Day 1: Kuda Oya to Haputale
We’ve just done a 6-hour, 300 km transfer on some luxury coaches from our beachside hotel in Negombo on the West coast of Sri Lanka in order to reach the start of the race on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. There’s a flurry of activity as the two trucks transporting the bikes get held up en route, delaying the requisite bike checks. Fortunately, the race are prepared for cases like this and two mechanics spring into action shortly before the race is due to start.
After breakfast, there’s a 7.15 am bus transfer to the start in Kuba Oya. The previous night’s frustration with the electricity (and the subsequent on-and-off of the air conditioning units) is quickly forgotten, swapped for nervous anticipation for the first day of racing.
After the gun goes at 9 am, the riders head into the low-altitude jungle, just 100 metres above sea level. We’re met by countless river crossings, and a relentless but very gradual gradient. Stage one offered 2,386 metres of climbing spread over 75 km, with the bulk of the climb coming in the final third of the stage.
If you’ve ever ridden a Tuk Tuk, you’ll be aware of their casual attitude towards traffic rules, speed limits and road widths. Two riders unfortunately bore the brunt of the tuk tuk’s lax, rule-bending approach and had to retire from the race with minor wounds.
During the race briefing, Phil had informed us about the three feed stops, the expected 29°C and the 84 % air humidity. It turned out that they’d underestimated the temperature, which we felt was surely around 10 °C higher. As we reached the finish line in the now much chiller Haputale in the afternoon, we were grateful for the altitude’s cooler temperature now we were at 1,431 metres above sea level. Haputale welcomed us with a tropical rainforest and sweeping tea plantations.
The fastest riders over the 75 km stage: 4 h 15 min was the winning time by Yuki Ikeda, with a 20 min advantage of the second-placed rider and 34 minutes ahead of third. Last year’s winner rode a full half an hour quicker. The rider with the most leisurely pace to soak up the experience clocked 9 hour and 17 minutes.
