LBC Ronda expanded to 16 teams, 96 riders

MANILA, Philippines - The organizing LBC Express, Inc. has expanded the field from 78 to 96 riders and the competing teams from 13 to 16 which will vie for a total cash pot of P7 million in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2011, a 12-stage, 20-day tour of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Sept. 18-Oct. 9.

Thirteen teams, with six players each, were formed from the five regional and provincial eliminations, while two commercial teams - 7-11 and American Vinyl – and the national team have been added to the original list seeing action in the biggest revival of the annual cycling spectacle.

The teams are East Pangasinan, American Vinyl, Nueva Ecija, 7-11, Central and West Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Sur, NCR, Southern Tagalog, Bicolandia, Davao, North and Central Mindanao, Cebu, Negros and the National Selection.

American Vinyl and 7-11 were given the liberty to select or draft their members from the regional winners while the national team will be composed of under-23 members chosen by the PhilCycling Association.

LBC Express, Inc., the country’s leading courier firm, has envisioned the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2011 to be the biggest ever cycling competition during the last 13 years with its record purse, biggest number and quality of participation, as well as scope and distance of competition as it revives the nationwide search for a new breed of cycling champions for international competitions.

“The LBC Ronda Pilipinas will be the ultimate test of supremacy in cycling, and we have gathered the best possible candidates from every region and province active in the sport to vie for the highest honors and the biggest purse,” said Fernando Araneta, chief operating officer of LBC Express, Inc.

“Speed, quality and consistency will be the factors of winning, which also underscore the philosophy of our business,” he added.

The individual and team champion will each receive a tax-free P1 million prize, while stage prizes for individual winners are at stake in each of the 12 stages of the tour that will start with a kick-off event and mass ride in Manila on Sept. 18. The official race begins in Cagayan de Oro on Sept. 24 and ends in Manila Oct. 9.

The tour covers 1,650 kilometers of long, rough terrain in key cities in Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon, with the 188-km Baguio-to-Baguio route serving as the deciding stage for those chasing the P1M champion’s jackpot.

More information: Log on to www.facebook.com/rondapilipinas or email [email protected].