Feliciano rules Nuvali Challenge

MANILA, Philippines - Former Asian mountain bike king Frederick Feliciano overcame a soggy course and upset-conscious March Aleonar to cop the NUVALI Outdoor Adventure Challenge 40km cross country Elite crown in Sta. Rosa and Calamba, Laguna recently.

The 26-year-old pride of Allaga, Nueva Ecija made his move after the first 15-km loop to overtake Aleonar en route to the victory worth P10,000.

“Too many ripples,” said Feliciano, a silver medalist in the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games, of the roller-coaster route made more difficult by the mud from weeks of continuous rains, forcing the riders to pedal harder.

“It’s a diferent race,” added the champion, who finished third overall in last summer’s Padyak Pinoy bikathon.

An Army private, the 23-year-old Aleonar from Davao settled for P7,000 second prize while fellow Armyman and veteran rider Alvin Benosa took third place worth P5,000 in the showcase race staged at the vast 1,750-hectare property being developed, in partnership with the Yulo Family, as the first and largest eco-community by Ayala Land.

Former motocross star Glenn Aguilar showed he still had his skills intact in winning the Elite Open four cross competition to likewise bag the top prize of P10,000 during the two-day Dirt Weekend that drew over a thousand off-road bike enthusiasts to NUVALI.

“The response is overwhelming. And we were fortunate that we finally had good weather,” said ALI vice president and NUVALI general manager Jun Bisnar.

“We will certainly entertain more mountain bike activities like these in the future,” he said.

Race organizer and former national mountain bike coach Arjuna Saulo said that more than 550 bikers took part in the cross-country, four cross and dirt jump competitions.

“In the cross country races alone, we had about 250 entries,” Saulo said.

The recent Dirt Bike series, Bisnar said, attracted more than 2,000 visitors, cyclists and their families to sample NUVALI’s natural terrain and environment just on the outskirts of Metro Manila.

“Many of those who came to the Dirt Bike clinics and activities were pleasantly surprised to find a nature haven, complete with all the modern facilities, was just a short drive from the metropolis,” he said.

Among the favorites are the fish-feeding at its four-hectare, multi-functional lake, where taxi boats are also available for visitors to see the other developments and facilities, Bisnar said.

The bike tracks, dedicated bike and pedestrian lanes and off-road trails are also popular, ideal for huge outdoor sporting events.