Kathurima claims Tour de Bintan crown as Kenyan Riders prove strongest
Ayub Kathurima of the Kenyan Riders took the 2014 Tour de Bintan title and with it the $2,000 first prize on November 9 thanks to a Stage 1 breakaway win and an outstanding team defence of the yellow jersey on Stage 2. Grace Phang of the Specialized Mavericks was crowned the Women's champ with a dominating display which saw her take two wins and a second place from the three stages on the Indonesian island of Bintan.
As the race rolled off in the provincial capital Tanjung Pinang on the Friday afternoon, most of the talk centred on what impact the introduction of the Criterium as an opener would have on the tour. The fast and twisty 3.5km circuit certainly provided some great theatre and the star of the show turned out to be Tjarco Cuppens of the Lapierre Asia team. Schooled on a heavy diet of crits and kermesses back in his native Netherlands, Cuppens was always going to be the man to watch, and an early break from the Dutchman proved decisive, with only local favourite Endra Wijawa (Customs Cycling Team) able to go with him.
The timing of the strike proved a masterstroke as the dark clouds which had hung menacingly around pre-race unleashed their fury soon after, making the pursuit more difficult for the big chasing bunch. With the storm showing no sign of abating, the decision was made to shorten the race on safety grounds due to failing light, with Cuppens taking the win in a sprint from Wijawa. Japan's Kyosuke Takei (Infinite Singha) made a late surge from the bunch to take third place on the day, while tellingly, Fan Hsin Chu (Specialized China) and Kathurima led the rest across the line some 13 seconds back from Cuppens.
Click here to read the full report.
As the race rolled off in the provincial capital Tanjung Pinang on the Friday afternoon, most of the talk centred on what impact the introduction of the Criterium as an opener would have on the tour. The fast and twisty 3.5km circuit certainly provided some great theatre and the star of the show turned out to be Tjarco Cuppens of the Lapierre Asia team. Schooled on a heavy diet of crits and kermesses back in his native Netherlands, Cuppens was always going to be the man to watch, and an early break from the Dutchman proved decisive, with only local favourite Endra Wijawa (Customs Cycling Team) able to go with him.
The timing of the strike proved a masterstroke as the dark clouds which had hung menacingly around pre-race unleashed their fury soon after, making the pursuit more difficult for the big chasing bunch. With the storm showing no sign of abating, the decision was made to shorten the race on safety grounds due to failing light, with Cuppens taking the win in a sprint from Wijawa. Japan's Kyosuke Takei (Infinite Singha) made a late surge from the bunch to take third place on the day, while tellingly, Fan Hsin Chu (Specialized China) and Kathurima led the rest across the line some 13 seconds back from Cuppens.
Click here to read the full report.