Tour de Timor- A brief report for an epic adventure
It’s now a few days after the completion of the first ever tour de Timor and congratulations are coming from left right and centre from cycling friends to housemates grandmothers! It’s clear that this race was by far the most publicised race I’ve ever competed in, let alone won.
Why? Timor-Leste (formerly known as East Timor) was has had a rough past. They are celebrating 10 years of independence and are looking forward to a peaceful future. This race is part of the celebrations and is the first ever international sporting event they have ever held. They want the world to see that they are now at peace and that people can safely come to visit. And so the media came!
It was a 5 day stage race that was predominately on bitumen, but with a lot of potholes. There were regular rough sections of dirt in places where the road had been washed away. The Felt six carbon hardtail was the obvious choice of bike but tyre selection was always a tough. To get a fast rolling tyre that had enough meat on it to handle the dirt and guard against punctures was a constant balancing act, we’ve never thought about tyres this much. The racing was tactical and had many similarities to a road race. Having Peter Hatton in our team was invaluable as he is an experienced mountain biker and roadie. He trained up for this event and was one of the strongest out there. Scott was sacrificed for my GC position at every opportunity and on top of that got sick after day 3 and only just came good by the finish. His efforts were greatly appreciated. If I had any problems with my wheels during the race like a flat, I’d quickly swap a wheel with Scott and let him deal with it. If sleeping arrangements were a little tight, Scott would get the boot! He hardly experienced a slipstream for the entire race, he was either on the front or out the back. He did this all despite having a good chance of winning the hill climbers jersey. He got the rough end of the stick so I could get the smooth end. Thanks a heap Scott, I’m glad your hard work all paid off in the end!
Scott has a comprehensive report on the go that will be up in a few days so I won’t give too much away but I will tell you that the racing was top tight and the lead changed several times. Less than 24 hours before the finish we thought winning was out of the question but then, we had a plan… Stay tuned!
Why? Timor-Leste (formerly known as East Timor) was has had a rough past. They are celebrating 10 years of independence and are looking forward to a peaceful future. This race is part of the celebrations and is the first ever international sporting event they have ever held. They want the world to see that they are now at peace and that people can safely come to visit. And so the media came!
It was a 5 day stage race that was predominately on bitumen, but with a lot of potholes. There were regular rough sections of dirt in places where the road had been washed away. The Felt six carbon hardtail was the obvious choice of bike but tyre selection was always a tough. To get a fast rolling tyre that had enough meat on it to handle the dirt and guard against punctures was a constant balancing act, we’ve never thought about tyres this much. The racing was tactical and had many similarities to a road race. Having Peter Hatton in our team was invaluable as he is an experienced mountain biker and roadie. He trained up for this event and was one of the strongest out there. Scott was sacrificed for my GC position at every opportunity and on top of that got sick after day 3 and only just came good by the finish. His efforts were greatly appreciated. If I had any problems with my wheels during the race like a flat, I’d quickly swap a wheel with Scott and let him deal with it. If sleeping arrangements were a little tight, Scott would get the boot! He hardly experienced a slipstream for the entire race, he was either on the front or out the back. He did this all despite having a good chance of winning the hill climbers jersey. He got the rough end of the stick so I could get the smooth end. Thanks a heap Scott, I’m glad your hard work all paid off in the end!
Scott has a comprehensive report on the go that will be up in a few days so I won’t give too much away but I will tell you that the racing was top tight and the lead changed several times. Less than 24 hours before the finish we thought winning was out of the question but then, we had a plan… Stay tuned!
posted by Neil at 10:43 am
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