Abang to Tulamben
From the volcano to the sea
This is
the biggest stage of the tour: The Queen's stage. We woke to a white out in
Kintamani; it looked like our hotel windows had ben white-washed during the
night. It soon burned off and we were on the road to our start point. We
started on undulating bitumen before gently descending 3 kilometres on jeep
track. My riding partner managed to stack while waving good morning - Selamat
pagi - to a group of construction workers. Much hilarity ensued. We descended on
a finger of land; either side of which has been eroded to expose the chocolate-cake
soil. The farmers can't really put a foot wrong here; anything will grow in
these volcanic soils. They grow a variety of vegetables and fruits, and they
cut fodder for their cows. Sometimes while riding, you will be confronted by
what appears to be a large green bush moving along the track, only to find it
is a mountain of fodder strapped to a motorbike making its way to the cow barn.
We lost
height quickly, but as any mountain biker knows there is usually a pay-off. We
climbed up and over ridges before heading north towards the coast. A smooth
euro-style road climb delivered us to the lunch stop, and our ever reliable
soigner Made waiting for us.
After
lunch we descended down the bitumen road in a brake burning frenzy before
hitting the single track again. Now we were riding on the northern shoulder of Gunung Agung - the mighty
volcano in the north east of Bali. Rising 3142m directly from the sea in
places, it dominates the landscape. As we contoured around and then bombed down
rough jeep tracks, we were treated to groves of flowering cashew, stark lava
flows, and local farmyards. Belligerent dogs and skittish chickens were
scattered in our wake. School children, always up for a "Halloo
mista" watched and laughed as we bounced and skidded our way through their
village or front yard.
When we reached the coast road we had a smooth twenty minute ride to our digs for the next two nights - Ocean View in Tulamben.
Once
again we found ourselves in the lap of luxury; our own private villa with a
bathroom I have named 'the vast room'. It is about a quarter of the size of my
house. After checking in and supping the complimentary watermelon juice, we
bade farewell to Ketut and Made 'till Friday.
Now to
the priority list: ocean swim, pool swim, massage, shower, beer and sate -
sorted.
For
those playing at home we rode 45k in 3:07, ascending 636m and descending 1948m
https://www.strava.com/activities/67705836
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