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| The 5 stages of the Tour de Timor 2009 |
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| The official banner |
Today was the start of the very first
Tour de Timor bicycle race in Dili, August 2009. It comprised 300 competitors from 12 countries, and is considered the greatest proof of cycling Timorese. The event was an initiative of Dr. José Ramos-Horta, the President of the Republic, as part of his peace-building and nation-building campaigns.
Because of road closures, we had to walk into town for the start. It was not very far, but we only just arrived just in time to hear the sirens of the advance vehicles before the first cyclists come hurtling by.
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| International and local competitors |
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| It was a competitive race, but also social |
Some riders were looking competitive in lycra, but there were other riders wearing more casual gear, but everyone had sunglasses and blockout. And they were riding mountain bikes. Most of the competitors were working in Timor Leste although some had come just for the race, and there were also some Timorese competing.
Not only Dili, but many of the towns along the route either had
hand-painted signs or banners for the race. They local population saw
the race as a real benefit for the country.
Part of the course was on sealed roads, but part of the course was over quit rough dirt roads. Also there were no support vehicles, and most of the riders had backpacks with water, food and spares.
This race was an attempt to draw some international attention to Timor Leste as a travel destination and overcome the perception that it was a dangerous country to visit.
Previously the rest of the world turned a blind eye to the atrocities
perpetrated on the East Timorese by the invading Indonesians. The death
toll through violence and starvation as a result of the invasion and "integration" was estimated to be in the range of a quarter to a third
of the Timorese population.
This short (shaky) video below captures the start.
There's a very good
Fairfax video of the race and that shows the difficulty of the race and provides an insight into the Timor Leste countryside.
Also there's a pretty slick
commercial video produced by the sponsors Digicel with a pounding up-tempo soundtrack.
