 80km to lunch in less than 3 hours. After lunch, John left the peloton, but Shirley and Dan joined in. Soon the 2 afternoon peeks were reached and the final downhill to the hotel was a treat. Riding time less than 8 hours, with little more than 1 hour of stoppage time made it one of my shortest days on the bike. However the hotel was less of a standard than we expected after long sequence of upper class accommodation since the last basic hotel in Sumatra. For the new riders it was a first disappointment. Imagine how the brothel 20km back must have looked like …
The coastal road is very scenic. A thousand hidden beaches, all different awake in the morning sun. The evening rain the day before had washed away the dust and all plants where shining even more colorful than before. I was riding ‘sweep’ with Andreas. Only 108km today, thus a relaxed day, at least for me. We did a short offroad trip to the steep cliffs. Passing through a village I heard real good drum music. I stopped and pulled over to the other side of the street and was immediately invited to join the ‘party’. A family was celebrating something, I could not find out what exactly, but the whole village was obviously invited. Vegetables and meat was cooking in large kettles and open fires and men and women were busy preparing more food. Soon Andreas found me and we both spent about half an hour to listen to the drumming and have kopi (coffee) and small talks. 40km into the day and already 3 hours passed. Time to make some speed and cover the remaining distance to lunch. After lunch the colorful ride continued. Red chili was being dried on foils along the road. The final 10 km to camp I took an alternate route that was displayed on my Garmin. Instead of staying on the main road I decided to make a left turn through the village and follow a secondary road along the coast. This road soon turned into a bad dirt and gravel road, but through a very scenic urban area. Some local ‘boys’ on there motorcycles wanted to convince me, that the road does not lead me to where I want, but I insisted to believe my Garmin map and continued through fertile fields, banana plantations and lava rock terraces. Buffalos, cows and goats were already in the stables or still grassing on the fields. Women were returning from work carrying tools and goods on their head, before I arrived in our basic camp with amazing good food. While we had dinner, to men were busy to rewire the electric installation to get our rooms electrified.
Easy cycling. Short stage to the ferry port, and an easy continuation on Lombok, along the coast. Roads are good, narrow but still divided by a line.
I was asked to ‘sweep’ the group onto the ferry, this day, to allow the TdA staff to organize the ferry boarding of the vans. I am usually anyhow at the tail of the cycling group or behind the sweep, after my first photo stop, thus it didn’t make a difference to me.
It was less than 20 km from Ubud to the port. A nice downhill leaving the rice terraces behind. A few more temples and lots of big statues were seaming the roads. Ferry boarding was quick and easy and the ride to Lombok not too long. On arrival in Lombok the ‘Hello Mister’ and friendly faces were back again, compared to Bali, where we were hardly recognized. It wasn’t long that I saw a mosque on the other bank of a river, so I decided leave the main road and cross over a bridge. I local man was immediately alerted, indicating to me in voice and gestures that I was taking a wrong turn. ‘Tida apapa’ (no worries) I replied, “I only take a photo and will be back on the right track” and he was happy to see me return after a few minutes. That must also have been the time when the van and the afternoon sweep passed me. Shortly after I heard drum music from a near village. I quickly turned around into a dirt road and saw that boys were using any kind of plastic canisters as instruments. So I got closer and stopped, getting my camera and GoPro ready. The boys stopped their playing and came towards me, as usual. Big smiles, photo session and a few words later I had them perform their drumming for me. The girls here are more shy, they ran away and hide, when I stop. Maybe I should shave again to look less scary. A had a third stop at a plastic recycling facility. Yes, it is not a joke, they do some recycling. Women are sorting the bottles from big sacks by color, then they are carried over to a mill, being washed and shreddered. The fine grained granulate is said to be shipped to Australia – probably to make fleece shirts or alike. I arrived at the hotel in Senggigi as last. Showered, walked into sunset and had an Italian dinner in a nice beach restaurant. On my way home I decided to check out scuba diving opportunities for the rest day in Senggigi. I was lucky that a PADI dive shop in town was still open, so I was able to charter a dive boat to the Gili islands for the next morning. Before I returned tired to my room. My sleep was short, because of my French friends, who came at 1am to wake me up and drag me into the Senggigi nightlife.
Excellent. A broken bridge with a shaky, provisional bamboo replacement. 2 huge climbs, but stunning scenery. Dangerous downhill through rain forest and fields to sea level.
What else could one do on a sunny Sunday morning, having the choice to go to church or ride a bicycle up into a volcano? The final riding day in Java was a long one, but more than worth it. After about 12km we had a choice to cross a rive via a provisional bamboo bridge, or take a short detour on a bad road. No question, I wouldn’t take the bridge option – GoPro & DLR ready to record the passage. Shortly after the bridge I provided first aid to J. who was stung in her finger by a big, unidentified bug. She was quite shocked and in pain and couldn’t continue, thus I called the van for her. Thereafter the first ascend begun. This first 1400m climb brought me into a fertile crater region built from 4 volcanoes (1 still active). Coffee plantations, green alleys and lovely flowers made the immediate 400m ‘dive’ into the valley a treat for the eyes. No need to rush for the lunch. It was hot in the valley, but the locals were playing at a volleyball tournament in the coffee plantation. Time, for another 10 minute break, in addition to the many other stops to enjoy the views and take photos. Lunch was nicely setup and lots of treats waiting for us to stock up energy for the 2nd major climb to the final summit at 1880m. Fairly easy going, as it was not as steep as the ones we had the days before. It was just me and Chelsea who were building the tail of the riding group, which had left long time before. I enjoyed every inch and minute of the day. A view more photo stops during the climb did not slow me down too much, and I was never caught by the sweep. On top of the final summit in Java, I wrote a nice message for Chelsea on the tar. She was ‘TdA sweep’ all day and did a fantastic job to ride this stage with the long climbs. The downhill was kind of difficult to ride. The climate changed on the eastern side of the volcano. The dry vegetation changed into green rain forest, with giant ferns and palm trees. The low clouds or fog made the steep and curvy roads quite slippery. One corner was to fast for me and I slipped off the edge into the green ditch. No worries, only minor scratches on elbow and thigh, recovered my bike from the ditch, cleaned my wounds and continued slower, since my break pads started to give up, after riding for 30 days in the mountains. Road conditions got better the closer I came to sea level. After almost 10 hours since the start I reached the hotel where I immediately cooled down my body in the pool. In the meantime Andreas had already replaced my break pads, to make the breaks fit again for the future descents.
Roads mostly good. Some traffic on main roads. Chilling in the morning in the high altitude, hot in the lower regions.
A fast 2000m drop brought us to almost sea level on the first 25km. The ride was very scenic and partially steep and dangerous to ride. Photo stops slowed it down a bit and helped to cool down the breaks. It was a ride through several climate and vegetation zones. The green belt started right around the first corner out of the crater, with all sorts of agriculture; fruits, veggies, wood. Further down the slope of the mountain and in the valley we were still riding through patches of the volcanic ashes that rained down earlier in March this year, when one of the volcanoes erupted in this part of Java. The valley was irrigated by a water system that is fed artificial channels that carried water for the fields, but also for all kind of cleaning: body and motorcycles. Lunch was setup at 78 km at a bridge – or the leftovers of a bridge that existed in March, when the track was scouted. Now there was only a bamboo bridge, wide and strong enough for pedestrians and motorcycles. It was a logistical challenge for the vans to get there from both sides on alternate routes, to provide the catering and continue flagging the continuation of the route. For me it was excellent chance for a ‘Doomsday style extravaganza’ to get to the other side of the river (more later in a different post). After lunch there was a further 200m drop to sea level, with not always favorable wind. Still 70km and 1000m of climbing to go. For the last 40km we turned into a nice tailwind. A new road was built with nice switchbacks in a shady forest to carry us in a comfortable 4-5% grade up the 550m to the first little ‘summit’. Another fast 100m drop and a 180m re-climb before the final drop to Bondowoso. It was still a long day, almost 10 hours elapsed, due to the many photo stops and the extended lunch break at the bamboo bridge. Tomorrow is the last cycling day on Java; and guess what, another huge climbing day, riding into and out of a volcano. We will end only 5km away from the ferry, that will carry us over to Bali, our 3rd island, the next morning.
Easy before lunch, thereafter steep and sandy, but worth every inch. Quick 40 km out of Batu. Good roads, mostly down. Some traffic in town, but thereafter quiet. 2400m of climbs, 1700 from km 43 to 67.
A must! Indonesia without cycling up to Bromo and through the caldera would be like Africa without animals. After the past 4 hard days this was the Kings stage, that lead us to our rest day in the crater. I had a companion, who travelled all day with me until his fatal end in the crater. The morning ride was easy going. Fast enough to advance to the start of the climb, but all about saving energy for the challenging final. A few stops to have the locals enjoy my companion ‘Bob’ and have cold drinks, as it was getting real hot. Lunch was reached at noon, after 58 km. It was setup at the entrance to the National Park. With 1200m already climbed to here, it was still only half way up, but with only 8 km left to the summit. This means: 15% consistent grade (25% at peek) for the next 90 minutes, if not more. The road was partially bad but I made it all the way up without walking the bike. Andreas waited for me 200 vertical meters from the summit. He drove up by van to inform everyone who already left from lunch, but now wasn’t sure to make it through the day, to return here and get on the van, as the cars were not able to make through the final 10 km of sand and volcanic ashes. At the summit Andreas and I climbed a tower to get a better view of the crater. Thereafter a steep descend started on sand, gravel and concrete. We quickly reached the bottom and made it through the first 100m meters of deep sand, before it was mostly impossible to continue to cycle, even after releasing air from the tires. 6 km of walking in ankle deep sand, filling up the shoes, made progress very slow. The sun was already disappearing between clouds and the volcanoes, quickly turning the air cold. We could see the destination from the distance, but it seems to not close up. And it was another 200m steep climb from the bottom of the crater to the hotel. Cristiano was all of a sudden in the middle of the ‘desert’ waiting for us to give us final instructions, about which non-existing ‘path’ to follow to not get lost. Finally back on pavement I first had to release 1 kg of fine grained black ash and sand from my shoes. Overall it took me about 4 hours from lunch to the hotel to cover for the remaining 20 km. Luckily there was hot water to warm up the beaten body and muscles. Food is great in the hotel, so I could reload lots of calories. An arrangement was made with some fellow riders to get up early in the morning (3am) for the sunrise in the crater. 2 Jeeps were paid and at 8pm the lights went of in my room.
The report about the sunrise tour will follow separately, in addition to the live ‘Sunrise @ Bromo’ post.
Perfect Cycling! Thx to the scouts for such a fabulous track. Fast 70 km out of town to lunch with nice supportive wind and almost flat terrain. The climb thereafter with a perfect grade. Easy to cycle and extremely beautiful along a river in a narrow valley.
Today was a cycling day you didn’t want to end. The ascend (I don’t call it a climb) was just perfect, both from scenery and from grade. Easy 3-5% constant, something one could ride all day long and in a beautiful, narrow valley along a sometimes white river, fed by roaring waterfalls. However before you get into this picture we had to cycle 70 km out of town. First thru dense morning commute, thereafter in a flat and monotone rural area. Average speed was at 25 km/h getting to lunch – opposite of a school (you know what that means) – in les than 3 hours.There was the promised tuna. However it cost some persuasion and charm to get the promised mangoes. I couldn’t resist again to go over to the school and entertain the waiting students. At the end I had them perform a ‘La Ola’ and did not leave without some extra ordinary posing photos. Now it was time to approach the 40 km and 1100m ascend. Stock up with Coke and water in an AlfaMaret and get into gears. Soon the road meandered along a river through a narrow valley, with bamboo and other trees. The higher I got the greener and more scenic it got. Picture time! One of the best riding days, so far. No fear to not get to camp, even with infinite stops. At the ‘Purple Gate’ suspension bridge I made a right turn, over the bridge into the rice fields towards a waterfall, I saw from the other side of the valley. What a refreshment to end in the spray of the fast falling waters, nicely located at a Hindu ‘temple’. On return to the main road I met a local family, pretty woman with lovely girls. Before I could ask if I could take a photo, she had already pulled her phone, gave it to the older daughter and asked me, if I allow her to take a photo with me. Minutes later, photos were taken, and facebook friends made. Andreas, the sweep rider, had long passed me. However I texted him, about my whereabouts and not to worry – Joe is in his element, taking his time on such a day. Too much to see, no need to rush through. Andreas was in the meantime waiting for me at the fruit market 2 km further up. We met there again, I bought some apples, he a bonsai tree, that he ‘mounted’ to his bike. 5 more km up and today’s summit was reached. Thereafter a fast 7 km downhill to another exquisite hotel. It was the first time in 6 week in Indonesia, that I felt good and healthy enough to jump into the pool and enjoy a refreshing bath.
Btw. I spent so much time on the bike today, that I got sunburnt on my thumbs, that are mostly unprotected and all day exposed to the sun.
One more cycling day left in this week’s series. Who thought, that we had already done enough climbing is wrong. Tomorrow will be ‘only’ another 2400m up to reach the rest day camp in the Bromo volcanic national park … Stay tuned for photos and other stories I’ll prepare during the rest day.
This was the announced ‘all day climb’, except for the last 8km down to the hotel at the lake. Cooler morning temps, busy roads in Solo.
The announced ‘short’ but with an ‘all day climb’ to 1870 m over the shoulder of Mt. Lawu (3265m) should prove, if I slowly can get back to my former fitness level. I was taking the first 30 km through busy Solo and thereafter less busy and more scenic roads through rice fields and little villages very easy. At 9 am the first part was done, 50% of the distance, but only 10% of the elevation gain. Now the tough part should start. From the issued profile it could be seen, that the next 10 km will gain only about 400m, leaving the major part of the climb – the remaining 1200m to the following 12 km. This translates into a 4% average grade for 10 km and a 10% average grade for the final 12 km to the summit – ouch! The road continued in an almost straight line into the slope of Mt. Lawu; no switchbacks that were built-in to reduce the grade. The smallest gear was used for most of the time. Legs were fine, heart rate at low average, all fine. I had to wear my mask for most of the day, as there was the usual noisy and stinky traffic. Some Coke and photo stops added to my elapsed time, but I felt strong enough to make it to the end. Henry and Gerald soon closed up to me and we were cycling long time close together and into lunch at 41 km. Great catering again! Boiled potatoes for more carbs, fresh fruits and nuts. It doesn’t take much to make us cyclists happy (at least some of us). However we were only about 50% through the climb. Still 800m vertical elevation gain on the final 8 km before the summit and the fast downhill thereafter. Continuing the climb with an average speed of 7 km/h the end was not too far away. However the little ‘smiley’ that Garmin draws on the profile page, seemed to not move at all. More photos of the scenery, with fields of various kinds built into the steep slopes, and luxury houses in the holiday resorts. Unfortunately no time (energy) to detour to the 2 Hindu Temples with the erotic pictures and sculptures. Finally the summit was reached, no turning back into the hazy view from where we came. Downhill was quick, short stop at a strawberry field and the merchant shops. More photos from the view into the target valley and the village at the lake. My breaks were on fire by the time I finished the 700 m drop and turned into the hotel grounds.
I was so looking forward to get a hot shower – the air is much cooler up here in 1280m – but to no avail. Long pants and long sleeved sweater will keep me warm, as I lost most of my natural body insulation, thus hi-tech fabrics come into play. At least my body seem to quickly recover and get back to power to tackle the following tough days until we reach Bromo, again high on a volcano.
