Banners are being going up, SMS messages are being sent, streets are being painted, merchandise is arriving and all of Dili is buzzing with the excitement of the third annual Tour de Timor, which will get underway on Sunday, September 11.
The President José Ramos-Horta met with the press at the airport this week to welcome riders and spectators to the event of the year. The 2011 Tour de Timor will see riders taking on an added day to cover the 600km course over six days of racing through the Eastern districts. The inclusion of Lautem in this year’s Tour will mark a complete circuit throughout the 12 contiguous districts of the eastern part ofTimor-Leste; Oecusse, the western exclave, will be the only district yet to be visited by the tour de Timor.
With rider registrations officially over 400, this year’s race is the biggest event yet. As volunteers continue to arrive in Dili the swelling ranks of the organising committee combined with the riders and various support staff will see close to 800 total members in the convoy moving from Dili to Laclubar, Beaco, Iliomar, Com, Manatuto then back to Dili. Some of the main riders to keep an eye on this year will be returning champion Adrian Jackson, along with his close competitors Scott Liston, Ben Mather, Paul van der Ploeg (brother of inaugural champion Neil), Shahrin Amir and Andrew Bell.
This year will also see the inclusion of Tour newcomers Chris Jongewaard and MTB legend Tinker Juarez. The Timorese men are continuing their strong gains year on year with expected top ten placing for this year’s event. Rowena Fry is once again expected to dominate the women’s category.
‘Peace begins with me’ is this year’s theme for the major event which forms part of the President’s Dili ‘City of Peace’ campaign. The strong theme of social inclusion and promoting sport throughout the country will be evident through out the race with local communities involved around the country and back in Dili. The return into Dili on Friday, September 16 will be marked with road-closures throughout the capital for the green-themed morning – bicycles will be the order of the day for all.
Riders are treated to views of seas on both the North and South coasts of the country, views of rainforests and rice paddies, mountain villages and rural children. They are pushed to compete across conditions ranging from extreme heat and dryness to constant rainfall. And after all this they are given good hot meals, a place to camp and opportunity to explore the local village they’ve arrived in. For the true competitors there is also the matter of the prize money, which this year is in excess of US$100,000.