2016 Le Tour cycling heads south

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Le Tour de Filipinas (LTdF) goes south of Luzon for its seventh edition in 2016 with the race kicking off from Antipolo City and finishing with the majestic Mayon Volcano as backdrop in Legazpi City in Albay.

The four-stage race starts on Feb. 18 from Antipolo, will traverse the so-called backdoor to the south through Laguna and Quezon and will finish in bustling Lucena City.

According to Donna Lina of the organizing Ube Media Inc., Stage Two of the annual race on the Asia Tour of the International Cycling Union (UCI) will bring the continental team-laden entourage to Daet, Camarines Norte, on Feb. 19.

Stage Three on Feb. 20 will be from Daet to Legazpi City while the final stage on Feb. 21 will circle Mayon Volcano, passing by the geothermal power plants in Tiwi on an out-and-back course also in Legazpi.

Fifteen teams, including at least 12 continental teams from five continents, will be racing for the 2016 edition of the only UCI race in the country. The race will cover an approximate distance of 600 kilometers.

Baler Ravina (2012) and Mark Galedo (2014) have previously ruled the LTdF.