CYCLING will no longer be a summertime spectacle once Larga Pilipinas gets rolling this month.
The newest cycling event in the country will hold its inaugural race on Sept. 22 in Marikina City with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission as partner.
Media bureau head Edmund Badua announced during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday that Larga Pilipinas will hold cycling races every month, both for elite riders and weekend cyclists.
"We will provide races for all bike enthusiasts, whether you’re a highly skilled professional rider, an executive of a big company, or a hobbyist,’’ said Badua during the weekly forum held at Tapa King in Cubao, Quezon City.
According to Badua, the inaugural one-day criterium race on the roads of Marikina Heights will be held in a 1.6-kilometer loop where cyclists will race for 45 minutes plus two laps to determine the champion.
PRRC deputy executive director for operations Jun Lomodag and PRRC public information head George Dela Rama joined Badua in the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Tapa King, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“Our partnership with Larga Pilipinas will create an awareness that the status of Pasig River has greatly improved through the years,” said Lomodag.
After the inaugural staging in Marikina City, PRRC executive director Jose Antonio Goitia said they will host the blitz race on Makati City that will start and end on the Pasig riverbanks in Guadalupe.
“Larga is supporting the advocacy to rehabilitate and develop the Pasig River through the PRRC,” said Badua.
Backing up Larga in this endeavor are Big Chill, City of Marikina, Go For Gold, Scratch It, Maynilad, Black Mamba, LBC, Quad X, 3Q Sports Events Management, Versa 2-way radio, Green Planet, Manila Water, MMDA, Triathlon Association of the Philippines and PhilCycling.
Larga has scheduled its first multi-stage race on Nov. 23-25 where cyclists race in Tarlac, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.
Badua said a race finishing in Baguio City will be held from Dec. 12-14 starting with the San Fernando-Baguio route followed by a criterium race at Burnham park before reviving the famed Baguio-Baguio race on the final day.
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