IT’S all systems go for Larga Pilipinas as the country’s premier cycling race series flag off this weekend in Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pangasinan.
Around 3,000 riders will be competing in the Nov. 29 and 30 event consisting of road bike and mountain bike races.
Tithes in seven major categories are up for grabs, namely the Pro Elite and the People’s Race consisting of the MTB men’s Open, Road bike boys 18U, Road bike boys 23U, Road bike men’s 23U, MTB amateur boys 18U, and the most challenging of them all, the fix gears where riders race against each other aboard bikes without breaks.
Larga lures big field
Larga Pilipinas president and race director Gary Role said in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum that organizers are still expecting last-minute entries prior to the weekend races that were initially postponed last August after heavy damage caused by typhoons rendered roads and mountain routes of the original six-stage event unpassable.
So far, the Pro Elite already has a total of 105 entries, while the MTB men’s Open registered the most number of participants with 845.
Larga Pilipinas operations and creative head Snow Badua also graced the Forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.
Badua said an interesting sidelight of the two-stage race is the 1-on-1 Titan Ultra challenge between upcoming Junjun Cabadido and continental rider Marc Ryan Lago.
“As part of Larga Pilipinas’ innovation and niche to be the trailblazer in Philippine cycling, we’re coming up with this one-on-one race,” he said. “Paghaharapin natin sila in our bid na gawing continuous yung Titan Ultra Challenge natin.”
“It’s an event within an event ng Larga Pilipinas.”
Stage 1 of the race features the Nampicuan-to-Nampicuan route, while Stage 2 will see the riders passing through Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija to Sitio Baag Highlands in San, Jose, Tarlac.
Cash prizes, medals, and trophies will be given to the winners, including P20,000 to the champion of the one-on-one race.
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