LBC Ronda Pilipinas bikathon under way

CAGAYAN DE ORO City—Ninety-six riders long aching for a long-haul cycling tour saddle up Saturday as the 2011 LBC Ronda Pilipinas hits the road in this vibrant city for a test of endurance up across the archipelago in the next 16 days.

Off its usual summer schedule, the P7-million, 12-stage tour will pit former bikathon winners and rising stars from 13 regional teams, two commercial clubs and the national under-23 team.

The individual champion pockets P1 million with the team winner getting P1 million.

Saturday’s lone Mindanao stage kicks off the Tour that will ventually cover a total distance of 1,650 kilometers. Riders will pass through some 30 cities, including Dumaguete and Iloilo in the Visayas, and traditional Luzon layovers like Batangas, Tagaytay, San Fernando, La Union, and Baguio.

“Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippines and we want to give our athletes a venue to train and develop in the sport in preparation for international competitions,” said LBC SVP for marketing Javier Mantecon.

More than anything, the event is a shot in the arm for national cycling which badly needed a long-haul tour—the kind that tests physical and mental strength. Due to lack of sponsors, only four- or five-stage bikathons were held in recent years.

Two-time Tour champion Arnel Quirimit is the most notable among the 96 riders in the fold as he tries to defy father time and clinch his most important title. The 36-year-old Quirimit won last in the 2003 Tour Pilipinas.

The last time a full-blown Tour was held was in the Padyak Pinoy in 2007 when Victor Espiritu emerged overall champion after 10 gruelling stages. This is also the first time the Tour will cover the country’s three main islands since 1998, when Warren Davadilla topped the Marlboro Tour.

Officiating the race are Tour de France veterans Martin Bruin, the former president commisaire of the sport’s biggest race; and Hendrikus Van der Linden, who will serve as chief commisaire and commisaire 2, respectively. Malaysian UCI official Beatrice Lajawa is commisaire 3.

Former champion Santy Barnachea will banner East Pangasinan, while Quirimit captains C&W Pangasinan. The other team skippers are national riders Joel Calderon (Nueva Ecija), Lloyd Reynante (7-11), Eusebio Quinones (Bicolandia), and Frederick Feliciano (National Capital Region).
Teams also seeing action are American Vinyl led by Cris Joven, Tarlac (Elmo Ramos), Cagayan Valley (Stalin Benito), Ilocos Sur (Jason Garillo), Southern Tagalog (Nelson Mangahis), Davao (Dexter Nonato), Northern and Central Mindanao (March Mcquinn Aleonar), Cebu (Jay Bop Pagnanawon), Negros (Ronald Gorantes), and PH Under-23 team.

Saturday’s Stage 1 will start and end here via Malaybalay, Bukidnon. The caravan will then hop to Visayas for the Sept. 26 stage from Dumaguete to Silay passing through Kabankalan. The succeeding stages: Stage 3—Iloilo to Aklan; Stage 4 (Sept. 30)—Calapan, Mindoro, to Puerto Galera and back; Stage 5—Batangas City to Tagaytay City; Stage 6 (Oct. 2)—Quezon City to Tarlac; Stage 7 (Oct. 3)—Tarlac to San Fernando, La Union; Stage 8 (Oct. 4)—La Union to Vigan, Ilocos Sur; Stage 9 (Oct. 6)—Vigan to Baguio City; Stage 10 (Oct. 7) Agoo, La Union, to Baguio; Stage 11 (Oct. 8)—Baguio to Angeles City; Stage 12 (Oct. 9)—Angeles City to Manila (via NLEx).