After coming out of the AnPost Ras in much better shape than I went into it, I had one day to packup and fly to Padang in Indonesia for the UCI 2.2 Tour de Singkarak. Similar to the Ras, it is a stage race ran over eight days (although only seven stages, we have one rest day) - different from the Ras though, it was going to be hot, very very hot!
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Recovery ride on arrival in Padang |
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Outside the city of Padang |
Travels went well (four seats free for me to lie on in an Airbus A380) and I arrived in Indonesia feeling good considering the last ten days. I had one extra day to acclimatise before the rest of the team arrived from Surabaya (a few hour flight to Padang) and get used to the dramatic change in climate.
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View from the hotel in Bukittinggi |
With the team all together, we travelled up to Bukittinggi where the first stage would start. More easy spins and we really got to marvel at this stunning country.
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Stopping for a pee :) |
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Our hotel for the first few nights |
The heat was initially a shock to the system, but I hoped it would remember my months in Indonesia already spent before the racing would start.