Day 2 - Baucau to Loihuno

DAY 2: Baucau – Loihuno 65km

PAUL PIAIA'S BLOG: 
This stage from Baucau to Loihuno was only 65kms and after yesterdays day was very welcomed except technically it was very hard with steady winding climbs over a mountain range to begin with and a 20km fast decent on rocky and at times steep roads to the finish line. The roads were so bad it was hard to get traction, so it was important to find a good line and stick to it. Any sudden turns and it was easy to go down. This section caused a lot of falls and injuries. I even had a guy directly in front of me who went too fast around a corner and slipped out onto the bitumen to avoid going over the cliff. I was directly behind him in the slip stream so I was headed for the same fate except just as I thought I was going down a one foot ditch on the edge of the road saved me as I bunny hopped into it and was able to straighten and break slightly before coming off, luckily avoiding major injury. After that I thought about slowing down but as anyone who races would know, you throw caution out the window and just go for it as people passing you is not an option! It was probably the most technical stage of the race and I was glad to get back in one piece in a relatively good time. The scenery along this stage was beautiful with race paddies and mountains with sheer cliffs looking down on us made famous by the Japanese in WWII which they used to hide and live. These could still be seen from the road.


TEAM BLOG: 
The hospitality of Baucau disappeared quickly with the climb to the island’s south. Once again crowds lined the road and the children chanted for each rider. The climbing, “lulled me into a false sense of security regarding road conditions until we hit the big rocky downhill section,” said Frank. For Matt it was, “a shorter but back jarring stage, with the treacherous rocky downhill section”. Some riders were less lucky, with Frank treating 2 riders, one for a broken arm and suspected broken leg, and cleaning the wounds of another rider. At the finish riders were greeted with locals wearing traditional clothes.