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Betano, East Timor. Indonesia's only representative in the Tour de Timor, Amir Mahmud, climbed the vicious double- peaked fourth stage of the race Thursday in 3:29:34.

The 34-year-old finished in 24th place out of almost 300 riders, putting himself in a strong position to be in the top 30 overall after the final leg Friday.

Stage 4 traced a challenging 67-kilometer path, starting at sea level in the coastal town of Betano and rising almost 2,000 meters, ending in the mountain town of Moubisse.

While the Tour has been promoted as one of the world's toughest bike races, Amir said riding up East Java's Mount Bromo "was tougher."

Amir, ethnically Bugis from Sulawesi, but now living in Jakarta, said he had decided to take part in the race to find out what East Timor was like a decade after its tumultuous birth as an independent nation.

“I’m here to see how my brothers and sisters have improved their lives, especially after the spilt from Indonesia," he said.

An avid mountain biker, Amir was on the Indonesian national racing team until 2005. He now competes as a hobby, supported by his job in a motorbike workshop.

In order to race in the Tour de Timor, each rider must join a team of up to four participants. With no other Indonesians on hand, Amir turned to the Malaysian national team, whom he had met on the racing circuit.

“They were three and I was one,” he said of the all-male Malaysia 3 team.

Malaysia Head Coach Nazali Talib said he knew Amir from Jakarta and was happy to have him on the team. He said it made little difference that Amir does not wear the Malaysian national jersey, because his team has avoided wearing the bright-orange shirts in order not to be identified and systematically crowded out by others.

Amir heard about the race thorough a friend who is an oil worker in Dili. He suspects other Indonesian racers did not make it because some are fasting for Ramadan and others are involved in another race in Kalimantan.

Amir said he was glad he came and hoped to return someday. He added that the East Timorese fans had received him warmly.

“They think I am East Timorese too," he said, "so they cheer for me.”