12 teams sign up for Cebu Challenge Bikefest

CEBU, Philippines - A total of 12 teams have signed up for the 2012 Cebu Challenge Cycling Classic on August 8 to 12 here.

This was announced during the event’s formal launching led by organizer David Odilao Jr. at Grand Majestic at the Cebu Grand Convention Center yesterday.

Among the teams that have signed up are the Philippine Navy, Air Force, Pangasinan, Agusan del Sur, a team from LBC, Dan’s Bike Shop, and host Cebu Province.

Among the notable cyclists seeing action are Lloyd Lucien Reynante, Eusebio Quinones, Arnel Quirimit, Jaybop Pagnanawon, and March Mcquin Aleonar.

National mountainbike team member Nino Surban is also seeing action in the event as part of his preparations for this year’s Asian Mountainbike Championship.

Triathlete Noy Jopson is also joining as part of his training for the Xterra Word Championships in Hawaii later this year.

The event will have the prologue plus three stages plus a criterium to be staged in different parts of the province.

The prologue will be a 40-kilometer individual time trial on August 8 at the South Road Properties.

Stage 1, will be from Cebu City to Bogo City covering a total of 101.7 kilometers. This will be a massed-start race on August 9 followed by stage 2 from Bogo to Toledo City covering 86.9 kilometers on the 10th.

Stage 3 on August 11 will start in Toledo and will take the cyclists to Argao covering a distance of 186.7 kilometers.

The battle ends with a 60-km criterium near the Cebu International Convention Center in the Mandaue Reclamation Area.

Organizers said that they want to make this event as a gauge if they would revive the Grand Tour of Central Philippines.

Odilao, a Cebu Sports Hall of Famer for his contributions to the development of cycling said that organizing a multi-stage cycling event is never easy, but reviving the four-province cycling tour is his dream that he hopes to fulfill.  - THE FREEMAN