Bontoc, Mtn. Prov.– Some 27 mountain bikers in this province braved the scorching sun as they tracked a distance of approximately 20 kms. on July 29, 2018.
Dubbed as You Only Live Once (YOLO), the activity was held to commence the start of planning and preparation for a bigger event called Tour de Mountain Province.
The route was the Bontoc-Tabuk national road that started from the Office of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) situated at Poblacion, Bontoc to Ampawilen, Poblacion, Sadanga then back to Tabrak, Anabel, Sadanga as the finish line.
The event was coordinated by the local chapter of the PRC of Mountain Province headed by Robert Pangod in coordination with Billy Regaspi, a seasoned local mountain biker and trail runner and organizer of several mountain biking events in the past.
Apart from the local bikers were three lowland biking enthusiasts, including Mark Ruiz, a young budding cyclist from La Union, who came to join the race and bond with the local bicyclists.
Milo Estayo and Joyce del Socorro were from the Philippine Airforce team. Both had been receiving championship medals in the past in national biking competitions. In the previous mountain cycling contests here, the duo came to give moral support and tips on mountain biking.
All the participants enjoyed pedaling their bicycles through the long and snaking murky Chico river, several patches of aesthetically built rice terraces and thickly forested mountains.
According to Pangod, the proceeds of this activity will be integrated to the funds for the Blood Samaritan Program of the PRC-Mountain Province chapter.
The winners of the adult male category were Leni Chaluyen, 1st, Darwin Fagsao-2nd, and Jason Bagni-3rd, while in the male junior category were Jeremiah Aswige-1st, Sean Sacgaca-2nd , and Ephraim Degay-3rd .
In the female division, Deidre Fabaan was automatically proclaimed as the 1st because she was the only female who registered and joined.
Special awards were given to Rhey Jay Cadio and Francis Degay as the youngest and oldest bikers, respectively.
Meanwhile, the proposed Tour de Mountain Province will be open to all mountain biker associations and individuals nationwide. The event is tentatively scheduled for December 28, 2018. The route shall follow the western Mountain Province loop, starting from Bontoc-Sagada-Besao- Tadian- Bauko-Sabangan-back to Bontoc.
The funds to be generated from the tour will be used for the programs on disaster preparedness and the blood Samaritan project of the PRC in Mountain Province.
The details of this affair will be circulated in the social and print media after the schedule is finalized.
**Francis B. Degay
