Top riders vie in Tagaytay cycling

MANILA, Philippines -- It will be a busy day for cycling when aspiring riders for the national team bring their act to Tagaytay City on Sunday during the fifth annual Tagaytay Eagle of the Mountain Cycling Challenge.  

Featuring mostly elite riders vying for slots in the RP team, the one-day race serves as one of the qualifying races that will allow the cyclists to accumulate points on the way to clinching a seat in the national squad.  

PhilCycling president and Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino said a qualifying race for the national junior team would also be held on the same day in preparation for the cycling competition in the Asian Youth Games to be held in Singapore this year.   

“It will be a series of qualifying races. We want to make sure that the national team will have the best riders in the country,” said Tolentino, who will represent the country in the general assembly of the Asian Cycling Confederation on March 20 in Seoul, South Korea.  

So far, Tour veterans Lloyd Reynante, Santi Barnachea, Baler Ravina, Sherwin Diamsay, Dante Cagas and Oscar Rendole have piled up the most number of points along with John Mark Guevarra, Cris Joven and John Ricaforte after topping the Liquigaz-LPGMA race last month.