After seven years, Larga Pilipinas will make a much-awaited comeback by rolling out a six-stage race from 2 to 7 August.
Larga Pilipinas operations director Snow Badua said the massive following of the Tour of Luzon last April only proves the Filipinos are craving for more cycling action.
“Cycling is one of the top three most popular sports in the country. We proved that during the last cycling event, the Tour of Luzon,” Badua said during a press briefing at the Red Dynasty Seafood and Hotpot Restaurant on Thursday.
The last time Larga Pilipinas was held was in 2018 with around 10,000 cyclists seeing action in the bustling streets of Metro Manila.
Now, a minimum of 10 teams are expected to join the 809-kilometer race that will start from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and will end at Burnham Park in Baguio City.
So far, Go For Gold, Victoria Sports, Excellent Noodles, Standard Insurance, D’Reyna, MPT DriveHub and Army are confirmed to see action in this six-day bike fest.
Larga Pilipinas chairman Atty. Froi Dayco said they are open to accommodating foreign teams to test the mettle of the local bikers.
“If we can’t invite foreign teams to join, why not? It will be a great challenge and the Filipino cyclists are raring to avenge the loss at the Tour of Luzon,” Dayco said.
“The route they will be racing on will be challenging, and foreigners who wish to compete are welcome.”
The first stage will be around Nueva Ecija, starting in Cabanatuan City before going to Talavera, Santo Domingo, Science City of Munoz, San Jose City, Lupao, Balungao, Rosales, Cuyapo, Guimba, Quezon, Aliga, Sta. Rosa, Palayan City, and then back to Cabanatuan City.
Stage 2 kicks off from Cabanatuan City and will pass by Tarlac before stopping at Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
Meanwhile, Stage 3 will serve as a real test as cyclists will negotiate the uphill clumb from Mangaldan to Bayombong in Nueva Vizcaya.
From there, cyclists will brave through the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as they move from Bayombong and make their way to Banaue, Ifugao for Stage 4.
Then, they will continue to trek the mountain range of CAR as they make their way to Sagada, Mountain Province for Stage 5.
Stage 6 will cap off the cyclists’ odyssey from Sagada before finishing the race at Burnham Park in Baguio City.
While the prize pot has yet to be finalized, Badua encourages the private sponsors to back the race in support of the cyclists who braved all six stages.
“We want the riders to go home with cash for their families because there are races where those in last place would leave empty-handed,” Badua said.
“We would want to give them at least P1000 per stage.”