Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen to be held on May 6-9
International cycling race the Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen (ITdBI) will be held for the fourth time in East Java on May 6-9. The competitive annual event is endorsed by the Tourism Ministry as part of its plan to promote destinations in Indonesia through sports tourism.
The ITdBI's four courses, spanning 555-kilometers, pass through the corners of Banyuwangi regency. The courses have been changed from the previous years in order to promote new tourism spots. The previous courses were designed to introduce people to places like Pulau Merah and Hijau Bay; this year, the courses will take the racers through Grand New Watu Dodol and the Boom Beach area.
Besides these new attractions, the ITdBI will still promote Mount Ijen as the highlight of the race. The mountain has long been famous because of its blue-fire burst from its crater, a phenomenon said to be only seen there and in one other place in Iceland.
The sulphur miners are also the mountain’s other interesting feature. The locals work close to the crater gathering pieces of sulphur and carrying them all the way down. An average day of work will see them moving around 70 to 100 kilograms of sulphur from the mine, and getting paid around Rp 600 (US$0.04) per kilogram.
Both the natural beauty and peculiar work found on Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi have turned it into an exceptional destination, only a crossing away from Bali.
This year’s ITdBI will see 20 teams participating, most of them international cycling teams, such as the Tabriz Shadari Team (Iran), Matrix Powertag (Japan), Singha Infinite Cycling Team (Thailand), NSC Cycling Team (Malaysia), Team 7 Eleven Road Bike (the Philippines), and the United Arab Emirates National Team.
Three of the four courses are set to finish at the Blambangan Park in the city center, where a festival will be held for the whole four days, filled with plenty of cultural performances and attractions.
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