Santia finally gets Dutch visa

JAKARTA: After a delay forced her to put off her travel plans, national cyclist Santia Tri Kusuma was granted a visa by the Dutch embassy to race in the Netherlands.

The 24-year-old Southeast Asian and Asian Games medalist was due to leave on the KLM evening flight on Saturday, according to Cycling Association of Indonesia (ISSI) secretary-general Sofian Ruzian.

Originally scheduled to leave in May, Santia's departure was put back three times as she awaited the issuance of her visa. On Wednesday, she was finally able to provide the letter from the team and its fiancial statement as required by the embassy.

Santia has been recruited by women's team R en TC Groenewoud to train and compete in a series of races in Europe as she prepares for the 2005 SEA Games in Manila. -- JP