DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/5 May) – Good news for Mindanaoan cycling enthusiasts.
The LBC Ronda Pilipinas will hold a Mindanao elimination on May 15 in Malaybalay City with top cyclists from across the island expected to take part in the race.
Jun Paholio, Philcycling vice president for Mindanao, said all cyclists shall secure license before the elimination day.
“They can go to Philcycling website or visit the Philcycling office located at the ground floor of Jaltan Building II, Magallanes St. in Davao City,” he said.
The qualifying race is for all the cyclists from various provinces in Mindanao, according to Ronda Pilipinas organizers.
The 150-kilometer massed start race will pass the scenic views of the municipalities of Impasug-ong and Manolo Fortich.
The top six riders will qualify and represent Mindanao in the national finals slated late September wherein 12 teams (six cyclists per team) are made up of professional men’s teams or elite cycling clubs.
The national finals will feature a 20 -day route of 11 stages at about 140 kms per stage for an estimated total distance of 1,650 kms.
Cash prizes amounting to P7 million are up for grabs in the race courtesy of the courier company. Both the individual champion and the team champion would bag P1 million.
LBC chief executive officer Santi Araneta said that the company has chosen to get involved with cycling because it is in line with the new trend in their industry to use bikes in delivering packages, parcels and documents.
“This is not a one-time deal. We have envisioned a long-term program for cycling and for LBC,” said Araneta.
“Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippine and we want to give our athletes a venue to train and develop in the sports in preparation for international competition,” according to Javier Montecom, LBC senior vice president for marketing.
“This is the perfect opportunity for us to promote LBC’s Go Green advocacy in order to raise awareness of and action towards environmental preservation,” he added. (Rico Biliran / MindaNews).