LBC Ronda ng Pilipinas slated; regional qualifiers up next month

MANILA, Philippines - Over P7 million in cash – with a handsome prize of P1 million to the individual winner and another P1M to the team champion – is at stake in the inaugural staging of cycling’s biggest road event of the year – the LBC Ronda ng Pilipinas – slated September to October on a route that will take an elite cast of 72 riders and 12 teams from the northern tip of Mindanao to the dizzying heights of the Cordilleras.

The top riders from every region will be picked from qualifying races in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao starting May 6 for the 20-day, 12-stage, 1,650-km race, which will feature for the first time in over a decade the killer Baguio-to-Baguio stage, the ultimate test of cycling endurance.

LBC Express, Inc., the country’s leading remittance and courier company under president Juan Carlos Araneta, COO Fernando Araneta, CEO Santiago Araneta and VP for marketing Javier Mantecom, is putting together the LBC Ronda Ng Pilipinas in its effort to revive the annual spectacle and discover new cycling heroes after the demise of the fabled Marlboro Tour in 1998.

Also supporting the event, organized by Multi Event Enterprise, is PhilCycling president and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino.

The selection process for Luzon will be held in Tarlac City May 6-8. The Visayas qualifying race is scheduled May 12 in Silay City, Negros Occidental while Mindanao will hold its qualifying round May 15 in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.

The first qualifying race on May 6 will determine the top six riders for each of the three teams that will represent Pangasinan 1 (West and Central ), Pangasinan 2 (East ) and Nueva Ecija. The second qualifier will be held the next day for the teams of Central Luzon, Ilocandia and Cagayan Valley. The third qualifier is set May 8 for National Capital Region, Southern Tagalog and Bicolandia.

Multi Event Enterprise said it will determine the final number of competing teams based on the results of the qualifying races.

The LBC Ronda ng Pilipinas is open to Filipinos aged 19 years and above. An applicant may choose to ride for a team in the place, region or province of his birth or the place of his residence during the last six month.

If any of the top six rider/s withdraws or does not qualify, the next higher-ranked rider/s may be tapped to fill in the slots.

Interested riders may secure applications forms from any LBC branch nationwide or download them at www.rondapilipinas.com. There are no entry fees.

Applicants must properly fill out the forms and send them, along with clear photocopies of identification documents (ID) and signed waiver via LBC or personally submit them to LBC Express Solutions, Inc., LBC Ronda Pilipinas Secretariat, 2308, Natividad Bldg., Don Chino Roces Extension (Pasong Tamo), Makati.

Details about the qualifying race: Log on to www.facebook.com/rondapilipinas.