Starting With High Hopes
I signed up for the Jakarta 150 km Audax imagining a steady day in the saddle, easy pace, friendly banter at checkpoints, maybe even an iced kopi somewhere along the way. What I got was the exact opposite.
Heat, Flats, and Muddy Roads
The sun showed up early and refused to leave. By kilometer 20 it felt like every pedal stroke was being grilled into the asphalt. And then, before I even made it to the first checkpoint, the rear tire went soft. No sag wagon, no neutral support, just me, my tools, and Jakarta heat turning every minute into a test of patience.
The GPX did not cut me any slack either, muddy backroads, gravel patches, and detours that chewed up both bike and rider.
Almost DNF Near Fatmawati
About 5 km from Fatmawati Hospital I hit a low that surprised me. I just wanted to DNF. Everything in me wanted to stop. But there was also a strange, sudden happiness at being that close to the finish, like relief and disbelief mixed together. I told myself, I believe I can, and kept turning the pedals.
Snapped Chain, Stubborn Finish
As if that was not enough, the chain snapped just 7 km from the finish. Greasy fingers, shaky hands, one spare link, somehow I managed to piece it back together. Unsupported means exactly that, no one is coming. So I kept rolling.
When I finally crossed the finish, jersey caked in salt and mind running on fumes, it felt like debugging life line by line, messy, frustrating, but worth every keystroke. Jakarta peeled me apart that day. Mud, busted chain, flat tire before checkpoint one, and the kind of heat that makes you hallucinate. But I still finished. That is the only line of code that matters.