Eddie B’s Bentang Jawa 2024 Adventures

In August 2024 I was fortunate to become the first Australian to compete in the Bentang Jawa, an unsupported ultra cycling race and self-navigation across Java Island, Indonesia. The race starts from Carita in the west to Banyuwangi in the east covering 1500km. Cyclists can ride as individuals (solo) or in teams (pairs) - I rode solo as cap#39. During the race, cyclists see the various beautiful and mystical areas in southern and central sides of the island of Java; along the coast, a series of hills, mountains, and forests throughout the five provinces across a distance of 1,500 KM with over 16,000 meters of elevation gain including climbing up and over the volcano Gunung (Mount) Bromo in East Java. The designated route must be followed exactly and must be covered within 156 hours stopping at 3 checkpoints by the cut off times to have your brevet card stamped along the way. 143 riders started and 85 finished the race with 1 disqualified - I finished in 32nd place pretty happy with that in 5d 14h 20m. This film is a chronicle of my journey from Sydney to Jakarta airport, my ride to the West Coast and lead up to the race, the Bentang Jawa race itself and the finish, and finally my ride across to Bali to fly home again. This all took place over 13 amazing days from the 7th to the 19th August 2024.
I can certainly say that Indonesia is a beautiful country, that the cycling is superb and the people are warm, kind and friendly - such a great experience!
#bentangjawa #ultracycling #sepeda #indonesia #java #cycletourism #balapsepeda