Coronavirus spike derails nat’l cycling championships

The routes have already been marked and a bubble environment for the cyclists was ready to be inflated.

But PhilCycling leadership deemed it was best to postpone the national championships at this uncertain times as it put premium on health than competition for road, mountain bike (MTB) and motocross (BMX) events.

Philippine Olympic Committee president and Cavite Rep. Abraham “Bambol’’ Tolentino, also concurrently the cycling head, cited the alarming spread of COVID-19 as the justification to withhold these races at the moment. Coronavirus infections are fast approaching the 5,000-daily mark in the metropolis.

“The priority is always the health and safety of everyone—cyclists, officials and fans. No questions asked,’’ said Tolentino. “We’ll just have to wait until the pandemic is contained.’’

The national championships will form part of the criteria for the selection of cyclists for the coming 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The road races were originally scheduled for May 5 to 8, with the MTB and BMX tilts scheduled in June.