Published on June 11, 2014
Situated in the Agam Regency, in West Sumatra, Lawang Peak provided a dramatic setting for the finish line of the 4th stage of Tour de Singkarak 2014 on Tuesday, 10th June 2014.
Standing on the peak of a hill at an altitude of 1,210 meter, Lawang Peak offers both cyclists and spectators the spectacular panoramic view over Lake Maninjau with the Bukit Barisan Mountain Range on the horizon. The location is often used for international paragliding tournaments; where many regard this as the best site for paragliding in Southeast Asia.
The 4th stage was flagged off on Tuesday morning at the iconic Jam Gadang Clock Tower in the hill town of Bukittinggi and took competing cyclists on a long and challenging course over 165Km. As a result of the demanding challenges in the previous three stages, the number of riders remaining to compete in the race dropped from 144 to 104 representing 18 teams. The 4th stage together with the 8th stage are considered by many to present the main challenges that will determine the ultimate championship of the Tour de Singkarak 2014.
If in previous stage, racers had to tackle the challenge of Kelok 9 (the Nine Sharp Bends ), this time they were presented with an even trickier track of Kelok 44 (the 44 Hairpin Bends): an ascending track with 44 hairpin bends all the way to the finish line. This stage features complete characteristics from flat-straight lines, to rolling, and also the King Of Mountain track.
Iranian riders again dominated the podium with Rahim Emami from Pishgaman Yazd (PKY) Team emerging as Champion with a recorded time of 04:28:15. Amir Zargari took 2nd place recording a time of 04:28:31, followed by Ramin Mehrbaniazar clocking the time of 4:28:44.
With the above results, Amir Zargari from Pisgaman Yazd Team retained top position of the leaderboard registering a total time of 7 hours 51 minutes and 36 seconds, while his teammate Arvin Moazemi Godarzi came in second place with a total time of 7 hours 53 minutes and 01 second. Another Iranian cyclist Hossein Alizadeh from Tabriz Shahrdari Ranking Team was placed 3rd with a total time of 7:53:11.
For the King of Mountain category, Ramin Mehrbanizar held on to the polka dot jersey with 20 points, followed in second place by Amir Zargari with 11 points, and Arvin Moazemi Godarzi who also scored 11 points.
The Green Jersey and the title of King of Sprint was still held by Arvin Moazemi Godarzi who scored 15 points, followed by Yousif Mohammed from the United Arab Emirates with 12 points in second place, and Sajjad Sabouri from Tabriz Pethrochemical Team with 7 points.
For the ASEAN category, the Red and White Jersey still belonged to Dadi Suryadi from the Pegasus Continental Cycling Team who recorded a total time of 7:56:18, followed in second place by Boots Ryan Cayubit from 7 Eleven Team of the Philippines, and Bambang Suryadi from the Indonesia National Team in 3rd place.
Aside from presenting the enchanting backdrop for the 4th Stage of Tour de Singkarak 2014, the Lawang Peak is truly a beautiful place to refresh one’s mind from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of Lake Maninjau, there are a number of restaurants and inns to accommodate your stay. Visitors can also enjoy diverse outdoor activities ranging from river orienteering, caving, to trekking inside the forest and observe the rare Raflesia flowers or be reinvigorated at the 7 levels Waterfall.
Lawang Pak is about 4 hours’ drive from Padang on the road from Pariaman to Lubuk Basung, before you enter Lake Maninaju where the road ascends the Kelok 44. The place is also accessible from Bukittinggi through the Matur area.
