Japanese rider clinches Gudang Garam race title

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Japanese rider Dan Takuma, a bronze medalist at the Atlanta Olympics, had too much firepower for his Indonesian adversaries yesterday, winning the Gudang Garam Mountainbike cycling race with consummate ease.

Takuma took a commanding lead from the outset all the way to the finishing line, completely unchallenged. He clocked 1:51:54.82 in the 15-km race held around the hilly tourist resorts of Toya Bungkah, Gunung Batur and Kintamani, some 68 km east of here.

National cyclist Ferianto finished a distant second with a time of 1:53:45.82. Another national rider, Ferisonic, came third in 1:54:32.86.

Marta Mufreni, also national rider, crossed the finish line in fourth place.

The gold medalist for mountain biking at the National Games, Sugiarto, did not turn up for the race reportedly because his right leg was injured. Had he taken part, he might have challenged Takuma.

When the formidable Takuma had a huge lead with only two kilometers to go, the question on everybody's mind was who would finish second. And in a thrilling battle for second place, Ferianto managed to take the upper hand over the rest of the pack.

Twenty-three riders, 12 from Indonesia and 11 from Japan, are taking part in the races which end today with a 10-km downhill event.

After his victory, Takuma said the treachery, stony arena full of hilly bends and curves made the race quite challenging.

"The track is good enough, the landscape is quite panoramic. But unfortunately some parts of the track are slippery. This caused me to fall from my bike several times. I also found big stones left scattered in the middle of the track," the Japanese cyclist said through an interpreter.

On the Indonesian riders, 26-year-old Takuma, who claims to have been in the sport since he was 10, said some of the local cyclists in the race had a bright future.

He singled out Ferianto as his "most dangerous rival" in the race: "He is talented, and has an unflinching, never-say die spirit. What he needs is more international exposure."

Local sports scribes aside, the annual race was covered by three Japanese journalists from the Bicycle Club and Cycle Sports English language magazines and Kumamoto Nishi-Nichi Shimbun newspaper. (bas)