By MARK REY MONTEJO
After a seven-year hiatus, Larga Pilipinas returns to action with organizers hoping to ride the wave of success of the recent Tour of Luzon and make the sport an annual spectacle not only for the cycling-crazy provinces in Luzon.
And to mark its comeback, the organizers have the decided to make the tour’s opening leg in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija – a known cycling hotbed — on Aug. 2 and will end in mountaintop Baguio on Aug. 7.
Organizers are expecting to surpass the record 10,000 participants they drew the last time Larga held a race seven years ago in Edsa and Marikina.
The 809-kilometer journey spread in six legs is sanctioned by PhilCycling.
Standard Insurance PH, Excellent Noodles, Dreyna Orion Cement, Exodus Army, MTP Drive Hub Cycling, and Go For Gold PH have already confirmed their participation in the event backed by Viva Premier Gaming, 888 Horsemen Group Inc., Red Dynasty Seafood and Hotpot Restaurant, Phenom Sportswear, Starhorse Shipping Lines, Chickyfam, Midas Smart Resources Corp., PCSO Scratch it, Go for Gold, Surecom Wireless Communication and Colbi’s Best.
The organizers also assured the rider’s safety and welfare during the races, while also further promoting the sport in the country.
“So this is really a cycling treat para po sa mga kababayan natin” said Larga Pilipinas operations director Snow Badua. “Ang assurance po namin the race is safe, the riders will uuwi ng masaya and, importante, mapo-promote natin ‘yong cycling.”
“Ngayon po ay magkakaroon ng katuparan, we’re looking forward sa isang maganda at kapanapanabik na mga karera,” added chairman Atty. Froi Dayco during the press launching of the event at the Red Dynasty Seafood and Hotpot Restaurant in Manila.
Other categories are Masters/Ex-Pro; Age Groups (39 & Below, 40-49, 50-55, 56-60, 61-65 and up); Corporate Executive (39 & Below, 40-49, 50-55, 56-60, 61-65 & up); Phat Boyz (men’s 90kg and up); women’s U-18, U-23, and Open; and men’s U-23.
“We wish the Larga Pilipinas a successful event and this is all for Philippine cycling, so we’re excited para rito,” said PhilCycling Elite Commissaire Sunshine Joy Vallejos.
MTB is open for amateurs and open riders, while Fixed Gear is for ITT only.
But unlike the Tour where cyclists battled the scorching heat, participants in Larga will face a different element of nature — the rains.
“Part of the challenge is the weather condition and the hazardous, slippery road when it rains,” said Dayco. “That’s why we hope and pray that the cycling gods give us good weather this August.”
Vallejos said Larga will be a race for climbers since four of the stages will have ascents.
“This race is practically for climbers but it will still depend on how the team will strategize,” she said.
Truly, the first two stages will be relatively flat ones—197km Cabanatuan-Cabanatuan Stage One and 146km Cabanatuan-Mangaldan Stage Two.
From there, it will all be climbing via the 146km Mangaldan-Bayombong Stage Three, 95.2km Bayombong-Banaue Four, 83.1km Banague-Sagada Stage Five and finally, 142km Sagada-Baguio Stage Six.
