Our guide, Wayan, gives us a quick rundown of the area, including a brief history of the 1700m volcano, which is still active.
As I scoop up the last of my black rice pudding, he assures our group the entire tour is downhill, with an optional uphill portion at the end.
It's smiles all round at this point.
As we depart to our last stop in the minivan, Wayan enlightens us with the story of the next big attraction: Bali's Luwak coffee.
Made famous in the film The Bucket List, Luwak coffee is made from coffee beans eaten, digested and secreted by the possum-like animal luwak. The beans are separated from the luwak's droppings before they are cleaned and roasted for the coffee-making process.
A cup, which sets you back about $40 in the US, costs about $5 in Bali.
It's nice - smooth and dark, obviously a novelty - though I'm not sure I'd ever fork out over 40 bucks for a cup of "poo coffee", as it's known in Bali.
Now, it's time for the cycling. I check the brakes on my shiny red mountain bike and it all seems intact.
Wayan sets us off and it's straight into green fields, not a road in sight. As promised, we cruise through myriad rice paddies, stopping to see how the crop is harvested.
A group of friendly workers are also patient enough to take us through the process and let us join in.
As we come out on to the road (where there's absolutely no traffic), we meet throngs of smiling schoolchildren heading home for the day.
A stop at a Balinese family compound also gives us a brief glimpse of village life before we snake our way along more backroads and lush countryside.
Post-tour, sipping a chilled baby coconut over lunch with a view of more rice paddies, I realise I never had anything to feel anxious about.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Air NZ flies direct to Denpasar, Bali from Auckland at least twice a week (seasonal). Virgin Australia also operates several services a day with stopovers in Australia.
Accommodation: Bliss Sanctuary for Women.
The writer travelled courtesy of Bliss Sanctuary for Women in Bali.
