THE future of Philippine cycling looks so bright.
Just look at the recent Solid North Larga Pilipinas race, which showcased 18-year-old Novo Ecijano cyclist Darius John Villaseñor’s impressive talent.
Competing alongside seasoned professional riders in this race supported by Smart Communications, Red Dynasty Seafood and Hotpot and Smart Sports, Villaseñor displayed resilience and maturity beyond his years, securing second place in the 143.68-km stage from Nampicuan to Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija.
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In his debut at a major pro event in the Philippines, Villaseñor joined the chase group trailing by 2 minutes and 45 seconds. He caught up with solo leader and eventual stage winner Marc Ryan Lago of the Go for Gold Continental Team thanks to his exceptional climbing skills on Mt. Balungao in Pangasinan.
During Stage 2— a 90-km ride from Nampicuan to Sitio Baag, San Jose, Tarlac — the young Victoria Sports rider benefited from his teammates’ support, reaching the base of Monasterio de Tarlac alongside Solid North–Twin Cycle Gear yellow jersey wearer Lago.
As the climb became steeper, Villaseñor made a decisive move, breaking away solo and building a lead of over a minute against the chasing peloton, which included notable climbers like former three-time national champion Jonel Carcueva, Emmanuel Dave Montemayor, and 2018 Le Tour de Filipinas winner and fellow Victoria Sports rider El Joshua Cariño.
So impressive was Villaseñor’s solo riding that he managed to clock 1:57:13 with closest pursuers, Go for Gold Continental Team rider and veteran international campaigner Emmanuel Dave Montemayor and 711 cyclist RRking Roque finished 2 minutes and 45 seconds slower.
Lago, on the other hand, clocked in almost 3 minutes behind at 2:00:12, to finish 5th behind Dreyna’s Erickson Delos Santos’ 1:59:58.
“Kaya ko naman po yung ahon kasi yun po ang nilalaro ko since nag-start ako mag-bike kaya po di na ko lumingon pa ulit sa likuran,” said the son of former Marlboro Tour rider Dennis Villaseñor.
“Noong araw po kasi Labi (Bongabon) at Tanawan po ako unang nagba-bike kaya madali na po sa 'kin ang ahon, kasama ko po noon si kuya Marcelo Felipe (another international rider),” added Villaseñor who ruled the 18-under class of Larga Pilipinas People’s Race in Palayan last August.
The win officially introduced Villaseñor to millions of Filipino cycling fans where he has also cemented his status at Victoria Sports, where he is developmental rider.
Aside from Villaseñor, Larga Pilipinas has also discovered other talents in the men and women 18-under and 23-under, men 23-29 and MTB open and amateur, both for men and women - apart from 7 other categories for hobbyists - in this event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, PhilCycling, Senator Bong Go, Senator Manny Pacquiao, Midas Smart Resources, Hytera, Chickyfam, Scratchit, PusoP.com, Yamaha and Titan Ultra.
More than 6,000 riders showed up in the two-day races that covered almost 200 kilometers of routes in Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pangasinan, the three major cycling hubs in the country.
To further enhance the grass sports development of PhilCycling as mandated by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino, the races were given for free with winners earning cash prizes and a chance to win one of the three Yamaha PG-1 motorcycles, which went to Go for Gold rider Jericho Jay Lucero, Under-23 campaigner Aaron Alcala and MTB Open rider Michael Munda.
“We wanted to promote cycling nationwide and bring back its popularity among Filipinos. We believe offering free races is essential to reaching this goal, good thing in our first races this year, tumulong ang Solid North thru Cong JB and Ching Bernos, ang Smart then 'yung PSC then pumasok ang Yamaha at Titan Ultra,” said Larga Pilipinas project director Nica Lim.
“At Larga, our focus is on making the sport popular again so fans and sponsors will support cycling. We want to bring cycling back to the level where basketball and volleyball are situated now. Cycling po ang sport na una nating natutunan lahat na laruin, so why is it not one of the most popular sports here?” she added.
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