Nibali wins in Jakarta, Cavendish, Kittel nipped at line.

//Nibali wins in Jakarta, Cavendish, Kittel nipped at line.

Nibali wins in Jakarta, Cavendish, Kittel nipped at line.

Nibali wins big in Jakarta

Vincenzo Nibali has won the inaugural end-of-season race, the Tour of Jakarta. The Indonesian island hosted the UCI event with many of the top stars in pro cycling taking part before putting an end to the long cycling calendar.

The 136 kilometer course in and around Jakarta, finished with a straight and pan flat drag to the finish line along Pluit Utara Raya boulevard. A group of four riders went to the line with Nibali pulling away from sprinters Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan and Marcel Kittel.

“I have no idea how I did it,” said Nibali, who had missed last week’s Shanghai Criterium won by Chris Froome. “I guess I’m faster than the fastest sprinters in the world. Cavendish just couldn’t catch me.”

Cavendish tried his best to overhaul Nibali but was generous in defeat. “Nibali was flying and even through it was a flat finish, he blew us all away,” said Cavendish, winking and smiling at the shocking unlikelihood that the Italian could out-sprint him.

However, Kittle appeared surprised to have lost out to a climber on what was a perfect sprint opportunity. “Somehow Chris Froome beats me in the sprint in Shanghai and now Nibali beats me in Jakarta. How is that possible?” wondered Kittel, pretending to be angry. “Clearly, my thighs are not as powerful as I thought.

The Tour of Jakarta began with some traditional Indonesian cultural events. An craftsmen instructed all the riders in the art of woodcarving and then teaching them some of the basic steps of Tari Topeng Betawi, also known as the Betawi mask dance. Kittel appeared quite skillful in craving an ornamental baton while Cavendish put on a theatrical display in the dance mask.

However, it was Nibali who proved the victor in a spirited day of hard and honest racing in the Tour of Jakarta. There was nothing fake or ceremonial here, just one climber beating three of the world’s fastest sprinters on a wide, flat road.

(Was this actually a real race? No. But it was as real as the Shanghai Criterium.)

 

 

 

By |2019-02-03T15:44:27-08:00November 2nd, 2017|Uncategorized|1 Comment

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  1. takara sugiyama November 4, 2017 at 9:12 am - Reply

    Congratulations to Vincenzo Nibali to win the inaugural end-of-season bike race which held in Jakarta of 136 kilometer long distance. The job you have done is really awesome.

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