http://www.leicesterforest.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=783&sid=ebd3b02fef50fda2397cc72d7a15f922
BALI AUDAX 2011:
We set off at 6am from Jimbaran Bay in the south, 204 riders in total, all wearing Bali Audax Jerseys. The route took us west along the coast, with some small climbs. Apart from one other mountain bike, and a folding Brompton-esque bike (!), everyone was riding high-end road bikes, tubeless tyres, aero wheels etc… I found that I would pass most people on the uphills and then watch them all fly past me on the flats/downhill, as it was just impossible to keep pace with my mountain bike. So apart from the sections at the start where everyone would ride as a big group, I found myself riding on my own a lot.
After 3 hours we arrived at the first stop. I was worrying about the minimum average speed so made a brisk toilet stop, and downed some food and water, only for it to become apparent that there was no minimum speed, as we were told to wait for everyone to arrive before leaving. As in turned out, no one would have completed the first day in the maximum time!
Lunch was at Negara, another 2 hours or so later. The heat had really begun to kick in and I felt pretty dreadful. I found I didn’t have much appetite or thirst, but knew I should consuming a lot of food and drink. I took my shoes off and sat down away from the crowds. But then more people arrived and all started walking around me. Worrying that people would step on my toes with cycling cleats, I was trying to pull my feet out the way and was getting cramp in doing so. Not ideal! At that point I was feeling daunted by the remaining distance.
Fortunately, there was a big rainstorm, which really cleared out my headache, and gave me a second wind to push on to the next checkpoint at Gilimanuk. This was the furthest west that the route would take us. All other checkpoints were in large carparks, with shops etc… apart from this one, which was just at the side of the road. Feeling a lot fresher, I had my card stamped and carried straight on.
However, the heat became a problem again and I had to take shelter in the shade a couple of times. The second time was pretty rough, and the thought of drinking was making me feel sick, so I got off my bike and lay down. Soon after, the support ambulance arrived, lights flashing away, which was rather embarrassing as several large groups of cyclists passed, assuming I had crashed, injured etc… when I was just having a rest, albeit a rather enforced one. Despite the paramedic informing me that it was 20km to the next checkpoint at Pulaki temple, I believed that I was a lot closer – it turned out to be about 15km closer!
Having taken in a lovely sea view at Pulaki and a not so lovely strawberry fanta, I was on to the last stretch. Perhaps somewhat foolishly with respect to the next day, I got excited at the thought of getting off my bike, and found myself powering through the last section to Lovina, arriving 12 hours after I had begun in Jimbaran, 138 miles away.
The next day began slightly later at 7am, and although rather sleepy, I felt ok and my legs still intact. The route took us through Bali’s second largest city, Singaraja. I don’t know if it was impromptu or organised, but the school kids (yes school is on Saturday too) had lined the streets to cheer us on, waving flags and looking for high fives. The first two sections were relatively easy but I was trying to keep in a low gear to save energy, as the third section was a 400m steep climb past Mount Abang. The second checkpoint, before the climb, was at a dive school, which had outdoor showers. Seizing any chance to cool off, I had a shower in my bike kit.
By now, the ride had taken its toll on the participants, with the start of the climb leaving riders sat on the roadside. After a short rest, I began to tackle the ascent up Abang, ironically named, as my knee almost made that sound. Despite keeping a high cadence, I felt a really sharp acute pain in my right knee. Instantly thinking that was my ride over, I shifted down into the granny ring and thankfully I didn’t experience any more pain for the remaining 60 miles or so! Climb over, we were greeted by a sweeping view of rice paddies, palm trees and the sea in the distance, coasting for the 10km to lunch. The next section was mostly downhill as well, although I began to fear I had taken a different route, as there were long periods where I saw no other riders. Feeling similar to how I felt on the section before Pulaki on the first day, the heat left me sat under some trees, eating an extremely melted snickers. Eventually made it to the second to last checkpoint, and from there found some energy to pedal on to the next, where we were told to wait as the organisers wanted us to negotiate the heavy traffic as a large group.
Finishing just in time for sunset, we arrived on the beach for dinner and medals. Although there were only about 30 people there. I thought I was near the back of the 204, but turned out I was in the first group to arrive! Think the heat/tiredness had confused me a bit. Unfortunately, some riders did not arrive for another 2 hours, and so arrived in the dark.
As my first audax experience, the Bali Audax was incredible. But after 250 miles on a hardtail, in 30 degree heat, I’m looking forward to getting out on my road bike in Britain even more so.