Go For Gold begins its quest to earn a ticket to the world championship with a stint in the UCI Class 1 Thailand  Mountain Bike Cup running from 16 to 17 January in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Coach Ednalyn Hualda pins her hopes on the leadership of John Andre Aguja, who is ranked No. 11 in the men's juniors category.

The 2022 Ronda Pilipinas bronze medalist will get to test its mettle against teams from the host country, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan.

"We plan to raise the ranking of the players and prove that mountain biking has a chance to make it to the Olympics," Hualda said in a radio interview.

"This is John Andre's third year in Go For Gold and the good thing is that his parents are supportive of him."

Another Junior bet Justine Anastacio will join the tournament along with men's elite entries Mark Louwel Valderama, Dhave Roa and Gart Gaerlan.

James Carl dela Cruz and Adrian Nacario complete the seven-man team of Go For Gold.