Team 7 Eleven from the Philippines became the first foreign team to arrive in Kupang for the 2025 Tour de Entete cycling race. Team manager Ric Rodriguez reported that his team, consisting of five riders and one official, arrived at El Tari Airport, Kupang, on Wednesday (September 3, 2025) at 1:00 PM WITA (Central Indonesian Time). The team transited in Denpasar, Bali before continuing their journey.
The riders from the continental team are Rench Michael Abarca Bondoc, Joshua Abiva Pascual, John Patrick Sarmiento, Daniel Josh Sibuma Corpuz, and Joseph Babaan Javiniar.
Ric himself is still stuck in Bali waiting for another official to arrive because he left his passport behind and was unable to fly with the team.
The team plans to train before participating in the cycling race, which will be held from September 10 to 21, 2025.
LO Coordinator Ayu Fatimatuzzahra said that immediately after landing at the airport, the team ate rendang rice for lunch at a Padang food stall.
“They ate two portions of rice with rendang, egg, chicken, and fried fish. They also exchanged pesos but had difficulty because no money changers accepted them. But since they had enough money, they continued eating,” she said.
The race was attended by 17 teams from 13 countries, including the Philippines, Slovenia, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Iran, Algeria, Egypt, France, and the Netherlands. (*)
