Flores Bike Exploration participants assemble their bikes upon arrival in Maumere city, East Nusa Tenggara, Friday (11/8). The cycling tour will start from Maumere on Saturday (12/8) and finish in Labuan Bajo on Thursday (17/8), coinciding with the 72nd commemoration of Indonesia’s Independence Day. Flores Bike Exploration is organized by the Kompas newspaper together with Bank Mandiri.
Pedaling bicycles for thousands of kilometers involves not only professional athletes. Such activity has also attracted the public. They spend time and money to bike in some places to enjoy the nature and see the life of local people.
Mark Winkel, 57, a United States citizen who has worked and lived in Jakarta for 20 years, often spends several days to cycle long distances, either alone or with his friends. On those tours, he occasionally stops and drinks coffee, eats local food, enjoys tourist spots, talks with local people and gets to learn about culture and traditions.
Exploring local culture is important during the travel. Understanding people’s life and local culture cannot be done while riding the bike fast or driving a car. Sometime, he gets off the bike and sits down with the people. “This is the pleasure of long-distance biking while traveling,” said Mark, who has biked in Central Java, Bali, West Sumatra and Flores. Basrie Kamba, 55, chief executive of a multinational company in Jakarta, also said he would never tire of trying to take in all the beauty of the country through hiking, diving or traveling with friends.
An experience to remember
“On the bike, every step on the pedal is meaningful. Well, it was exhausting, but from the saddle I could enjoy the beauty of the archipelago, beaches, mountains, forests, food, kid’s talking, wind, rain, sun, everything. There is a meaning and essence of life that we find in long-distance biking,” said Basrie Kamba.
Husband and wife Tito, 63, and Christin, 57, from Austria arrived in Flores in May to travel by bike. They started their journey from Maumere in the eastern part of Flores Island and traveled to Labuan Bajo in the west of the island. “We believed traveling Floresby bike would be a more satisfying experience,” Tito said.
However, Bank Mandiri corporate communication head Ahmad Reza said we should not only be proud of the natural beauty. Also needed now were creativity, innovation and a strong commitment to develop the tourism potential and attract more tourists.
“That is why all parties must build synergy and use innovation and creativity as well as a strong commitment to optimize the tourism potential. Bank Mandiri will always fully support that. To help develop tourism in East Nusa Tenggara, Bank Mandiri has disbursed Rp 223.97 billion,” Reza added.
Lack of attention
Flores has many tourist attractions, such as the endangered komodo dragon, the scenery of Padar Island, the Komodo Ocean Park, the traditional kampongs of Wae Rebo and Bena, the Riung Ocean Park, the Maumere Bay Ocean Park and the whale hunting tradition in Lembata. Others are Lake Kelimutu, known for its three different water colors, woven clothes with hundred of motifs and local tradition. These attractions are extraordinary pull factors.
The number of tourists to Flores increases every year. In 2012, for example, East Nusa Tenggara counted 349,000 domestic tourists, but in 2016, that number increased to 832,000 people. Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourist increased from around 47,000 in 2012 to 140,000 in 2016.
Yet the government is paying minimal attention to road infrastructure for reaching several tourist locations. The roads to Wae Rebo, for example, both the southern route and the central route, are severely damaged.
On the southern route, for example, the journey from Lembor to Wae Rebo’s first post Pos Satu, the gathering point for a 5-kilometer walk, is about 40 kilometers. While most of the road is asphalted, it is rough. Two bridges are damaged, rendering one of them unusable.
Kompas/Lucky Pransiska
Flores Bike Exploration participants assemble their bikes upon arrival in Maumere city, East Nusa Tenggara, Friday (11/8).
“If the road on the southern route was smooth and if the bridges were in good condition, it would take only about an hour from Lembor to the Pos Satu,” said Marten, a tourism bureau official in Wae Rebo. From Lembor to Labuan Bajo, about 65 kilometers, takes 1.5 hours.
Meanwhile, passing along the central route of Flores, there is road damage roads, too, mainly around KM 40, from Todo to the Pos Satu in Wae Rebo. Consequently, the trip of around 82 kilometers from Ruteng to the Pos Satu takes 3.5-4 hours. Moreover, from Labuan Bajo to Pos Satu takes seven hours through this route.
On other routes, such as on the northern coast of Flores, the roads are also damaged. In fact, the route has tourist objects to offer. “We are sad about this condition. Our obstacle is the road status as a provincial and national road,” Ngada Tourism Office head Todi Reo said.
Ready to bike
Flores Explore Biking participants are getting ready to pedal their bikes for 706 kilometers on Flores Island, starting on Saturday(12/8) morning. The cyclists of various professions will start their adventure with a first stage of 107 kilometers from Maumere in Sikka to Mount Kelimutu in Ende.
A participant from Jakarta, Tomi Pratomo, 52, said he had prepared physically and technically for the up-and-down roads in Flores. The physical preparation included enough nutrition and rest. The director of a Jakarta company also prepared his bike for the task.
Flores Explore Biking runs for six days, from Aug. 12-17, 2017. The route is divided into six stages, Maumere-Kelimutu (107 km), Kelimutu-Riung (177 km), Riung-Bajawa (72 km), Bajawa-Ruteng (148 km), Ruteng-Wae Rebo (85 km) and Wae Rebo-Labuan Bajo (111 km). The routes include coastal areas, mountains, curvy roads, climbs and descents.
Sikka Police Office deputy chief Comr. Muhammad Saleh said his office had prepared 100 personnel to safeguard places along the route, particularly roads prone to landslides and those with lots of cattle.
Sikka Tourism Office head Kensius Didimus said tourism events such as Flores Explore Biking positively impact efforts to develop tourism. Such events will also invite participants to learn more about Flores.
(KOR/DRI/RAZ)
Editor’s Note: For the 10th time, Kompas organized a biking tour across the archipelago. With the support of Bank Mandiri, this time it was held on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara. The six-day trip of 706 kilometers goes from Maumere to Labuan Bajo. Reports can be read every day starting today through Friday (18/8).
