Bert Lina to stage grandest cycling event in Philippines

RP cycling Godfather Bert Lina is set to organize the Tour of the Philippines, also known as Le Tour De Filipinas (LTDF), on April 17 to 20 for the first time in more than a decade that a huge road cycling event is held on local soil. Lina, a former Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) president, said on Friday that the coming cycling event will pit the skills of the local riders against foreign teams from Europe, Africa, Asia and America.
 
“This is the culmination of my dream for Philippine cycling,” said Lina after the event’s press conference on Wednesday at the Burger King branch in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. “I really want to help all our cyclists and I’m sure this will help them.”
 
Lina, whose Dynamic Outsource Solutions Inc. (Dos-1), a part of the Lina Group of Companies, is known in the local cycling community as the person responsible for reviving the fabled local Tour since 2002.
 
The four-stage cycling extravaganza will cover close to 500km spread over four stages’—Stage One 145-km Tagaytay-Tagaytay, Stage Two 60-km Roxas Boulevard Circuit, Stage Three 148-km Quezon City-Subic via NLEX and SCTEx and Stage Four 160-km Subic-Subic.
 
There are 10 local and 10 foreign participants are expected to compete in the race that offers more than P1 million in cash prizes. Seven players along with one mechanic, coach and manager are allowed per team.
 
The event, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as a component of the Asia Pro Tour, is a Category 2.2 event, meaning it is strictly for elite and Under-23 UCI riders.
 
Seven of the 12 members of the national pool are also competing under the team Batang Tagaytay.
 
Event’s chief organizer and Dos-1 President Gary Cayton said that modern photo-finish equipment as well as transponders will be utilized in the race.
 
UCI international commissaire Tatsuo Hayashi has been appointed as president of the LTDF’s commissaires’ panel, which includes local commissar PhilCycling President Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
 
Padyak Pinoy 2009 champion Joel Calderon, 2009 Tour of Luzon winner Marc Guevarra and former Tour Pilipinas and Padyak Pinoy titlists Victor Espiritu, Warren Davadilla and Santy Barnachea and rising star Irish Valenzuela are among the local bets tasked hold the fort for the Philippines.
JOSEF T. RAMOS
 
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