A Rider’s View of Race Route
A pre-race track description by Phil Hystek (Masters winner and 12th place overall in 2009 TDT)
The 2009 Tour de Timor was an amazing race, with a variety of track conditions, through the central and western districts of Timor Leste.
Due to prior commitments, I won’t be racing this year but jumped at the chance to join event organiser Michael Stone on a reccie of the track during mid July. I came away very impressed with the route and the level of organisation going into this years event and am seriously disappointed in not being able to compete.
As the President requested, this years event is BIGGER, LONGER and TOUGHER, and in many ways, more spectacular than the 2009 event. This years track takes competitors into the higher altitudes of the western districts close to the Timor Leste/ Indonesian border.
Day 1. After a send-off from his Excellency the president of Timor Leste; Jose Ramos-Horta, the 350+ riders will head out of Dili on streets lined with masses of waving and cheering locals. Today stage has definitely the fastest road conditions of the entire race as the route hugs the very flat north coast on a smooth tar road interspersed with the standard car size potholes and savage roadside dropoffs. 30km out is the first of the days two climbs when the road winds its way up and over a coastal mountain range offering stunning views of the rugged coast and azure waters below. This climb is also this years first KOM and should blow most groups apart. Back down to the coastal flats again and the still very smooth road becomes quite shaded as it travels through picturesque tree lined coastal fishing villages.
But around the 100km mark, the road heads inland and begins a winding 550m climb to the town of Balibo 20km away and the days finish. High pressure fast rolling tyres will save time today but watch the potholes and dirt corners.
Balibo has strong connection with Australia being the location of the infamous “Balibo 5” masacre where five Australian journalists were murdered while reporting on the Indonesian invasion of Timor Leste in 1975. Sobering reminders of the atrocity are evident at “Australia house” where the journalists were encamped and where they sought to protection by roughly painting the word AUSTRALIA along with an impression of the Australian flag, on the wall outside. Traces of the words and flag are still evident and the house has been converted into a memorial to the 25 year struggle for independence that followed.
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Day 2: Today is probably the toughest of the whole race and starts with a narrow winding 450m descent to the wide Nanura River valley. The smooth tar road is laced with very rough dirt sections, road slips and huge potholes which will test the skills of even the best riders. It then crosses the valley for about 10km to the town of Maliana on a mix of tar and rough dirt before narrowing and starting a 500m narrow rough tar switchback climb into the Bobonaro mountains.
The track then leaves the “main” road and climbs further into the higher areas of the Bobonaro district. The road degrades into a very rough dirt road (two lane singletrack) passing through mountainside villages climbing a maximum altitude of 1800m.
If there’s been any rain, the clay sections of the track become very slippery so good gripping tyres are going to be better here than fast rolling low profile knobbies.
After about 15km along open undulating ridgelines the dirt track begins it’s long descent from the high grasslands to the tropical rainforested lowlands.
The track here is mostly rough dirt with some very rough eroded sections and a few short sections of rough potholed tar. The view of the coastal lowlands stretching out to the south coast beaches shows how far it is to the days finish at Suai.
Watch out for a lot of unannounced switchbacks at the end fast descending straights. This section is rarely trafficked so falling here will mean a long wait for a vehicle to pick up the pieces. In fact it’s so rough that all but a couple of the higher clearance 4×4 support vehicles will be taking an alternative route to Suai
The stage finishes with a fairly flat and smooth 6km tar run and a final short climb to the finish at a church and school grounds in the centre of town. This church and school hold a significant place in the history Timor Leste’s independence struggle as the site of a massacre in 1999 of more than 300 unarmed locals by the occupying forces. Look around the school for memorials.
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Day 3 After yesterdays long and brutal day, today should be relatively easy looking at the stage profile. But don’t be fooled, today’s flat section is anything but easy. 30km of seriously potholed dirt and tar with numerous river crossings will test your strength and perseverance as well as your bike’s suspension and won’t favour group riding at all.
Around 30km from the days finish at Ainaro, the road gives the biggest surprise of the entire race as it suddenly becomes one of the smoothest tar hotmix roads I’ve every ridden on albeit with the occasional “Timor” pothole. But the very twisty and undulating section of road should reduce the advantage of bunch riding. Smooth rolling tyres will be an advantage in this stage but choose your pressure; mid for the potholes or high for the smooth tar finish.
15km from the stage end, the road begins a twisting ascent of 700m vertical to the finish in the centre of Ainaro. The road remains relatively smooth all the way to the line and has some steeper sections within the climb.
KOM aspirants will also compete for the stage win as the day concludes at the end of the climb.
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Day 4 vies with stage 2 in difficulty, not due to the riding surface but to the altitude. Today’s stage from Ainaro to Aileu via Maubisse peaks at just over 1,900m (6,000’) with a 20km relentlessly steep climb to the high point. The surface is smooth tar, again peppered with car size potholes and a few steep pinches.
If you can spare the time during the climb, check the absolutely stunning views of deep gorges and waterfalls streaming from the high peaks above.
As you approach the top of the highest climb the road becomes smooth and fast and levels out passing through alpine meadows, which reminded me of some of the higher Tour de France mountain top finishes.
But don’t hold hope for the same on the 400m descent to Maubisse. While the road might have some smooth sections, the ever-present “Timor pothole” will probably be lurking in the most inopportune place, ready to catch out the unweary.
As in any descent, if you’re keen to push it, be careful particularly around blind corners. Rather than individual potholes, which can be navigated around, these “potholes” are sometimes wickedly rough sections of dirt road up to 300m long. Hitting these at the wrong speed and on the wrong line can ruin your whole day, if not your whole race.
After Maubisse the road begins another 300m tar climb followed by another seriously fun, fast tar descent into the following valley. Again, exercise caution on the descent. This section was included as part of the 2009 race and claimed one of the top riders in a major fall. But ridden correctly, this section is heaps of fun. One more short climb and equally fun descent will have you arriving at the finish in the town of Aileu.
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Day 5. Ahh. The last day.. With today’s start being 800m above the finish in Dili, today must be a cakewalk. It’s the shortest stage of the race and most of the hard work should have been done, right?. But wait, there’s more… with a couple of climbs big enough to spit the pack, today’s stage may well decide the final standings. Riders will want to up the tyre pressure today to make the most of the smooth climbs, but a 500m seriously rough dirt descent 20km from the finish could cause a drama for those compromising grip for speed as it winds down to the coastal lowlands.
A final 15km tar run along the exceptionally picturesque but equally hot and dry north coast shoreline and one last 100m climb will have you back in the outskirts of Dili. Thousands upon thousands of cheering spectators will be lining the flat waterfront road as you power (or struggle, depending on your state) to the finish at the presidential palace. This welcome is something incredibly special and makes you realise the importance of this race to the average Timor Leste resident. The Digicel finshing banner never looked so good and you can bask in the achievement of finishing such an epic.
The Tour de Timor is a really well organised and amazing race in a spectacular country, and is the biggest sporting event in the history of this fledgling country. It combines every type of riding surface, extremes of both altitude and climate, and one of the biggest prize purses in the entire MTB racing calendar. An event you’ve just gotta do, at least once.
And like most participants, you’ll probably find that the magic of Timor-Leste, the beauty of the both the people and the country, will have you winging your way back to that tropical paradise next year as well. Até Logu!
Phil.
