Riders to cruise thru Stage One

STA. ANA, CAGAYAN, Philippines  – After a couple of days getting a feel of the flat layout and sweltering heat of the northernmost tip of Luzon, 80 local and foreign cyclists hit the road today for the 2012 Le Tour de Filipinas presented by Air21.

Carrying the colors of 16 teams, including six continental teams, the riders begin hostilities in the four-stage bikefest by pedaling through 159.08 kms of mostly flat roads from this panoramic coastal town to the City Hall of Tuguegarao.

“Tiyak magkakaramdaman lang muna dahil unang-una flat naman yung stage (For sure, we’ll be having more of a feeling-each-other-out in this stage considering the flat conditions),” said Bert Oconer of the Smart-PhilCycling National Team, one of the five local squads out to fight for Pinoy pride in the cycling extravangaza.

The nationals and compatriots representing KIA, Mail and More, American Vinyl/LPGMA, and GO21, will try to stave off the fierce challenge from the six continental teams led by the highly touted Tabriz Petrochemical (TPT) of Iran, and four foreign clubs, as well as the Indonesian national squad.

Cagayan Rep. Jackie Enrile will fire the starting gun at 8:30 a.m. alongside Air21 chairman and cycling godfather Bert Lina and wife Sylvia Lina, as well as organizer Gary Cayton of the Dynamic Outsource Solutions, Inc., to herald the start of the four-day event.

“It’s race time,” said Lina, who flew in Friday and joined the welcome ceremonies and dinner prepared by Enrile for the close to 400 strong Le Tour entourage last night.

Without treacherous climbs and curves, Stage One of the bikathon held in partnership with Smart and supported by Foton and Jinbei is expected to be a relative breeze for the seasoned riders. But the punishing mid-30 degrees Celsius temp of Cagayan Valley could somehow slow down the cyclists as they traverse the route surrounded by vast rice and corn fields.

“The heat could spell the difference and our local riders could have the slight advantage,” said Cayton. “But we just could not dismiss the endurance of the foreigners, they are a bunch who have seen tough and enduring races overseas.”

The foreign charge under the banner of continental teams CCN (The Netherlands), Aisan Racing Team (Japan), OCBC (Singapore), Suren (Uzbekistan), Action (Chinese Taipei) and TPT and club teams Plan B (Australia), PureBlack Racing  (New Zealand) and Colossi Miche (Indonesia) and the Indonesian national squad is not new to having to adapt to extreme conditions.

After the Sta. Ana-Tuguegarao kickoff race, the riders will again ply flat roads in tomorrow’s Stage Two, a 103.3 km race to Cauayan City in Isabela. Monday’s Stage Three – a 104 km ride from Cauayan to Bayombong City in Nueva Vizcaya – will put the riders in a relatively flat route with one King of the Mountain summit.

The real test will come in the culminating Stage Four on Tuesday with the participants’ climbing skills challenged in the 132.7 km Bayombong to Baguio City race. The final stage will push the riders to the limit in an uphill grind over the Cordilleras – with two KOM summits – in the so-called “Northern Alps of the Phl.”

A UCI-calendared bikefest, the Le Tour 2012 is backed by official wear Wet Shop, Maynilad, Nague Malic Magnawa & Associates Customs Brokers, Wow Videoke, UBEMedia, IWMI, Airphil Express and dzRH.