Biking is for Pinoys – McEwen

MANILA, Philippines - Australian cycling legend Robbie McEwen, one of the world’s fastest sprinters ever, said the other day biking is a perfect fit for Filipinos because it’s an alternative mode of transportation to decongest roads, a healthy way to exercise and a sport where elite athletes can train their sights for a big goal like qualifying for the Tour de France.

McEwen, 41, flew in from Queensland last Thursday to promote the BGC bike event this weekend as Cycle Asia Ambassador. It’s his first time here but he’s familiar with the cycling tours that are staged in the country. McEwen, a 12-time Tour de France veteran, competed as a pro cyclist from 1996 to 2012 and represented Australia at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

“I think biking is a fantastic solution for short trips,” said McEwen. “When I arrived, it took about an hour and 40 minutes to travel the 10-kilometer distance from the airport to the hotel and I noticed so many people alone in their cars. In Copenhagen, biking is how about 40 percent of the people go around the city. It’s the same in Amsterdam or even in the Netherlands as a whole because it’s predominantly flat. It might have something to do with congestion or economics. Biking is a great form of exercise. For those who haven’t done much exercise growing up, going to school, suddenly you’re 40 and you want to do something, I suggest biking. If you start running, you can hardly walk after a while and you might end up spending more time with the physiotherapist than in your running shoes. Biking’s not an impact sport, you burn fat and improve your cardiovascular fitness.”

McEwen said he couldn’t believe the registration numbers for the BGC bike event. “That’s 2,300 people straight up for the first time with a limited marketing budget,” he said. “In the Gold Coast where I do a biking event, we’re happy with 1,000. I think with a start of 2,300 and you do a smooth, well-organized event, you tell your friends about it, word spreads and before you know it, it’s going viral. I’ve been an ambassador for biking events in Singapore and next year, there will be events in Malaysia and Indonesia. I enjoy promoting the sport and I get a lot of fulfillment doing it. It’s not just a sport but also a recreational pastime.”

Sunrise Events project director Princess Galura said the BGC Cycle event is strictly for fun. “No pros, no prizes, no timing, no race,” she said. “With the success of triathlon in the country, we at Sunrise thought of moving forward to promote the next thing after running and that’s biking. We’ve coordinated with the MMDA and LGUs of Taguig, Makati, Manila and Pasay to cordon off the route from Global City to the Quirino Grandstand and back, a 40-kilometer distance. Of our 2,300 participants, about 150 are kids in the age range of 2 to 14. We offered discounts for groups of four because we wanted to encourage bikers to join with friends. You bring your own bikes but fixie bikes with no brakes and tribikes are not allowed. Each bike has to have brakes.”

A highlight of the event is the ride with McEwen over a 40-kilometer route at 6 this morning. Registration fee for adults ranged from P1,850 to P2,100 but Galura said the loot bag which consists of Rudy Project made-in-Italy shades and a cycling jersey, among others, could be easily worth P4,000. The lowest registration fee was P650 for kids. Galura said Sunrise Events will consider opening a Criterium category in the future for pros to race in a strictly enclosed road circuit.

McEwen said riding for a pro club is a different experience from competing in the Olympics or the World Championships. “If you ride with a pro club, you’re part of a team that’s tight-knit and you basically compete for your employer but when you’re wearing your national jersey, it’s something special,” he said. “You get a chance to compete in the Olympics only once every four years and it’s a big honor to represent your country.”

McEwen said he was a BMX rider before becoming a road specialist in 1990. “I never imagined BMX to be an Olympic event,” he said. “I stopped doing BMX in 1989, it’s a great sport and I love watching it. I think it’s a sport for the young and you probably won’t do BMX past your late 20s. As for cycling in general, you’re at your peak for about seven or eight years. I competed at my peak from about 29 to 35 or 36. It’s different for different people but from when you start competing, I think the window of peaking is seven to eight years.”

McEwen said his Belgian wife Angelique is an optometrist and doesn’t bike but their three children are slowing getting into cycling. My son (Ewan) who’s 11 is getting into racing with a local club, my seven-year-old Elena rides to the café and my little one Claudia who’s three just asked me to get her sister’s old bike and put the trailer wheels on and off she went, she’s a natural, her first ride on a big bike,” he said. “I’m very loosely coaching my son, letting him discover it, I certainly haven’t pushed him to biking. His first win came the day before I left for the Philippines.”

McEwen said the demographics of the BGC Cycle participants show why the sport is so popular. The age range is from 2 to 65. “You pick the distance that suits you,” he said. “I know that cycling is quite popular and there are tours in the Philippines. You’ve got to set a goal, a big goal, find someone to do something special and get the opportunity to find a team and race in Europe to make it to the Tour de France. It’s not impossible. Not so long ago, we had the first Japanese riders to finish the Tour de France.”