2016 Le Tour de Filipinas hits road next month
Three Filipino teams aim to bring the Le Tour de Filipinas title back home starting February 18 from Antipolo City to Legazpi City.
The Philippine National Under-23 Team, composed of Ronald Oranza, John Mark Camingao, George Oconer, Ronald Lomotos, and Jay Lumapog, lead the three local teams which will compete against the 12 continental teams in the International Cycling Union Category 2.2 race.
Other local teams competing in the 2016 edition of Le Tour, presented by Air21, are 7-Eleven Road Bike Philippines and Kopiko Cebu Cycling Team.
“For Le Tour de Filipinas and the teams who joined the race, what do we cycle for?” asked Le Tour de Filipinas organizing committee chairman Donna May Lina of Ube Media Inc., in a press conference on Monday at Luxent Hotel.
“Some cycle for fitness, the pro athletes cycle for honor, love of country. Some cycle for love of nature – it makes us feel alive, to see beauty of the Philippines and the whole country. For friendship, championship, and fitness. As we open the seventh edition of Le Tour, I pose the question, what are we cycling for?”
This year’s race will be a four-stage, 691-kilometer journey which will take all 75 riders on a scenic trek on the southern part of Luzon.
Stage One, sponsored by MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, Petron, Phenom Athletic Apparel, S-Link, and Novo Nordisk, will bring the 75 riders on a 153 kilometer leg going from Antipolo City to Lucena City in Quezon.
The next leg, a 204-kilometer ride, will see the cyclists trek from Lucena to Daet and to Camarines Norte the following day, while Stage Three will span 187 kilometers from Daet to Legazpi City in Albay.
The final stage, presented by Kopiko, 7-Eleven, Viking Rent-A-Car, Luxent Hotel, DOS-1, Isuzu, and 3E Logistics will serve as partners, caps off the tour, where the cyclists will circle the majestic Mayon Volcano twice, and will be an out-and-back route in Legazpi City spanning 147 kilometers.
Frenchman Thomas Lebas, just the fourth foreigner to win the general classification title, returns this year as his Japan-based Bridgestone Anchor Cycling Team poses to be the biggest threat in the Philippine teams’ quest to win the tour.
Other foreign squads, both club and continental teams, joining in this year’s tour are Minsk Cycling Club (Belarus), Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team (United Arab Emirates), Team Ukyo (Japan), Team Novo Nordisk (USA), Global Cycling Team (Netherlands), Team Sauerland p/b Henley & Partners (Germany), LX IIBS Cycling Team (Korea), Korail Continental Cycling Team (Korea), Terengganu Cycling Team (Malaysia), Attaque Team Gusto (Taiwan), and Black Inc. Cycling Team (Laos).
“The clamor of foreign teams to race in the country has grown each year that we have to turn many of them,” added Lina as 15 teams representing 13 countries made the cut in this year’s staging. “This time, we decided to bring world-class road cycling to the fans and enthusiasts south of Luzon.”
The race is also supported by Collab, Rainforest Natural Mineral Water, Prudential Guarantee, NMM and UFL.
