Many people consider extreme sports like inter-island cycling to be very risky, especially at an age that is no longer young. A body that is not as fit as it was in your 20s is often a reason to “play it safe” when choosing a sport. That is not the case for Sofyan Kurniawan, Co-Founder of Jamu Sehati, who recently cycled across the island of Bali, then traveled on to take part in the Malang Trail Running (Mantra) event in Malang, East Java.
According to Sofyan, extremity exists on a spectrum, and wherever we stand on that spectrum, it is all just learning once it has been lived through. One of the lessons is how we weigh and decide while actually carrying out an extreme act. For some people, cycling from Bali to Malang sounds like a reckless decision. For Sofyan, the journey brought a great deal of new awareness about life and about himself.
Sofyan’s motivation is actually simple and… honest. He wants to qualify for Bentang Jawa, an ultra-distance cycling race across Java from west to east, covering 1,500 km with 16,000 meters of elevation gain and a time limit of 156 hours. He did not qualify previously, and by cycling from Bali to Malang and joining ultra sporting events like the Mantra race, Sofyan has a chance to earn his qualification.
There is no complicated training program. His preparation is built on habit: wherever possible, he commutes by bicycle. Short distances or long, he covers them on his bike. He believes that by building this habit, even extreme cycling will not feel like a burden. Besides forming habits, managing his diet and, of course, drinking jamu are his secret weapons.
During the journey, jamu played a big role in supporting his physical fitness, especially recovery. In his experience, recovery time felt more efficient and his body did not react as strongly to inflammation. Every body is different, and jamu is best seen as a companion to a healthy lifestyle, not a replacement for rest, nutrition, and medical care when needed. Before departure, and throughout the round trip, Sofyan drank jamu regularly.
On this trip, he brought Dharma powdered jamu from Jamu Sehati. The powdered form was chosen because its packaging is practical and effective for travel, and it lasts longer than freshly pressed jamu. The Dharma variant was chosen because it contains antioxidants that are potent for boosting the body’s endurance. It contains temulawak, ginger, and turmeric, traditional Indonesian spices believed to contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. These spices work to encourage the body’s internal organs to function well, especially when the body experiences inflammation after extreme exercise.
Speaking of challenges, many people might assume that the biggest challenge of long-distance cycling is the climbs, the weather, or the aches and soreness. Mas Sofyan’s answer is different. In his view, the biggest challenge (and perhaps for many others too) is his own mind. It is normal for humans to be wrapped in fear when about to do something they have never done before, especially when the act is rarely done by most people and is often judged risky. But it turns out that once it is undertaken, that fear becomes something real and measurable.
On his return, he carried not exhaustion but valuable life lessons. The first concerns the physical and the mental. He came to understand how body and soul can always adapt to conditions, and vice versa. A body that initially protests slowly adjusts, while an anxious mind slowly finds its rhythm. The two influence each other. On life philosophy, he says that perseverance is the key to life. Instilling this value within ourselves helps us fight on until the very end, because no situation or condition stays the same forever. What is hard will pass, and so will whatever makes our lives comfortable. Soro, which in Javanese means misery or something difficult and unpleasant, is not to be enjoyed, but to be passed through.
What did he feel at the end of the journey? Not merely relief or pride, but a realization that samsara is part of life’s learning. The cycle of falling, rising, fear, courage, exhaustion, and recovery is not an obstacle to the journey; it is the journey itself.
From Bali to Malang, what Sofyan covered was not just distance, but a journey inward.