Ferinanto sprints to victory in third stage of Tour d'ISSI

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ferinanto, of the East Java cycling team held off his rivals in the sprint to win the third stage, from Tasikmalaya to Purwokerto, in the Tour d'ISSI on Tuesday.

The 155 kilometer route crosses the border of West Java and Central Java provinces.

Ferinanto touched the finish line in a time of four hours 23 minutes and 44 seconds, after a sprint between the leading pack, with riders accelerating in the last ten kilometers.

Suwandra of West Kalimantan and Nunung Burhanudin of West Java followed, four and six seconds behind the winner.

"In the previous two stages I failed because the escalating routes were too tough. But this stage is generally flat and I had the stamina," Ferinanto said, as quoted by Antara.

He said he was also hoping to win the fifth stage -- also characteristically flat -- of 104 kilometers from Pekalongan to Semarang. On Wednesday, the riders will compete in the fourth stage, from Purwokerto to Pekalongan.

The Tour d'ISSI, which will cover a total of 1,391 kilometers from west to east Java, entered its third stage on Tuesday with the riders overwhelmed by grief, following the death of Yana Rochdiana.

The riders wore black arm-bands in honor of Yana, who died in a crash during the second stage, from Bandung to Tasikmalaya, on Monday.

The crash occurred when a group of riders deviated from the median line of the course. Yana ran into an bus coming from the opposite direction.

The participating teams, through their managers, had initially proposed the third stage be used as a "mourning stage", in which the riders would have continued without competing for points. But the proposal was rejected by the organizers.

However, it was agreed that all cash bonuses awarded during the first two stages be given to Yana's family.

Also, in honor of Yana, the riders began the third stage slower than normal and rode together.

They remained in this state of "togetherness" until they entered the last ten kilometers.

Ferinanto said that the riders had agreed to restrain from speeding up until they approached the sprint section.

Meanwhile, Achmad Effendi, who fractured a bone in his right hand in the fatal crash, returned home on Monday after being treated at the Al Islam Hospital,Antara reported.