JAKARTA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's popular destination of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province was hosting an international cycling championship from Thursday to Sunday, featuring 93 cyclists from 19 countries.
The event entitled 2017 Tour de Lombok Mandalika is sanctioned by Switzerland-based world's governing body for cycling sports, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), designed to pass through Lombok's popular destinations comprised of Mataram, Kuta and Sembalun.
"We should be proud. Even this is the first one to be held here, it already sanctioned by the UCI," NTB Governor Muhammad Zainul Majdi said in his remarks to start the championship from his office premises in the province's capital of Mataram.
Besides from the hosts, cyclists taking part in the championship are among others from the Netherlands, Germany, Laos, Thailand, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, France, South Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Italy.
They will pass through a total distance of 485.6 kilometers, divided in four stages to vie for the total rewards of 800 million rupiah (about 60,000 U.S. Dollars).
