Philippine Cycling

Philippine Cycling Clubs | Philippine Cycling Race Events | Philippine Cycling Photo Gallery | Philippine Bicycle Trails

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Do it yourself Bike Repair

Bike Brake Repair • Bike Wheel Straightening • Bike Wheel Building • Bike Flat Repair • Bike Painting • Bike Front Derailleur • Bike Rear Derailleur • Bike Tune-Ups • Bike Welding

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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs. Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Cycling in the Philippines is governed by the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (ICFP), and is under the umbrella of the Philippine Olympic committee.

What does this mean in terms of organizing a mountain bike or road bike race for your cycling group if you are not registered with the ICFP? This means that your race will not be a sanctioned race, but it does not mean that you can't have it. Usually, the majority of cyclers are not registered with the ICFP. This is one of the many reasons why most of the local races are not sanctioned by the ICFP, there are just not that many registered cylers. Racing coordinators in the local levels do this (organize un-sunctioned races) not to spite the National organization but they do it for the love of the sport.

Only recognized cyclers with the National ID from the ICFP can represent the Philippines in International competition. Also only recognized cycling groups can send representation on cycling races santioned by the ICFP.

So if you belong to an un-registered cycling club in the Philippines, it is strongly suggested that you talk to your officers into registering with the ICFP. Also as courtesy, try to notify the ICFP even though you will be sponsoring a local race. This way the cycling industry in the Philippines will more aware of what is going around the country.

Philippine Cycling

Philippine Cycling is about cycling in the Philippnes. Philippine Cycling helps promote bike races, cycling clubs, bicycle tours, and the development of bicycle trails. Activities are coordinated with bike shops and cycling clubs throughout the Philippines to promote the fun of riding bikes. Philippine Cycling will be coordinating events with tour of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Road biking and mountain bikings will be promoted by Philippine Cycling.

Philippines Bicycle or Cycling Clubs

If you belong to a Bicycle Club, we can help you promote your club at no cost. You can post your Bicycle Club name here in Z-wiki. We will even create a website for you.

1. Angeles City Cycling Club (ACCC) - Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
2. Ateneo Blubikers
3. Bicycle Association of Dipolog, Incorporated (BADI)
4. Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (ICFP)
5. Montero Bikers' Association - Guiwan, Zamboanga City
6. One Way Bike Club - Tacloban, Philippines - www.flickr.com/photos/onewaybikeclub/
7. Pabean Cycling Club - Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
8. Pagadian Extreme Bikers, Inc. - PEBI - Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
9. Philippine Premiere Cycling League (PPCL)
10. Talavera Cycling Club - Talavera, Nueva Ecija
11. Zamboanga City Mountain Bikers
12. Zamboanga del Norte Bikers Unlimited (ZANOBU)

Philippines Bicycle Trails

If you have information about the bicycle trails in the Philippines, please go ahead and post it here. We can create categories for Bike trails in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

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• Labangon to Ayala Heights - Cebu City

Philippines Bicycle or Bike Races and Events

Bike races or Bicycle races anywhere in the Philippines can be promoted here for free. We can post your racing schedule at no cost to you.

• CYCLING Le Tour de Filipinas 2015 set as country celebrates 60 years of top-caliber cycling Feb 1 to Feb 4 2015 - View the result of the race: A four stage race. Stage 1 starts in Balanga and back to Balanga for a 126K race Feb 1, 2015 (Sunday); stage 2 starts in Balanga, Bataan to Iba, Zambales for a 154.7 K race Feb 2, 2015 (Monday); stage 3 starts in Iba, Zambales to Lingayen, Pangasinan for a 150.1K race Feb 3, 2015 (Tuesday); stage 4 starts in Lingayen, Pangasinan to Baguio City, Benguet for a 101.7K race Feb 4, 2015 (Wednesday). For a total distance of 532.5 Kms. Read More >>>
• Ronda Pilipinas: Feb 8 - 27 2015:>> Discovering young riders for the national team will be the main objective of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2015 when the country’s premiere cycling race hits the road on Feb. 8 in Butuan City. Ronda Pilipinas executive project director Moe Chulani said the international multistage bikathon, which ends on Feb. 27, will have two qualifying legs of four stages each in Mindanao and the Visayas where the top riders will advance to face a tough foreign challenge in the six-stage Luzon finale. Read More>>>

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• Click here to View the the list of Bicycle Races in The Philippines.
• Below are some of the races. To view all the races in the Philippines click on this link Philippine Cycling, Race Events

Tour de Zamboanga 2013: POSTPONED. A four day 540 kilometer bicycle race for Charity!

Due to the road constructions going on in the route of the Tour, we are eliminating the road bikes from this race.

• This is a (Non-Roadbike) individual bicycle race. Everybody is welcome in this race. The more the merrier. Racers who skip a stage will not be allowed to continue. Everybody who finishes the race and does not skip a stage is a winner.

The race starts at the port municipality of Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte and rests in the historical city of Zamboanga del Norte, Dapitan City to end the first stage. The following day the race will continue from Dapitan City to Pagadian City to end the second stage. The 3rd stage will be from Pagadian to Ipil. And finally culminate with the final stage from Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay to Zamboanga City.

Prizes for the Winners and Participants of Tour de Zamboanga

• 80 PRIZES in all to be Given Away. OVER ₱ 782,000.00 pesos in Prizes

1. Grand Prize: The overall (liloy, dapitan, pagadian, ipil, zamboanga) first 15 finishers will be based on the overall accumulated time it took to finish the 4 stage race. The racer must finish all stages to qualify for the grand prize.
   • The racer with the best accumulated time wins the championship. 1st:50K, 2nd:30K, 3rd:20K, 4th:15K, 5th:10K, 6th:9.5K, 7th:9K, 8th:8.5K, 9th:8K, 10th:7.5K, 11th:7K, 12th:6.5, 13th:6K, 14th:5.5K, 15th:5K
2. Every stage has a winner. Prizes will be presented to the first 3 racers to win each stage. 1st:20K, 2nd:15K, 3rd:10K, 4th:6.5K, 5th:6K, 6th:5.5K, 7th:5K, 8th:4.5K, 9th:4K, 10th:3.5K, 11th:3K, 12th:2.5K, 13th:2K, 14th:1.5K, 15th:1K
   • The winner of each stage keeps the prize money even if he/she can't continue with the race because of injury or other reasons. But because the racer skipped a stage he/she will not be allowed to continue with the race.
3. Besides the Open Category, There are three (3) other competitive categories: (Women; Under 16 years old; 50 years old and over. Prizes for these categories are as follows: 25K 1st, 20K 2nd, 15K 3rd, 10K 4th, 5K 5th. Each Category gets a prize. Prizes given only to finishers of all 4 stages for these 3 categories.
4. Finishers of all the 4 stages get a certificate of completion and a refund of their 1,000.00 peso registration fee. If a racer skips a stage he or she is will not be allowed to continue the race. Every finisher of the Tour de Zamboanga is a WINNER!

First Bicycle Race to cover the entire Zamboanga Peninsula

• Due to the election complications in the Zamboanga peninsula, the tour has been postponed.

Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga City.

• First Stage - : Liloy to Dapitan City
  • 143 Kilometers: This stage of the race does not have many hilly terrains. It will be mostly flat. The roads are cemented.
• Second Stage - : Dapitan City to Pagadian City
  • 128 Kilometers: The second stage will be more challenging as there will be more hills to climb. About 40% of the terrain will be hilly. It will be on the Osmena Hwy which is almost completely cemented. There are only a few kilometers that are still under construction.
• Third Stage - : Pagadian City to Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay
  • 139 Kilometers: The race from pagadian to Ipil will prove to be a grueling race specially the first 35 kilometers. The first 35 kilometers is about 80% uphill battle.
• Fourth Stage - : Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay to Divisoria, Zamboanga City
  • 130 Kilometers: There are three challenging parts to this section of the race. First challenge is the uphill climb from the border of zamboanga sibugay to the border of zamboanga city (barangay of licomo). After that is the twisty uphill in the barangay of Tigbalabag and finally the quiniput tuktukalaw climb. Then it will be a downhill race to the finish at the barangay of Divisoria.

All Philippine Cyclers are invited to participate in the open bicycle race. It is for a great charitable cause: Project BOSS - Brotherhood Operation Sweet Smile

Total Distance to be traveled: 540 kilometers or 338 miles - Visit our WebPage

Tour of Matabungkay

• Base Location: Matabungkay, Lian, Batangas, Philippines
• Contact: Quin Baterna - qbaterna@yahoo.com
• Webpage: www.swimbikerun.ph/tag/tour-of-matabungkay/
• Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Tour-of-Matabungkay/188365841230521
  • Download registration form: http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/igopenterprise/Articles/TOM2012OfficialEntryForm.jpg

Tour of Matabungkay 2014

Billed as “the most awaited road cycling event of the year”, the 2014 Tour of Matabungkay attracted a record number of participants at just over 500 riders across the categories for the challenging four stage 3-day race. The majority of the competitors are Filipino, but the race has also been attracting more and more international participants from around the world. This year, the Kenyan Riders team, with a strong five-man squad made the TOM as part of their Asian racing campaign that also includes the Tour of Khatulistiwa in Indonesia. The remarkable 30 year old Kenyan rider, John Njoroge Muya, who had finished a noteworthy third place overall at the 2012 Tour of Rwanda and had competed in the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, won the opening 42km hilly Individual Time Trial with a winning time of 58’25”. Stage Two was held on the same day, October 18th, at 1:30pm. The Kenyan Riders team largely controlled the 88km road race like a well-oiled professional team, and it was a bunch sprint for the line, with Filipino rider Archie Cardana (Von Dutch) snatching the win. Read More

Le Tour de Pilipinas / Padyak Pinoy / FedEx/Air21 Tour

In 2002, the tour was revived after Airfreight 2100 of Bert Lina and Lito Alvarez financed the tour. A four-leg race was held in late-May known as Tour of CALABARZON won by Santy Barnachea. A year later, the tour was renamed as Tour Pilipinas, and held a 17-leg race, the longest since 1998. The tour was won by Arnel Quirimit of Pangasinan.

Ryan Tanguilig won in 2004 in a 10-stage tour. In 2005, the tour was renamed as the Golden Tour 50 @ 05, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Tour. 1998 champion Warren Davadilla, who won the last edition of the Marlboro, was the champion. In 2006, several disputes within the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines led to a short eight stage event dubbed with the current Padyak Pinoy name, won by Barnachea.

Its current corporate sponsor is Airfreight 2100, the official brand-carrier of FedEx and Air21, who has founded the tour since 2002. From 1979-1998, Marlboro was the carrying sponsor of the tour before backing out of the tour, resulting in the tour's stoppage for the next three years.

Philippine Cycling Videos

You can upload your videos to vimeo.com and have it linked here. Below is a sample video. It is not from the Philippines!

philippine cycling

Philippine Cycling News

Cycling News: October 15, 2012 12:00 AM -- Johann Rabie times it just right in Dbn : Johann Rabie’s patience paid off as he timed his sprint from an 18-strong breakaway group to perfection to win the 2012 Amashova Durban Classic 106km road cycling race in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday......Cycling Full Story »

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BGC CYCLE PHILIPPINES CELEBRATES PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BIKE DAY

November 22 2014

MANILA, PHILIPPINES 21 November 2014 –This year’s edition of the BGC CycleAsiaPhilippines is all-set and ready to pedal after the press launch held at the Mind Museum in BGC, Taguig City on Friday

The event caters to cyclists of all ages and abilities with The Tricycle Ride, The Kids’ Ride, The Junior Challenge, The Community Ride (20km), The Challenge (40km) and the Ride with Robbie (40km); allheld in support of the “Philippine National Bicycle Day”celebration which will be held for the first time on November 23, 2014.

The Philippine National Bicycle Day aims to send the message that – “Bicycling is not only good for the environment but it is also a solution to our current transportation woes. It is an efficient and fun way to get around, avoid getting stuck in traffic while getting the exercise you need to stay healthy without having to make the extra time to work out.”

Prior to the ride events,the entire family will also be kept entertained with a wide range of fun activities in the Cycling & Lifestyle Expoat the Mind Museum from November 21 to 22. Participants get to receive a free whole day access pass while their companions get to avail of the pass at a discounted price.

The fun cycling action will start in the afternoon of Saturday, November 22 via the kiddie ride categories starting with the 30-minute JuniorChallenge ride and followed by The Kid’s Ride and Tricycle Ride categories. This day will be a truly fun bonding experience for kids and their parents complete with mascots, mime artists and fun treats from various sponsors.

On Sunday, November 23, will be the Adult Ride categories which coincide with the celebration of the Philippine National Bike Day. The event will be kicked-off by the Ride with Robbie with Australian cyclist and three-time Tour de France Green Jersey Sprinters’ Classification winner Robbie McEwen and to be followed by the 40km Challenge Ride and the 20km Community and Foldies Community Rides. . “This year the ride is extra special because Robbie is gonna be taking out with him in the lead pack the Philippine National Cycling Team led by National Team Coach Chris Allison, our KONA IRONMAN finishers and our participants and finishers from the XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon World Championship in MAUI.”, revealed Sunrise Events Inc. President, Mr. Wilfred Steven Uytengsu.

The BGC CycleAsia Philippines is being held in partnership with Sunrise Events Inc. and Bonifacio Global City and is part of Cycle Asia, a network of premier cycling events being held across Asia.

“The growth of BGC CycleAsia Philippines has been tremendous to see and now with its partnership alongside the ‘Philippine National Bicycle Day’, it’s testament to just how popular the sport has become in the Philippines. This event is a real highlight on the CycleAsia calendar and I wish all the cyclists a great weekend of riding,” said Chris Robb, CEO, Spectrum Worldwide, the owners of CycleAsia.

Aside from the cycling action during BGC Cycle Philippines, Bonifacio Global City also offers a huge range of activities for tourists to take advantage of during their stay. The district is well known for its open-air lifestyle retail and dining concept and public art program, as well as a world-class science museum and parks.

With Bonifacio Global City (BGC) as the title sponsor, Gatorade and Manila Wateras Hydration Partners, Mind Museum as Expo Venue and other sponsors including 2Go, Devant, F2P, Garmin, Lexus, NxLed, Pioneer Insurance, Rudy Project, Scott Bikes and Skippy’s. Philippine Star is the event’s media partner. For more information, check out the BGC CycleAsia Philippines official website, www.cyclephilippines.com.ph.

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Savior of local cycling
SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin M. Henson (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 23, 2013

A low-profile but high-achieving sportsman has quietly revived global interest in Philippine cycling and now, even the government has acknowledged his tremendous contributions to sports tourism through Le Tour de Filipinas, the first and only local road race sanctioned by the Swiss-based Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

That sportsman is Bert Lina who turns 65 today. His involvement in sports goes beyond cycling. He’s an avid golfer with a handful of holes-in-one to his credit and a basketball fanatic. But those close to Lina swear it’s cycling that’s closest to his heart even as his first venture into sports was with the Laguna Lakers in the Metropolitan Basketball Association in 1999. His love for basketball, however, endures and today, he controls the Air 21 franchise in the PBA.

This year, Lina’s Le Tour celebrated its fourth staging with 75 riders, including 50 foreigners, signed up for the 616-kilometer stretch. By the time the four-leg race ended in Baguio City, the pack was down to 52 with Iran’s Ghader Mizbani crowned as King of the Road.

Le Tour’s history goes back to 1955 when it was called Tour of Luzon. Filipino Antonio Arzala won the inaugural four-stage event from Manila to Vigan. The race spawned several cycling legends like two-time champions Cornelio Padilla Jr., Jesus Garcia Jr. and Jose Sumalde. In 1976, Tour of Luzon became Tour of the Philippines and in 1979, it was renamed the Marlboro Tour. In 1997, the event opened its doors to Asian participants and Hong Kong’s Wong Kampo emerged the first foreigner to top the race, beating Victor Espiritu for the title. Then came a three-year hiatus where the tour was canceled.

Finally, in 2002, the race was revived with Lina at the helm. It was relaunched as the Tour of Calabarzon with Santi Barnachea the winner of the four-stage event. In 2003, the race extended to 2,849.8 kilometers over 15 stages and was called Tour Pilipinas. The route traversed the same distance in 2004 with 17 stages and Ryan Tanguilig the winner. In 2005, the race celebrated its 50th anniversary and was dubbed the Golden Tour @ 50 with Warren Davadilla clinching. The next year, Padyak Pinoy was introduced as an eight-stage race and in 2007, it went through 10 legs. The tour took a year off and returned in 2009 as Padyak Pinoy Tour of Champions, an eight-leg race over 1,070 kilometers.

With sanction from UCI, Lina conceived of Le Tour as a vehicle for sports tourism and welcomed international entries. It was also his way of upgrading the quality of cycling in the country and challenging Filipino riders to defend the home turf. UCI allowed only four days of competition for Le Tour to fit in the global calendar and Lina gladly obliged. Ireland’s David McCann won the first Le Tour in 2010, Iran’s Rahim Emami the second in 2011 and Filipino Baler Ravina the third last year. Mizbani brought the crown back to Iran last April 13-16.

“We’re hoping that UCI gives us an additional day for next year’s Le Tour, making it a longer stretch,” said Allan Gregorio, the Lina Group of Companies sports director. “With Mr. Lina as chairman of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines, we’re experiencing a resurgence of interest in the sport. We are coordinated with LBC which sponsors the 21-day Ronda as an all-Filipino event covering the entire country. Le Tour has brought cycling to a new level of competition. Gone are the days when organizers were milked to provide everything for participating teams and cyclists from tires, helmets, uniforms, food, accommodations and a lot more. Le Tour was able to professionalize the event and get serious corporate team sponsors to manage the competing teams. The Department of Tourism has recognized Le Tour as a key project of sports tourism.”

Gregorio explained that in a UCI-sanctioned event, the prize money isn’t a priority. “What’s more important to the cyclist is the points that will enable him or her to compete in the big cycling events globally,” he went on. “For the Filipino cyclist, it’s the opportunity to earn as many points as possible for the chance to represent our country in events like the Olympics. That’s why Le Tour encourages more corporate sponsors to participate so that we can hold more UCI-sanctioned races in the country similar to what China and other Asian countries are doing. We’re grateful to Mr. Lina for making this happen for Philippine cycling. It’s the reason why he is called the new messiah of Philippine cycling.”

source: http://www.philstar.com/sports/2013/04/23/933879/savior-local-cycling

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• Iranian cyclists dominate Le Tour de Pilipinas 2013
• By Carlito C. Dar
• Wednesday 17th of April 2013 TweetFacebookYahooEmailShare

This BAGUIO CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) -- Foreign cyclists dominated the 2013 Le Tour de Pilipinas that ended at the Lake Drive of Burnham Park here yesterday.

The team from Iran bested 14 other teams including nine other foreign teams, in the only annual cycling event here in the Philippines that is part of the UCI (Union Cycliste International) Asia tour.

The race, which was set up here in Northern Luzon went through four stages for a total of 615.7 kilometers endurance test from the Philippine seascape of Bangui in Ilocos Norte to Aparri in Cagayan, to the flat lands of Cauyan Isabela, to ascending hill from Cauyan to Bayombong Nueva Viscaya, then finally going up to the green alps of Baguio City via the Aritao Nueva Vizcaya – Ambuclao - Baguio City route.

Topping the race was Ghader Mizbani of the TPC (Tabriz Petrochemical) team from Iran with a total race time of 16 hours, 38 minutes and 37 seconds, besting teammate Amir Kolahdoz who ranked second at 16:39:14. Thomas Rabou of the Singapore cycling team bagged third place with 16:45:33.

Rounding up the top ten finishers (from top 4 to 10) were John Ebsen from the Azerbaijan team, Mark John Galedo of team 7-eleven (Philippines), Irish Valenzuela of American Vinyl Philippines, Joel Calderon of Philippine Navy Standard Insurance (Club), Jonipher Ravina and Ronnel Hualda of Team 7-eleven, and Ryan Sherlock of team Polygon Sweet Nice from Ireland.

Iran’s TPC cycling team also emerged as champ in the team category with an average time of 50 hours, 8 minutes and 49 seconds, followed by local cycling team 7-eleven with 50:51:25 and Taiwan’s CCN cycling team at 50:52:22, at second and third place respectively.

Thomas Rabou was also awarded as the sprint champ and King of the Mountain for the 2013 Le Tour de Pilipinas while Amir Kohladoz,at 20, was awarded as the overall best young rider .

Le Tour Pilipinas 2013 chairman Gary Clayton thanked all those who participated and those one way or another have helped in the success of the event.

Clayton expressed hope that next year's event will be more successful with more foreign and local teams participating for another exciting staging of Le Tour de Pilipinas. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)

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Maximo makes PH team
By Cheska D. Geli
Monday, January 2, 2012

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/2012/01/02/maximo-makes-ph-team-198514

CEBUANO cyclist Luis Miguel “Igi” Maximo fulfilled a dream when he made it to the PHL cycling team and qualified for an Asian competition set next month.

The 16-year-old 7-time Athlete of the Year of Paref-Springdale is the youngest member of the national team and the only junior cyclist from the South.

"Being part of the national team is something to cherish. Wherever this will lead me, I will always race for my hometown Cebu," said Maximo in an e-mail message.

With his inclusion in the Philippine Junior Team last December, Maximo is now part of the delegation that will compete in the 2012 Asian Juniors Cycling Championships this Feb. 8-18 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He will be in Tagaytay City this month for a training camp with other four junior cyclists under PhilCycling in preparation for the international race.

Maximo got the attention of the national team officials following his performances in two national qualifying races.

In the Tour of Clark in Pampanga last November, Maximo placed second in the Individual Time Trial (ITT) 10K and third place overall in the General Classification standings for the juniors division.

In the Tagaytay Trials last Dec. 12, he finished sixth in the ITT 30K among 22 cyclists despite travel fatigue and pressure from school commitments.

These races, organized by PhilCycling, were held as the national junior team trials.

Among the races he joined prior to the national trials were the Cebu Cycling Criterium, where he placed second in the open age, the Mabitac Classic in Rizal, where he finished 12th in the Junior 20 and the Ormoc City Medical Society Bike Tour, where he placed second in the Junior 19 division.

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Cebuano Maximo opens title retention bid in PPCL today
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:48:00 06/26/2010
CEBU’S Luis Miguel "Igi" Maximo of Team Maximo, the back-to-back junior champion of the Philippine Premiere Cycling League (PPCL) series, will be defending his title in the 2010 Tour of Clark today.

The event, which covers 74 kilometers for the junior race, is the 4th leg of the PPCL.

Unlike its previous legs, this race will have three stages—individual time trial, circuit race and road race—scattered over two days.

Igi said he is both excited and at the same time a bit tense for this event.

The first two legs which Igi has won were all one-day races held in Paranaque last January and in Laguna last February.

Igi, 15, who is supported by his school, Springdale, and OZ Racing, has prepared for this event by competing in a number of local races to improve his endurance as well as to familiarize himself with the different type of races.

As he goes up against a tougher field which includes junior cyclists from Luzon and other parts of Manila, Igi's chances will lie on his body's ability to rest and recover in between events. /CORRESPONDENTs MARS G. ALISON and Jonas Panerio

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POC hopeful cycling tryouts a step towards unification
06/18/2010 | 10:42 PM

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) spokesperson Joey Romasanta is hoping that the unified tryouts for the RP cycling team is one step to end the leadership crisis and unite the two warring factions of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling).

The group headed by Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol" Tolentino, recognized by the International Cycling Union (Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI) is at odds with the POC-recognized faction led by chairman Arnulfo Taberdo, who took over the reigns from businessman Mikee Romero.

Both groups sent cyclists to the 2010 Laos Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) but none competed after most of the riders failed to secure licenses from the UCI. Only Marites Bitbit holds a UCI license but was asked by the POC to boycott the tournament.

Romasanta now that the issue of sending a cycling team to the 16th Guangzhou Asian Games resolved, he hopes both groups finally settle their differences to end the leadership crisis.

“Hopefully, there will be a permanent solution to all of this," said Romasanta. “After the Asian Games, there would be a Southeast Asian Games to prepare to."

“I am optimistic that unification is within reach more so if the cyclists win medals. I think both camps are gentleman enough (to settle their differences)," Romasanta said.

POC media attache Clarito Samson, who was in the meeting between the two groups, said UCI-recognized PhilCycling secretary general Atty. Cornelio Padilla guaranteed that cyclists who will qualify after the tryouts will be given UCI license for the Asian Games. – JVP, GMANews.TV

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Feuding leaders urged to attend cycling summit
By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated June 12, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Moying Martelino, who was tasked to mediate between the two warring factions within PhilCycling, yesterday said Tuesday’s reconciliatory meeting will not serve its purpose if the main figures from both sides don’t participate.

“That’s the reason why I’m inviting all the decision makers of both groups, meaning the presidents or secretaries general,” said Martelino, a member of the Philippine Olympic Committee working group for the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Martelino, former secretary-general of the Asian Basketball Confederation, said it will be a waste of time if the rightful leaders of both sides don’t show up. He was referring to businessman Mikee Romero and Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino.

There’s some confusion if Romero remains the leader of the group being recognized by the POC because at the height of the leadership dispute the youthful owner of Harbour Centre had either filed a letter of resignation or had gone on leave.

Tolentino heads the other group, which enjoys the blessings of the international federation, the Union Cycliste Internationale or UCI. The meeting was supposed to take place last Wednesday but Tolentino begged off due to a previous commitment.

Martelino said he’s expecting the leaders of both groups to show up. In Romero’s case, the POC mediator said it must be made clear who the rightful representative would be, whether it’s Col. Arnold Taberdo or Armando Bautista.

“I am inviting Mr. Romero because I understand he is only on leave as president of his faction. If he had indeed resigned, then whoever will represent the group must show proof that he is the rightful representative,” said Martelino.

“Otherwise, we’ll just be wasting our time,” he added during the Scoop sa Kamayan forum.

The two groups disputing the leadership of the association clashed head-on during the 2009 SEA Games in Laos when 13 cyclists representing the Romero group was not allowed to compete in the biennial event, and lost their chances to win medals.

They failed to present their licenses from the UCI, which recognizes Tolentino’s group. Now, the POC wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again when the Philippines sends a delegation ot the Guangzhou Asian Games in November.

The POC, through RP Team chef-de-mission Jose Romasanta, called on both groups to set their differences aside and stage a unified qualifying tournament and choose the cyclists to don the RP colors in Guangzhou, regardless of their affiliation.

“I don’t see anyone saying no to this proposal. Even temporarily, I hope the two sides can agree on sending a team to Guangzhou – with no conditions. The only condition here is there should be no condition,” said Romasanta

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POC hopes to break cycling impasse
By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)
Updated June 08, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee wants the problem within the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines solved before time runs out on its participation in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.

“Time is of the essence here. So, we wrote both sides a letter asking them to come,” said Moying Martelino of the POC working committee, which is overseeing the country’s preparations for the quadrennial event.

Martelino, an old hand in RP sports, set the meeting at the POC office at Philsports tomorrow, and he expects representatives from the two warring factions to be there, and hopefully forge a gentleman’s agreement.

“I will be there. If they come, then maybe we can iron out things. If they don’t come, it means they’re not interested,” said Martelino following a POC suggestion for both sides to stage a unified qualifying tournament.

That way, the country can form a team that is acceptable to both groups, and field them to Guangzhou. In the 2009 Laos SEA Games, the RP cyclists were barred from competing as a result of the leadership dispute.

On one side is a group led by Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino, the one being recognized by the international federation, and on the other is the group under Armando Bautista, the one being recognized by the POC.

Jose Romasanta, chef-de-mission of the RP Team to Guangzhou, is hoping for both parties to come up with a “mutual agreement” just to make sure that the country can participate in the cycling competitions in Guangzhou.

“There should be no conditions. The only condition here is that there should be no condition. They should set their differences aside even just for the Asian Games. Otherwise, it will be the second time this will happen,” said Romasanta.

“It should be a mutual agreement. They must sit down, and set up the talking points on how to stage the unified qualifying tournament. Then they can sign it, go to Guangzhou, and tackle their problems after the Asian Games,” he added.

The former head of the Project Gintong Alay said they’ve drafted a letter to be submitted to the Union Cycliste Internationale, the world’s governing body in the sport, to inform them of the POC proposal.

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