Marikina first stop of Larga cycling

Everyone who loves to pedal can participate in the country’s newest cycling spectacle.

Larga Pilipinas, which kicks off on Sept. 22 in Marikina City, will not be like any traditional cycling tour that comes alive only every summer.

“We will not only feature the best riders in the country,” said Larga Pilipinas media bureau head Edmund Badua during a recent Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Tapa King in Cubao, Quezon City. “We are also committed to provide races for all bike enthusiasts.”

Apart from elite cyclists, Badua said Larga Pilipinas will cater to executive riders and hobbyists, starting with its one-day criterium at Marikina Heights.

Larga, to be held in partnership with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), will hold races every month, a big departure from the regular cycling tours that hit the road only during summertime.

After the inaugural staging in Marikina, the PRRC will host another criterium race starting from the Pasig riverbanks in Guadalupe, Makati City, on Oct. 7.

Larga then goes on a three-day trip to Central Luzon where riders compete in stages in Tarlac, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija on Nov. 23 to 25.

Badua was joined in the weekly forum backed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., by PRRC deputy executive director for operation Jun Lomodag, public information head George dela Rama and executive director Jose Antonio Goitia.

“Larga will greatly help efforts in our advocacy to rehabilitate and develop the entire stretch of the Pasig River,” said Lomodag.

According to Badua, Larga wants to emulate the Milo Marathon, now on its 42nd year, which holds races nationwide the entire year.