hey guys,,how's going?
just wanted to share a little bit of Excursions i did last weekend from 14th August-20th August
I Entered An Ultra Cycling Race Here in My Hometown,it's a 1500km and 54k Ft Elevation Gain in only 7days
the race event is called "Bentang Jawa" or Translate as Race Across Java Island
The Java island Us home to more than 17 Active Volcanoes,,and hundreds others inactive mountains
so,whenever your eyes turn you gonna see mountains range
or in other words this island ain't flats as Pancakes
months before race start,i don't even training just doing some long rides only,and many non cycling activities,i pretty much don't train (i should have tho)
to enter this race,not just anybody can enter this race tho,it must have certain criteria to be able accepted,well i guess my experience in The States Will more than sufficient to get accepted
so i was accepted,lots of thing to prep for the race requirements,wich most of them i have handy prepared from my previously excursions in the states,so i don't need to bough new gear anymore.
on 13th August Noon All Cyclist Show up to pickup their Race Kits and also Check their bikes equipment requirements,once that passed
we then issued,tracker device and brevet card
this two things are very crucial,if we loss one of those,it will be game over.
the next day
on 14th August,at 5:30am the race start
and the clock doesn't stop,the race is On
racers must cover 1000miles in 61/2 days
and must check in in every check point to get Stamp on their brevet card
also must meet the COT (Cut Off Time)
i did managed to get COT just enough time
day one,was kinda easy rides for me(not really easy tho)
the route goes closely to the south seashore of java island,eventho it's shoreline but that doesn't means flats,,no itulots of long steep hills
and to make matter wirse,the roads surface are so terrible far from smooth surface like you guys has in the states.
so,day one was about 400miles away from starting line
i was able to get there under COT at 17:47pm the COT was at 22:00pm
one down two to go
after some grueling first two days racing,i begin to get some issues
my tigh are chafing irritated so bad and my butt was also has similiar problems,this due to wearing new Kits,so it's very annoying and uncomfortable not to mention to pain,in the end i managed to solved those issues on day three..
as my chafing problems has gone,now i can pedal better and focus on just race
days 3
another big to catching on,from 1 check point wich is called RancaBuaya an small city by the shore,,we then must pedaled another 400miles to get to 2 checkpoint and COT closed at 23:00pm on 18th August
again not flats,,too many fuck*ng steep hills and Head wind
speaking abiut headwind,,i remembered when i did Bike Across Country Few Years Ago,i have also facing headwind throughout the Tour
and now it's happening again the situation
headwind all days throughout the race,although not as strong as in the states by few mph
for example headwind in northwest can be around 10-20mph all day
here,i can feel it in my face somewhere around 10-15mph
and did i mentioned the Heat??
oh yes,the Heat is Brutal here,but the temperature was a little nicer esp in the hogh plateau
on the lowlands it hot as hell,but gotta keep moving if stopped it will be unbearable for some folks,good thing is there's plenty coconut vendors all across the island seashore
and foods was easy to find even up on the mountains and in forestry areas,such as national forest there's always be foods stall or Warung as we called those foods stall,kinda like groceries store but the lesser nice
but,they're almost can be find easily
unlike in the states,Amenities are sometimes very hard to find when riding cross country.
Accommodations also easy to find,such as Cheap Hotel or Motel,,I can even sleep in someone else's front porch,mosque,community security post (this is scattered around the small village for peoples in that village doing some kinda community watchers that they regularly doing every night,since there's quite lots of crime happening in that small village)
This is the community watchers pos
...on the way to 2check point
the route still goes on by the shore occasionally veer into national park or mountainous regions
sometimes i stopped to take interesting stuff along the way like i always does,and this race is no different than my others excursions,always have Fun and venturing
route relatively Rolling and some very big vlimbs over the mountains
when reached Town Of Imogiri in Yogyakarta City Skirt,i noticed batery Pack all 4 packs was used and i'm only left one that is also almost hone depleted
so,i must stop and find some outlet ti charging all my electronics devices
luckily across from where i stopped (roadside) i spotted electric outlet by the house across,and the lady owner was just entering her house
bingo,,it's my lucky day
after explaining what is my problem was,she agreed to let me use the Outlet and also i can sleep by the porch,,
and that's was around 5pm
so,i took some naps,waking up by 21:40pm
immediately get all my belonging and by the time was done it was almost 22:00pm
next is the long climbing over the mountains called Imogiri or Batangan Mountains into the Forest,halfway ride i spotted two couple ahead of me,wich we meet two daya ago
we said hello and wishing goodluck,then i took off leaving themmin the pitch black of night
(oh,almost all undeveloped village are without street lights or very seldome travel by motorist,so it's quite spooky and scary traveling on those Forest all by myself)
i kept on pedaling till morning vomes,occasionally i stopped and took quick nap at the Post Watcher wich can be easily access on the roadside in the village,
after cresting out from mountains,i'm now entering village areas scattered far apart from each one and another,maybe around 10-15 miles apart in between is the forest or farmland without seeing any soul or houses
i'm now leaving Jawa Tengah or Central Java regions,,this was in Forest at around 2am
pitchblack can't even see my own hand without lights.
morning comes,i'm now into my third days going to fourth days
next city is called, Pacitan,Jawa Timur (look it up)
i'm now in East part of java island
after crested down the Mountains at night troughs early morning at 6am,i finally reached the City of Pacitan
it was very steep long downhill to the city
(it's similar when i'm cresting downhill into City Of Jim Thorpe in Pennsylvania but three times longer and steeper
the city situated by the valley surrounded by volcanic mountains from all directions
there i had my breakfast and kept on cranking
because i must make it to next big city before Cut Oof Time is Due and that was at 23:00pm on August 18th (into 4days racing)
now the terrain fairly flats all the way into Blitar City (hometown of Our first President Mr.Sukarno)
at 6am in the morning after a long night riding i made it to Pacitan,the next big City is Blitar
it's Not really flats,lot's of Rollers
but i made it to next check point in time
arrived at the check point at 19:08pm
4 hrs early than Cut Of Time (23:00pm)
so,happy but exhausted
next move is,gotta find a motel and charging all my electronics gadget
check in at local motel,and over sleep (shitt)
waking up at 4:40am been sleeping like a dead horse for 8hr,feeling so fresh i'm happy i can get deep sleep
moving on is the next check point #3
and the hardest one
all riders must climbing up to this Mountain peak up to 2k meter high from sea level
(google Bromo,Ranu Pani)
it's very beautiful small town and regions in Pasuruan,east jave
so,from city of Blitar at around 5:15am i left the motel and start cranking hardt towards Bromo Mountain or Town of Ranu Pani the check Point #3 luckily this time no more cut of time apply,you just get there and to be checked all your equipment and your health
The long climb to Ranu Pani was The Hardest vlimb i have ever did,even two European guys walking the steep 8km last climbs total of 118km
average climbs was about 12-26% gradient with being the steepest is the summit of village jemplang around 27% Gradient
i'm walking the whole 8km in the dark and cold wet rain,,some guy even Quit because he had cramping vlimbing those brutal climbing
i bet you guys (mtbnj team can't even cleared it😆)
to be continued....