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rocka1bikeshop news is a weblog relating to cycling news in the philippines. rocka 1 bikeshop is a local bike shop based in bulacan town philippines email rocka1bikeshop@yahoo.com.ph

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

campagnolo cobalto brake calipers

campagnolo COBALTO caliper brakes US$200
available from rocka1bikeshop as of today dec 26,2006 till offer is sold.email privately for details

this came after the much publisized delta brakes (1980s) ...its a collectible and the brake can be diffrentiated from the rest by cobalt blue stones imbeded on the front pivot pin

teamrocka1bikeshop 2007








here is our new teamrocka1bikeshop execuctive category during our first meeting at guilbert's restobar here in bulacan.

the list is as follows
clockwise

oliver estrella,ariel carpio,manny delosreyes,nobet loya,raymond see,dennis dionisio,dallas dionisio

not shown in this foto:mark sanchez,atty tiboy reyes

TIAGRA 2007

very very nice and cheap tiagra 2007 compact cranks!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Phil Cycling:Tour of Matabungkay 2005 by kaye lopez








Hi guys!

You're stories were awesome! It's so much fun reading so many versions of one event, seen from different perspectives. Now, all it needs is a woman's touch :-)

Out of the 8 Team David's Salon cyclists, only four confirmed to join the Powerbar race - Pia, Bing, Marita, and I. Mona wanted to join but it would not be safe for her since she is fasting during Ramadan. We understood how important that was for her and we wouldn't want her running on an empty tank anyway. Tes and Nitzel are busy preparing for the SEAG in Cebu so they were not present as well. Bing almost couldn't make it after suffering from typhoid fever a week before, but fortunately she recovered in time, and not even her dear boyfriend/team manager, Ron, could stop her from racing. Pia just arrived from abroad the week of the race but still decided to join despite not being able to ride her bike for 10 days. Marita is in tip-top condition and we were confident she would bring honor to our team. As for me, well, I'm kinda in the limbo mode, being able to train but not as consistently as I should and doing mostly long rides. I wasn't so confident coming into the ITT because I knew I didn't do enough intensity and power work to prepare for it.

Bing and Marita, along with Coach Gado and Driver Gino, left for Matabungkay Friday afternoon, while I stayed behind and waited for my hunny to finish work. Finally, at around 830pm, Taro picks me up and we head for Matabungkay. After dealing with some traffic and trying to stay awake during the late-night drive, we arrived at MBRH at 1130pm. We waited a while for Mona to hand over the keys to the room since Bing and Marita were already fast asleep. After some small chit-chat with Mona, we went to bed, eager to get at least a few hours of sleep before the race. But thanks to the Figaro cafe mocha I drank to get through the drive from Sta. Rosa, a barely slept a wink that night while Taro was snoring away.

The next morning, I woke up not feeling as sharp as I should on the day of a race. But I just shrugged it off, got dressed, had a light breakfast of banana and Promax bar, registered and got my race packet, got my massage, and went off to warm up with Bing and Marita. We were lucky enough to be sent off around 8am so we still had time for a proper spin, although we could no longer ride on the race route.

First up from our team was Bing, then Pia, I, and lastly, Marita. As I waited to be released from the platform, I saw my heart rate monitor read 160bpm, while on a stand-still! That was definitely not a good sign, but I just blamed it on the adreline rushing through my veins. When they let me go, my HR was constant around 180bpm. My plan was not to go over 35kph on the first 20km and gradually increase my pace on the second half of the course, then go all out on the last climb. Well, things didn't turn out the way I planned. On the first half of the ride, I was feeling good and even passed around 3 female riders, but as I reached the half-way mark, that's when I started getting into trouble. One by one, female riders started to pass me. First it was Mimi, then Marita, then Rizzo. I maintained a legal distance behind Mimi for a while but by the time Marita caught me, I was running out of gas. I could no longer hang on to them on the hills and I got dropped. I was disheartened. And when Rizzo passed me, I knew it wasn't a good day for me. If I had trained for the ITT, then maybe I could have finished stronger. By the time I came to the final hill towards the finish, I had nothing left for a final sprint. My hunny was nice enough to ride beside me and give me the strength to stand up and sprint but instead I snapped at him. Sorry hunny, those were my legs talking. I was so tired and disappointed with my performance that I didn't even have the energy to enjoy a cup of Milo at the finish line. All I could think of was that I hope I still had the legs and the mind to make up for it the next day.

I slept better that night, probably due to exhaustion and maybe too much Yellow Cab pizza (yes, we drove all the way back to Tagaytay just for that damn pizza and pasta). But Taro woke me up so early, he was trying to get me out bed at 4:30am when the race wasn't until 7am! I set my alarm at 5am so I got up then, dressed up and had blueberry pancakes for breakfast ( I just love pancakes!). We headed to the starting line to sign on and I saw my mom and some of my relatives who came to watch me race. We had our pre-race massage as usual, gave my hunny a kiss and wished him good luck and reminded him to make sure he finishes the race, and saw them off. Then it was our turn to wait at the starting line. Pia went ahead and waited for us at the junction because she was worried about riding side by side on a road full of cracks and potholes. Upon our release, the pace was nice and easy amd we were even joking that wouldn't it be nice if we went at this pace the whole time? Ala Bike for Hope. But of course, it was too good to be true because the pace started to pick up on the first hill and even more on the downhill. We were even asked to slow down because we were about to catch the first wave. So we rode the remainder of the 10km neutral zone at a speed of 20kph. Then as soon as we were flagged off, someone launched an attack. I'm not sure if it was Ariel (Autotrend) or Richard (Waterwood) who attacked first, but it wasn't until the puting-kahoy climb that the stronger riders became the lead group, and us mere mortals tried hard to chase them. I was riding behind Edgar on the downhill but I couldn't keep up with his speed. Just when I thought I had lost my chance to bridge the gap to the second group, a rider from San Pedro was about to pass me and Bing shouted for me to hang on to them. Luckily, I was able to hang on and we caught Edgar and some other riders. We were part of the third group but the second group was within striking distance, if we would only organize ourselves and work together. Coach Gado then ordered everyone to take turns pulling, and would even shout at those who were slacking. In his words, "mamaya na kayo manggulang, magtulungan muna kayo. Mahiya kayo sa mga babae. Kung di niyo kayang pumalit, magpaiwan na kayo!"(hey guys you ought to be ashamed of yourself if you dont swap pulls with the ladies...better get off the back of peloton) The guys didn't like him too much after that, especially those who weren't cooperating. Thanks to Coach Gado's nagging, we caught the second group consisting of Richard Uy and Paul Mutuc among others. We were a big group and the paceline really helped us recover but there were times when I wanted to fall behind. But the thought of riding all alone scared me so I just kept pedalling and hoped the pace would slow down soon. Approaching the final climb was nerve-racking! I started psyching myself up, trying to calm myself and to focus on my breathing, and to hang on to dear life if someone pushes the pace or launches a sprint. I knew I didn't have the sprinting power the guys and even Bing had, so all I wanted was to be able to hang on at the back with everything I've got. And as expected, there was a sprint up the finish line, and I managed to finish behind Bing and infront of Caloy (Elixir). It turns out that Marita's group, after Kiko and Ernie (Dupont) broke away from them, only had a few seconds lead from our group. I was happy with my performance that day, I guess I really am a road racer more the a time-trialist. And our team was happy to wrap up the weekend with a sweep in the women's category.

Congratulations to all the winners and finishers, especially Mimi and Rizzo for a superb finish during the ITT, and all the female cyclists who were women enough to race against men. Hope this encourages more and more ladies to try road racing and more and more race organizers to include a women's category for us. More power to Raul Cuevas and the Powerbar race organizing Team. Thank you, Ricky Ledesma, for doing a great job emceeing, as always.

Thanks to our sponsors David's Salon, David's Skin & Face Spa, Wella, In-2-It Make-Up, Rudy Project, Promax, Accelerade, Endurox, Accel Gel, Vittoria, Aloe Up, and GEAX, also to Coach Gado, our team driver Gino, of course my hunny, Shintaro.

Keep on biking,

Kaye Lopez
Team David's Salon

Philippine Cycling:Tour of Egat 2005 stage1 Report in Manila


Guys,

Before i begin this report, i have to give special thanks to boss Joel G. for his unwavering confidence in me (you could have chosen to bring in big guns and much stronger rider's boss.... or you could have given a qualifying ride and drop me) but you chose not to go that way and give chance to greenhorns like me.So thats how you earn my respect.

Im sure 2006 would be different...bring in big cannons (hopefully not the hot headed variety though, because we all wear the PHILIPPINE FLAG)
and there will be total domination of TOUR OF EGAT by Filipinos. (BUT do we really want total domination and earn the ire of the other teams? hahaha). Its your choice boss....chose wisely.

Team, i am sure that after going through hell and back we would see each other again and treat each and everyone like a band of blood brothers......please allow me to thank you for treating me so well in thailand....i hope you enjoy my stories as much as i enjoy yours. In the end it all comes down to this...

TEAM POWERBAR PHILIPPINES 2005 HAS GAINED THE RESPECT OF EACH PARTICIPANT IN EGAT AND EARNED THE RESPECT OF THE ORGANIZERS FOR PLAYING A REMARKABLE AND ORGANIZED RACE. THE TEAM WAS SO ORGANIZED EVERYONE THOUGHT THAT THIS IS THE NEW NATIONAL TEAM. IMAGINE THEIR SURPRIZE WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT BACK HOME ...TEAM POWERBAR PHILIPPINES 2005 BELONG TO DIFFERENT TEAMS AND COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER.

Inspite of coming from different teams, this team has banded together as if they have been formed over the years, and each and every attack coming from this team has earned the respect of defending champion BMW/cannondale.

Team, the real difference between our team and the other teams is the BIG HEART and IRON WILLED DETERMINATION TO WIN AND OR FINISH. The other team just folded. thats how good this team is.

I am very very happy to have been included in this team and i assure you...i wont forget you guys for the rest of my life....YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

TEAM POWERBAR PHILIPPINES REPORT:


April 27,2005 Dencios, at the Fort

Joel G has called for a meeting at 7:15pm to finalize and brief everyone about our trip. last minute discussions on what to bring and what to expect in Egat was the agenda over san mig lights and pulutan. By this time, i see how well trained the pther participants are by the color of their skin.To think that i finished 60th during the 85km climb tanauan to tagaytay make me wonder how the hell im going to fare in Egat.. Anthony and Ernie continued their 100km a day training after the Payapa race while i have to nurse sore legs and didnt do any riding the week after payapa race. My only consolation is knowing that I never quit nor stopped in payapa and since that is my hardest race ....i wonder if there is anything like it even in thailand. Im surprized to find everybody down to earth. To understand how determined this group really is to finish egat....Eric carandang even asked someone to bring a spare fork, chain, and handlebar....because HE WANTS TO CONTINUE EVEN IN THE EVENT OF A BAD CRASH! bad enough to break a fork? i thought if that crash happened to me i'd probably ride a taxi and go straight to pat phong and have fun. Meeting adjourned by 9pm and everybody was having this nervous and exciting feeling...same kind of feeling i guess when one gets assigned to France and go ride the TOUR DE FRANCE. ITS THAT INTENSE!

April 29,2005 Friday


Despite my hectic schedule, last minute meetings and collection day, i managed to go to clarence and get the red white and blue Team Powerbar Jerseys. I have been assigned by Joel G to pick the jerseys and bring them to the airport and distribute at the airport.

April 30, 2005 Saturday

I'm living in Sta Rita town bulacan which is some 70 kilometers from the airport. I refuse to have a nervous breakdown, so i asked my driver to bring me to the airport by 5:30am. I arrived at the airport at around 7am. I checked in my bike and bag by 7:30. The entire group arrived by 8:30am. We left for bangkok on PAL 730 and arrived at chang mai airport at around 2:30pm. We were met by ex-Singapore national rider Lawrence Kwa and all our bikes were placed in an open 6 wheeler truck.
We arrived same time with some BMW cannondale guys and we traveled by aircon tourist bus to the Royal River hotel in bangkok.

We picked up only two boxes of powerbar gel and bars. and instead of the promised 24 gels for each rider, the team gets 8 bars and 8 gels for the entire race and thats about it. fortunately for me, i dont rely on gifts so i had my wife buy extra gels and extra powerbars, a loaf of Gardenia bread, two boxes of skyflakes, 2 packs of brownies, extra joss , water, and my life support system (zefal hydration pack). if im gonna get lost in myanmar i have enough food for two days, one extra tube, puncture repair kit, passport, ticket,visa card, $500 and baht...really enough cash to buy ticket even if i lost my ticket.

We unpacked our bikes in the bin room and saw all the pinarello dogmas, ridley damocles, frondriest, tommasinis, trek madonne, giant carbons....nameit they have it. Our team got Look 585s and Sevens and i saw people actually say ooohs and aahs and the bmw guys just approached and lifted our bikes to find out how light the bike is.

Afterwards we were treated to open air buffet by the river (have our photos taken...you wont believe how camera ready the filipinos are!) and called it a day.

MAy 1,2005 Race day Bangkok to Kanchanaburi 180kms


we left hotel by 7am and got to ride bikes 5kms to the starting line only to find out that Eric C, Ronald, and Ernie was left behind at the hotel!!!!

Peter Mutuc was worried sick and have to call officials to delay the start.happily the group arrived before rolling start. Rolling start was a long long 28kilometers as we got paraded inside bangkok. After being paraded we stopped to relieve ourselves and take in water. The temperature by 8am was 42 degress and so hot! No wind! I said this weather is like 3pm in manila! Race started promptly. after 4 minutes we were released and with helicopter aerial coverage we can just imagine ourselves being in the TOUR DE FRANCE!

Nothing gets better than this, so team powerbar starts moving up front to avoid the crashes. by 60km mark around 40 people got dropped and we hear crashes caused by water bottles. the road is like newly paved north luzon expressway so smooth the speed is bearable at 60 to 42kph pahinga. I stuck like leech as long as i can hoping that i could make it till the 100km mark. i did make it, but afterwards have no more power left. I was with a group of siam bara riders. i talked to one in halting english. DO YOU WANT TO FINISH? he said NO. so i speeded up to find the next rider who happened to be william from Singapore. I asked him DO YOU WANT TO FINISH? He said sure (i later found out he will be the ring leader of the bente bente group 20kph group). The rest of the story you will read about in quotable quotes part 2. I ended up finishing with him in 5 hours 20mins.

Eric Got Lost and so did Ronald , Cecil decided to stop at the 150km mark, anthony stayed with the peloton and finished at 7th place, PEDI GOT FIRST FOR 50 AND UP, Joel G got2nd, Ernie got 6th, Robin took 9th, peter 10th, Ariel missed the breakaway but travelled as a one man chase group by his lonesome for 10 kilometers to wind up 11th place (what an effort!) and i winded up way way back. Back at the hotel the list of results was posted and i saw that the winners list will include only those riders making the 30minutes cut off. Eric and Ronald was initially listed as DNF because according to one official they crossed the line on the wrong side of the street! Ronald lamented that he was lost 22 kilometers and was so tired he was hallucinating. I have never raced that long in my life and the team was laughing when i said i just got back from THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

to be continued.......

raymond see
team powerbar philippines 2005



Philippine Cycling:Tour of Egat 2005 Stage 1 River Kwai Hotel




guys,

stage 1 of Tour of Egat just finished and since i couldnt sleep due to sore mucsles I'm filing a short report

for the elite category 39 and below category the players for team powerbar Philippines consist of cecil, anthony, eric and ronald.

from hotel we cycled 5 kms to starting line, then a 28kilometer rolling start(warm up) we stopped took water and relieved ourselves in a gasoline station. This gasoline station is to be the new "start" of a 150kms road race on flats. (this is just a short report, more info to be narrated later.) Eric and ronald got lost near the finish. anthony stayed with the peloton and got same time finish.

for the Masters 40 and up, the players for team powerbar philippines is myself, joel G., ernie, ariel, robin, peter. 50 up, the player is Pedi Untalan.

same routing, we cycled 5kilometers to the starting line, then a 28kilometer rolling start (warm up lang at hindi kasama sa bilang.35 ang dalahan) we stopped and took water and relieved ourselves in gasoline station.four minutes after the elite riders, we were released and we are to ride 120kilometer of flat roads under 42 degrees of scorching temperature (parang alas 2 ng hapon sa manila when its 9am here).

as soon as the gun barked, team powerbar with pedi untalan and leading
rider joel G stays at the front of the peloton....maybe the peloton wants to sit it out and so it was not so fast start. ariel complains its just a 38kph slow start....then BMw cannondale team and that singapore national team will try and launch and attack up the tempo past 55kph then slow down to 42 and then 55 again....this yoyo style probably took more than 2 hours. Trouble is on 50kilometer mark, on one stretch of the highway our team and about 30riders got lost, joel G was infront and due to lack of motorcycle escorts team powerbar philippines riders (including myself) grind to a halt and have to make a u turn to a left handed corner....by this time the strugglers at the back attacked and took advantage of the organizers mistake for lack of directions/ and so we have to chase. team powerbar philippines in no time moves up again to front of the pack. cannondale team irritated starts to mount attacks and each time they attack, the peloton was reeling them in. i tried to hang on but after 100kilometers onto a u turn with strong headwinds i and some thai riders got dropped. (by the 100kilometers mark more than 40 persons already left behind due to fast pace, flat tires, or crashes ).

im already happy to be able to latch on up to 100kilometers.trouble is our race when added together is over 153kilometrs!!!! and i have not riden more than 120kilometers before!

riding together with siam bari rider, i asked him if he wants to finish..after 5 kilometers he said he is already tired and decides to quit. i see a singapore rider in front and decides to chase. then i caught him. turns out he is elite rider who got dropped. i asked if he wants to finish. he said YES. so we rode together the last 53 agonizing kilometers of my life to my finish line. ESSO Gasoline station. he could not continue anymore so decides to ride the sag wagon.

i finished 5 hours 20minutes. 153kilometer.28kph average speed. the longest race of my life.

full report later.

Joel G got the second place finish in our category. Ernie H came in 5th when nipped by two riders at the finish and Pedi finished 1st for 50 above. Myself. Im already happy to have dropped around 6 siam bari (thai riders) they arrived around 30minutes after my time.

sincerely
raymond see
team powerbar philippines
river kwai hotel in thailand

Philippine Cycling: Tour of Egat 2005 Stage 2





Guys,

here's the stage 2 part of the story.

May 2,2005 Stage2 Kanchana Buri - Sri Sawat 128kms

We left the River Kwai hotel and cycled 5kms to the city temple for registration. We notice half the field dont want to start already and so we are fewer this time. Yousof says to watch out for the hills, it wont get cooler when we climb...it will get hotter! I dont know how im gonna finish today because of the killer stage. I recall, joel G opening his lap tap and pointing out how steep this mountain is going to be when he checked the elevation chart.Anyway, as usual, im going to hang on as long as i could and ride the remaining kilometers with anyone willing to finish. The rolling start becames fast paced and attacks were immediate. near the 10kms mark, joel g, and two cannondale riders slowly inch their way up front...then they disappear. Robin shouts at pedi..."kill the pace pedi"....I was near pedi up front so i went to pedi's right side and tried to sit there to prevent chase group from chasing....nobody reacted and Martin got caught in the middle of the big group....by the time they reacted it was too late...the gap becomes bigger....i couldnt hold the pace and by 50 km mark i was dropped. i just sat up in front of the peloton and every strong rider squeezed between me and pedi...otheres attacked on my right side. i stayed still like a meralco post and everyone was going.

soon i was joined by around 5 riders. at the 60km mark there was this heartbreakhill and saw people dropping out like flies...some retiring others stop, pause then ride again....up 500meters, i feel my right leg cramping so i decided to use Eagle Claw technique, just dismount and walk with my bike.

My partner (the thai who was talking to himself) agreed to walk with me. in the middle of the hill i saw 5 singaporean riders including nur inside the truck, . Pastor Jimmy (team singapore) ask me if i want to join them. i said no. Jim said in that case everybody has to get off the truck and walk. we walked as a group at 5kph...i tried to ride again and saw my speed fixed at 10kph. i said its not worth the risk. might as well just walk faster and save my legs for later stages....so everybody walked. Myself, nur, simon, cito, jimmy and the thai who talks to himself. on the summit, we were given water and we decide to ride together as a group. the thai, jimmy and simon went faster and i got dropped together with nur and cito. we rode together until we reached the finish line at the ferry boat terminal at the 82kilometers mark. i was completely bonked out. my special thanks to lady friend nur, and i kept my promise afterwards and treated her to lunch. i also treated cito to lunch.

Ariel narrates his side of the story. when joel went, ariel and robin was left to try to contain the peloton. BMW big boss Martin organized a chase group which was going from 38 to 55kph to chase down joel G and company. Malaysia 403 attacked and robin chased. 5 kilometers before the climb Martin launched an attack and was in front of peloton.
Ariel checked but when he saw the climb ahead...he called on to robin...pare ikaw naman dyan sa ahon. the two carried on but by the climb ...both rode 10kph. Robin got to the summit first, ariel followed and caught robin 3kms to the finish. Robin and ariel finished same time top ten GC

Ernie narrates his side of the story...Bakus was with them until the climb..he was pleading for the philippine team not to leave him. Ernie maintained the pace and Bakus got dropped with two cramping legs. Ernie....whose dream was to win King of Mountain was so happy to get to the line first but have to slow down after the line when he got cramps. He winded up 2nd in stage 2.

Anthony,Cecil, Eric and Ronald got the toughest day of their lives when their race was extended up 40kilometers more from where we finish.Eric got 2nd place podium victory.

When the race ended and im not in the finish line for over an hour, boss Joel G got so worried he asked Josephine, public relations of Egat to try and look for me in all the sag wagons...josephine said all the drivers of sag wagons replied that they couldnt find me. Everybody got worried sick...until they found me having lunch with new friend Nur and Cito at the sri nagarand resort. Joel G and the rest of the gang was so relieved. everyobne thought i got lost and went to myanmar which was only 3 kilometers from our finish line. I assured everyone, i got enough food and water in my hydration pack to last me two days, and that i got my passport, ticket, visa, dollars, baht with me always. everyone got a good laugh.

I asked Dante whether that Giant of a man they call Tiny finished.... Dante said they saw tiny clutching his heart and so he got taken by an ambulance. Tiny did not finish. and so did many others....

to be continued....


Raymond See
Team Powerbar Philippines 2005.

Extreme Pain Extreme Fun Cebu Cycling Classics II 2005 my story



dear atty J, dr jv, my friends from cebu...






finally....someone beats me to my team waterwood reports....and its a detailed story also! hahaha i will write my lengthy report in a few minutes...my hamstrings still hurts! its lunch time...and my wife and myself are having prawns (sugpo from cebu)...










I am back at the Rocka bikeshop and relaxing on my laptap reading your side of the story...a few annecdotes from my side of the story.we from Manila arrived on a friday Nov24 (closed the Rocka Bikeshop...not because of poor sales......the boss is in cebu and went road racing!...hehehe) and stayed at Crowne Gardens hotel in Lahug.morning of saturday Nov 25, my group went to hook up with atty Jong, larry ,rolando pagnanawon, rex, dr Jv and rest of cebu cycling at reclamation area and did some spinning...afterwards we did half day cebu city tour...climbed mactan bridge...go to shangrila mactan...ate fresh seafood at shoot to kill... had picture taking at Fashion TV big foot studios then climbed Fernan Marcelo bridge going back to Lahug...we passed by aison bikeshop and met maymay in cabahug and had our bikes tweaked and re oiled! wow i saw that porsche mt bike on display...we took a look...its an eye catcher...would have bought it for 100thou...the price is 190thousand! too bad.






back to hotel...dr butch and dennis wants to go to sleep...as we did 50kilometers city tour on our bikes...me and millionaire dondie went to ykk and take a look at the goodies (maybe 10million pesos of bicycles on the showroom alone...VERY NICE! YKK bigger than any manila bike shop)..thats 3pm in the afternoon.race day....Sunday Nov 26...we got lost..then made a u turn after calling Dr JV araneta for directions...race about to start...we filled the forms...took photos...cat a started 5 mins ahead of us...last minute planning...told dr butch ydia maybe i can bribe one arm Rex Gonzeles with a fine dinner, a sexy lady or instant cash ....just dont attack...just pull the 4 of us to the finish line...i will be happy with a 5th place win seeing all the super fit cyclists cat c at the starting line...millionaire dondie laughs....says blood is thicker than water...cebuano will always fight for cebu...forget my bribe...we laughed....my wife taking photos of pink jersey guys lead by Rex... Team Kalit (cebuano...kalit in english means Team Sudden Attack...i get scared)race starts...dr JV up front on a motorbike...neutral zone..taking pictures...i always start up front...i dont want to get cornered inside peloton...






i dont want to get caught in a crash...teammate dr butch ydia laughing behind me...he says to dennis dionisio (my business partner)..."there goes raymond...wanting to do the break again"...so i slowed down...millionaire dondie asked..."do you intend to attack?" i said "later"....dondie said..." ok ill be the one to attack"so off went dondie over 50 kph on the straights... he got caught by team Kalit...rex gonzales countered...some cebuanos said "rex wants to show off in cebuano"...5 mins later he got caught and even before people starts to recover I attacked over 47kph on my speedo...but after a few minutes... i got caught...so slowed down...somebody countered...dr butch and i gave chase...we caught him...i saw atty jong being "protected inside peloton" went to left side opening and attacked again this time on a short climb...a bit harder this time...saw some cebuanos sit up and got left behind...a few minutes later....i got caught again...Rex Gonzales countered with 2 or 3 guys on the real breakaway...going farther and farther...and we got caught flat footed nobody chased...i attacked again ...team kalit counter attacked left side and right side of me! Im cooked!..blood is thicker than water...the locals left with me didnt want to pull so we sit up...game over by now(only 5 trophies......and there is a 3 man break...plus around 10 local riders chase group team Kalit)...






so me and dr butch ydia and Atty Jong plus couple of others formed 3rd group...on one of the uphill climbs i wanted to stand up and then it happened...double cramps and its just the 30kilometer mark??? my wife saw me being left behind by atty J and company and only Dr butch can stay with them...my wife asks "what happened?" I shouted "darn it...double cramps!" so i slowed down...recovered...got caught by 2 riders...then shared pulling swaps...until i saw the group of atty J again...on the uphill climb...my lead man punctured...i attacked and caught up with atty J's group.going into 45km mark there was a steep downhill zigzag route...the motorcycle escort of atty J was doing traffic choirs and protecting atty J from on coming traffic....atty J was very very careful on the descent doing about 45 to 50...






i know my teammate from Dagupan Dr Butch Ydia (son of the Dagupan mayor) will be the strongest on the downhill so i let him pass...(sorry atty J ...no offense meant to you...i am just afraid i might crash on to your motorcycle escort) i have to shout at your motorcycle escort to give me space as i can do over 60kph also with dr butch my teammate up front and by just following his line i am very sure i will not overshoot...because dr butch ydia rides marcos highway Baguio every sunday! now doing 62kph with dr butch i am confident we already left the sparkling clean dressed in all white atty Jong...to my surprise atty jong caught the two of us again!....on the u turn point there was this uphill and i am sure i cant hold on to dr butch ydia anymore so i let him go with 2 riders with him...he went into racing mode...and in a few minutes he was gone...i have for my company the strong rider atty J and two others...the other rider riding a colnago Titanio...we talked for a while...






i understand its really game over for me now so i can afford to laugh and share stories with atty J...my wife margie was giving me water and i shouted to her to give atty Jong some water (to make ammends for shouting at your motorcycle escort...sorry atty its the adrenalin ) few more climbs later my cramps returned and i let go of atty. J at around 70km mark.at the 80 km mark there was a zigzag downhill again...i was going solo when i saw 3 guys with a vellum pick up truck pass by... the first rider was around 6 ft tall and boy he was on this nice vellum bike and doing easy spinning! i understood there is a very important person in this trio...so if i wheelsuck...i could get shot by the bodyguards (just joking...sorry Mayor Durano...i only learned later that it was you who is the VIP!) so instead of wheelsucking...i attacked on the flats...went away for some 3 to 4 kilometers to try find myself a cycling buddy up front...nobody was in sight...




i am cramping again...tired ...weary...delirious...half awake half asleep...the sexy lady half lady half machine appeared...the queen of the BORGS of Star Trek the MOVIE ...and she tells me .... "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE" ...i followed her advise...so i sit up and let the trio including the good mayor go. VERY VERY IMPRESSIVE HONORABLE MAYOR!near the 90km mark i saw a cyclist on a blue bike...painted helmet and we rode together and crossed the finish.i saw Dr Butch Ydia (sitting on the ground) he says he cramped badly and can only managed 9th place (9th isnt so bad doctor butch...you are head surgeon and owner of Nazareth Hospital dr butch...i dont even know how you find time to cycle!) i ask how many minutes he was ahead of me...he says 15 minutes...and i am a happy man...in between that 15 minutes there were 7 local riders who beat my time ...that elite category c group included atty Jong and Mayor Durano.






few minutes later my teammate millionaire dondie azarcon arrives with dennis dionisio...both cramped so badly they couldnt even stand up and had to be held up for a few minutes.we couldnt believe how it was for Rex Gonzales (an arm amputee ex pro) to win a 100km race...and how he managed to even hold up and drink water from his canteen. We are very impressed. Pain is temporary...we will definitely be back for more.Congratulations to all the winners and to the organizers.cebu cycling classics 2 is a real classic road race...please dont change this route...ill try to coax more execs from manila to come.thanks again to the organizers, to dr JV and the marshalls...no accidents in this race... a fun filled sunday afternoon... We had fun...i hope you had fun racing with us slow riders also...!




raymond see

Extreme Pain Extreme Fun Cebu Cycling Classics II bu atty Jong Sepulveda




EXTREME PAIN ..... EXTREME FUN..... CEBU CYCLING CLASSICS II 2006 ...... MY STORY
« on: November 26, 2006, 03:53:12 PM »
Quote

By Attorney Jong Sepulveda of Cebu Cycling


Arrived at the designated starting place a quarter before eight. A lot of riders were already there .... and most importantly ..... the big daddy of cebu cycling (Dok JV, who else?) was already there and barking instructions to the riders to sign up so the race can start.Changed to my riding gear ...... with the forecast of sunny skies for northern cebu ..... I opted for a plain white jersey and a white arm sleeves (according to my grandpa ... white should be worn if you are staying outside under the sun as it the coolest color ... i.e., it reflects light unlike black which is opposite (absorbs all light) --- no wonder the 'hacienderos' of Bogo-Medellin are preferential to all white attire.The Luzon executive riders arrived a little later (apparently, they had a hard time finding the finding the designated starting place). The registration went well --- I do believe the CC cyclists are slowly starting to behave these days ..... you cannot hear anymore wise comments and/or silly complaints .... it appears that everybody have realized that CC under Big Daddy JV means business ... and that is not business as usual. There are still who would try bend the rules (i.e., to race in a slower category), but this time ... they accept CC's decision to deny their wishes without any grumbling and/or innuendos unlike in the recent past.A few minutes before the start ........... the ever so fit and unassuming mayor of Danao (Ramonito Durano ..... my goodness .... what supplement(s) is he taking? he looks fitter and younger than most of Cat B cyclists!) arrived and we were pleased to know that he will be joining the Cat C race. Race instructions were made ...... marshalls (in their UK made green flourescent vests .... again thanks NOB!) .... boarded their motorbikes and Cat B was off.A few minutes later ...... we (Cat C) rode. Neutral Zone. Big Daddy's instructions was that we shall have a rolling start somewhere in Carmen. After the Carmen poblacion ..... Big Daddy dropped the flag. As if on cue, Dr. Butch Ydia of Team Waterwood attacked. As he was introduced to us as the strongest of the visiting Luzon riders ..... Team Kalit (Rex Gonzales, Jonas Colanag, etc..), Team Talisay Doks (Doctors Jonathan Simbajon and John Gayatin) and Team Lapu-lapu (Heide Esmalin, Loloy Berdin, Delfin Omisol..... ) immediately gave chase and caught the good Doctor from Pangasinan(?) before he can make his escape. The speed apexed at 46 kph!!! .... when the peloton bridged the gap! As if testing the resolve of the locals ..... even before we can catch our breath to coast ...... another visitor ... this time Raymond See attacked!! Again, Kalit, Talisay Doks and Lapu-lapu, made sure no damage was caused. Raymond was checked! From my position up front I slowly drifted to the back. The speed of the peloton was agonizingly fast .... 40 kph seemed to be the coasting speed and there were several burst of 44-46 kph were experienced! As i was already at the back .... i am not sure who is doing the attacking and who is doing the catching up! All I can do was muster all my strength to hang on! At one instance ...... in one of the short inclines in Catmon ..... after one explosive sprint ..... i was unable to hold the wheel in front of me and just like that a gap of around 15 meters appeared. I eased up a little and asked the next rider to bridge the gap .... but he too was cooked! 15 turned to 20, then 25 ..... but just when I was about to give up ..... i noticed that the group in front of us also slowed down and recovering. Digging into my suitcase of courage (correct, this time ), I sprinted to bridge the gap and zoomed to the front of the group.I stayed there (or struggled to stay ... that would be the apt description).... among the top guys .... the Doctors (locals and visitor), Rex, Jonas, the Lapu-lapu denizens ..... were there. After poblacion Carmen .... I noticed that the visitors (reduced to only two -- Raymond and Dr. Butch) have lost their aggressiveness ..... it was the turn of Team Kalit (by Rex, of course) to try to establish a break. Initial attempts were checked courtesy of the Talisay Doks and Lapu-lapu. At those small climbs entering poblacion Sogod, attacks after attacks again were made stringing the peloton. When it cleared .... Rex, Dr. Jonathan and Cocoy managed to establish a gap. At the head of the chasing peloton was Team Lapu-lapu and Dr. John. I thought I was in the middle of the peloton but when I looked back there were no more riders behind me! At the start of the climb to Lugo .... I decided to ride my pace and not to hang on to the wheel of anybody as I was certain that everybody in the group was far stronger than me (at the very least .... they were far lighter )). Thus my solo climb ... so I thought.Midway through the climb .... I noticed that Raymond See and Dr. Butch Ydia were not gapping me as much as I was expecting. This give me a little boost .... and just before the Lugo junction .... I caught up with Raymond and Dr. Butch. There were two (2) other riders .... one of which was too young to be Cat C (he may have escaped the sharp eyes of Dodong X). The five of us started the long and winding descent to Bogo (before Sagay, Sogod) we passed by Jonas Colanag at the side of the road being attended to (broken wheelset?). I was amazed by the speed Dr. Butch and Raymond ..... they were clocking 50+ kph on unfamiliar roads! At Kagoyong, Borbon Jonas caught up with us and our group became 6. A little later, we caught up with another .... and we are 7. I was glad .... as a bigger group would be better in our long ride back.At Ilihan, Tabogon, we met the Cat B riders on their way back. A little later, I spotted the one-armed legend (Rex G.) on his way back .... he was already with some Cat B riders. Just before the turn-around point in Bogo, Cebu, we met the rest of the Cat C riders who were in front of us. At the turn-around, they were handing out ice-water and it was a treasure! Just as we were getting our pace in the long climb back .... the rest of Cat C (Mayor Nito's group) were zooming down towards the turn-around area. The two other Team Waterwood riders were with them. Behind these groups were several solo stragglers (Golden Boys who raced in Cat C).In the climb back, Dr. Butch and the other guy (the one we picked up after Jonas) established a pace that the rest of us could not hold. We let them go. No choice! I just followed Jonas wheel and I offered to ride with him all the way to Danao! Jonas accepted! He must not be feeling good .... knowing that he could easily drop me any day!Raymond was also with us. At the false flats between Ilihan and Kagoyong, we even shared some thoughts on the race. He said that the race course was great and it was a shame that not a lot of Manila (or Luzon) based executive riders are not given a chance to experience it. He asked that we should make this a big event and expect his continued support! Raymond really is a swell guy!!!! I promised that CC would work for it. I also invited him and his group (and bring more) for the TdF this January 2007. The road race will be on the same course.At this point, clearly we were not suffering as we still managed to banter. Pain again started after Kagoyong as the climb back to Lugo steepened. I hold on to Jonas wheel with all my strength. It was only a few meters before the Lugo church that I slackened and Jonas opened up a small gap (around 20 meters). On the descent towards poblacion Sogod I easily bridged the gap. When we reached the flats .... I asked Gorio Colanag (who was on a motorbike) where was Raymond and the other guys with us ..... would it be advisable for us to slow down to wait for them? Gorio advised for us to proceed with our pace as the other guys are quite far back.Thus, it was only me and Jonas. We exchanged pulls. Averaging only at 30kph! Gorio was an angel ... with his water and the bananas (at around Catmon, I asked Gorio to buy some food as I was really hungry)! Right before Catmon, we caught a lone rider in a mountainbike and he decided to ride with us. We made him to the lion's share of pulling up front . At Brgy. Fuente, Carmen, the mtb'er was cooked ..... and i thanked him for his effort. Right before poblacion Carmen ..... a marshall in motorbike informed us that we were about to be caught by a group of riders ..... we waited and zoomed past us was Mayor Nito and his posse' ... led by a smiling Niño S. Immediately, i caught Mayor Nito's back wheel and hung on to it! They were doing 36kph. No wonder, we got caught.The mayor's train was zooming and we passed a lot of riders ..... Doctor Jonathan ... some Kalit guys... along the way! In the long straight road in front of the Danao factories .... the train increased its speed to 40 kph. It was extremely painful just to hold on ..... but I tried ..... knowing the finish is near. At the bridge right before the finish ..... I sat up and Jonas zoomed past me and several others. I was not the only passenger after all .The finish ..... what a relief! The food ..... two (2) pieces of fried chicken and four (4) pcs of puso. Whammmm..... gone.That's it!PS. The locals were shocked! A 100+ km race and somebody attacked just right after the start!

Philippine Cycling:Masters Cup 2005 stage 3 Tanauan to Tagaytay


Guys,

First of all i would like to thank all those new found friends who approached me in Tanauan and Tagaytay to say how much they enjoy reading the Team Waterwood Report sent on the group email....the report inspires me to finish every race....its also the reason why im not flagging down my own support vehicle when i am on the point of quitting. For how on earth am i going to report the suffering when im sitting comfortably in the back of my airconditioned van?

Here is our report:



April 22,2005 Friday

Two weeks prior to this day, only 6 Team Waterwood members confirmed that they wanted to ride the Tanauan to Tagaytay race.
Jess Sabio is currently in New York for a business trip, Adrian Cruz couldnt confirm his participation and Team manager Rolly Cruz was having a tight schedule at the office. A teary eyed Michael Miranda met me on April 17 confirming death of his brother in law who was hit and run while on a small scooter in Sta Rita town bulacan by a passenger jeep.
This means he will not be able to ride.Adrian Cruz met me on 20th April saying he will definitely ride even if he hadnt much training due to pressures at work.

22 April: Michael Miranda with older sister in tow went to see me saying michael wanted to race and that the family had given permission to move the burial of his brother in law from a saturday to sunday, and that michael himself had prayed and asked his dead brother in law (who used to be his team vehicle driver) for permission to ride the race. So come April 22 there were 7 out of 9 team waterwood members who confirmed participation.

We left bulacan town 2pm and arrived in tanauan batangas by 5pm. We had fantastic dinner at a known bulalo house in tanauan and after the great bulalo dish we booked into Junction 1 drive in hotel (motel?) the manager said they can only have two persons in a room so we obliged. the dead giveaway that the hotel was a motel was the shape of the bed...the shape is that of a boat! a loveboat?

By 7pm we had a meeting at my room 7a.Jojo Cardenas who is team manager 002 presided and gave just one instruction. Anyone who feels good must stay with the peloton for as long as they can and try to launch an attack.The lead vehicle will be covering team waterwood top 4 riders and the other vehicles will take care of the 3 struggling members.

After the meeting michael miranda and i became roommates and we did some last minute tinkering with the bikes. I swear michael was talking to his Giant TCR bike asking the bike not to fail him or give him any trouble! Michael made me wonder if i could also sweet talk my favorite Colnago Master x lite to go any faster as if it had a soul of its own.... michael said he wants a podium finish so bad and i told him to throw away the TNT (tago ng tago mentality) and go for broke. he became psyched up.He said i should watch out for him as he will be going for the kill. we watched cartoons and went to sleep.

April 23,2005 Race Day Tanauan to Tagaytay 85kilometers

After having breakfast we went to the starting line and met two of our teammates...star player Dondie (the daredevil) Azarcon and tv personality (in fitness and in health) and gym instructor
Ren (cippolini) badeles. I saw QCCC big boss Mingoy and complimented him on the beautiful Smart Buddy/Tropical Ice team jersey!

Then we are off on the starting line. there was to be a 5kilometer rolling start so i was calling on my team to try to stay in front. When the green flag was flagged down, nobody in the peloton wanted to take the lead so waterwood put in a halfhearted breakaway. it would have been a darn serious breakaway had michael miranda joined me...michael got teased by the peloton for going so early and the shy guy applied the brakes.

After getting caught, i joined teammates Michael, Ian, Ren at the peloton who was by the 20 kilometer mark reaching speeds up to 56 kph on the flats. I wanted to hang on up to 50km mark but could not sustain the breakneck speed so got dropped by 30km mark. I was soon joined by Team Neville top honcho Dr. Butch Ydia on a beautiful Red and black fade Giant Composite. I suggested we ride together and the good doctor made very strong pulls over 45kph and 63kph on the zigzags.We rode together until the 50km mark.

By the 50km mark on the uphill climbs.... one rider ...Joven 006 sped past us like a run away train. I asked the good doctor if he wanted to chase. He said im free to go and that i should leave him since he is already spent and that anyway he got his team vehicle with him. I steadied my pace and rode THE HARDEST RACE OF MY LIFE. 34 kilometers of climbs all the way up Leisure Farm, Fantasy World, Canyon Woods to Taal Vista lodge and wondered...when will this ever end......i was cramping really bad and wondered if i would ever finish.


I have used up all my gears, and doing every conceivable hill climbing techniques from scooting my butt back, zigzagging up the climbs, deep breathing techniques, counting numbers and alligning the pedal strokes with each count. I used up two powergels. When I saw my team vehicle at canyon woods i shouted for bananas and water. my driver Robert Batoon peeled a banana and just shoved the entire thing in my wide open mouth as if i was a baby chimp! No time to stop so i carried on and on and on....i wondered how on earth they made the road with no downhills on the other side of the mountain!

2kilometers to the finish a motorcycle escort came and escorted me to the finish. I saw michael miranda timing my arrival. Michael said he made a latch ditch attempt and attcked 10km to the finish but he got cramped legs. so he finish maybe top 30.Ren arrived 25minutes after Michael. Ian arrived 5 minutes after Ren and I arrived 2minutes behind Ian. Dondie didnt make it and cramped so bad he was forced to ride team vehicle. Jojo was the last man to finish before the Finish line was torn down. One hour after jojo finished... we still couldnt find Nestor (big George) Gonzales and organized a rescue squad to go back. we later found him near canyon woods barangay hall nursing severe cramps.

We later found out that ever gentlemanly team of jojo cardenas and big george Nestor was with the group of madam mona bashier and in the company of such a fine lady the two took turns to pull...pulling until mona steadied her pace and the two team waterood gentlemen got dropped due to severe leg cramps.

Team Waterwood, i love you guys for having a big heart. 5 out of 7 finished. cramp or no cramp.

We look forward to racing with you again! Thanks to everyone and warm congratulations to big boss Eric Carandang. To Bobby and Master Cup Race Organizers. Maraming Salamat Po!

sincerely,
raymond see
team waterwood 003

Philippine Cycling: Masters Cup stage3 Tanauan to Tagaytay 2005 by Leian Cruz


Raymond,


Congratulations on your team.It's always a welcome sight to see my friends from bulacan. I remember we got started way back in Clark and how our group actually met. There was a time when i rode the wrong bus because iwas so sleepy coming off from work - i just woke up in Bulacan instead of Clark. To my surprise, i had to find my way back to the North express way, and along the way, i saw cyclists on the road. taking advantage of the opportunity, i handed out flyers on the races we were promoting in Clark way back then,for some good reason, one of the flyers ended up on your hands...and the rest was history.

This (waterwood) group has been the most supportive of our cycling program in clark, and it's such a refreshing feeling to see them bond as a group and making more of an impact to the whole cycling community. I always look forward to seeing those happy faces a the finish Line, Raymond, Jojo, Engr Rolly...



Joel was right narrating how we just got off from work and no sleep. but that's how it is..Managing a call center means i have to be up when everyone's asleep. I remember the day before the race, i had to make up a story so that i can excuse my self from work early and be at the meeting point in alabang with my teammates. When i say early, i got to go home by 3am, drive all the way to alabang, pick up my stuff and be at gloria jeans at 5AM,To my surprise, our friends Team Autotrend were there - had a short chat, all the while, i had to hide the stress and drooping eyeslids...




My ever helpful teammates Joel and Robin arrived there after to give me a ride. a 45 minute cruise to the start somewhat felt longer. I could not afford to take a nap, as much as I wanted to,can't leave Joel drive alone.
We hit tanauan -see our team, and dress up ;check radios,equipment,short warm up- all good. The long wait for the start got some riders jittery - but was good for me, as much as i wanted to chat with friends specially team Waterwood - i just had to excuse myself to steal a short nap at the team car.I was hoping i'd feel nervous, to kick the adrenalin in, but lack of sleep was robing me of the excitement. next thing i knew, we hit the flag off and we go...all the while i wanted to go to the Wash room, forgot to unload!



how i wish i joined Eric Carandang in his last ditch pee at the side of the peleton - all along geting all the cheers from the crowd! the fast pace at the start just made me hold it - and with the thought that we still had 80kms to go - it wasn't really a perfect day.



my ever dependable team mate Cris Pollard kept asking me from the start if i got enough rest- I told em "YES"! - just to take away all worries from the team-as i was designated to start my race at the 40km mark.



To avoid any possible crashes, i was glad to see 4 Gcash red shirts up front towing me to safety - Our Super Domestiques Rune, Robin and Maxi did a great job controlling the front end of the peleton. Those huge stray dogs kept me up most of the way.



When you have a role to play - specially the role to stay at the front however painful it is, - you miss the exciting view of seeing the whole peleton snaking up the whole strecth of the hi way. You can't afford to chat nor joke around - 50-55kph on the flats - even drinking is difficult. It's an amazing sight - for those who have yet to witness the master's cup Peleton - it's definitely worth watching - one of the most organized and colorful road races i have seen in years.



I remember hitting the downhill portion of the route at full speed. knowing that the whole peleton would slow down due to the hair splitting decent - i just had the instinct to snake my way up front avoiding other riders,- Rune was there to keep me company and open a good racing line for me. At one point, we were going so fast - registered 79kph on my Computer - that when we hit a curve, i just saw Rune ditch it out on the bank of the corner taking a motorcycle escort with him! I was so surprised, but as i approached the same corner, i saw him re-mount with a big grin on his face - that - a good sign he's all ok.


As soon as we hit the base of Payapa- that's when our race began, immediately you could see the big boys up the tempo and a select group of cyclist formed the front group. our own support domestiques knew that their initial role was done, and it was up to us 4 Gcash - Eric,Cris,Joel and I to take over and continue to race. A mix of teams comprised the front peleton, as I look back, I remember several riders attack just to be reeled in by our super dependable Cris Pollard - this guy (aka cyborg#2) just screwed on his pedals and turned on a rapid pedal stroke in constant fluid motion. he maintained a steady pace of 24-26kph uphill - anyone who sprinted ahead of us - we just let them go, it was at this point that you cannot panick and sprint up and down the road. it was tempting to check each break - but we had cris as our reference point and it helped conserve our energy because most of the time he would reel in the escapees.



As for me, the pace was too fast to maintain, all i could do to keep up was to focus my eyes on his Dura-ace crank and avoid looking up - else you'll be awed by the long winding uphill.I could not even look back to check the other riders, all i could hear was constant panting and heavy breathing - it was survival of the fittest. it was reassuring to find out with a glimpse that you had 3 more team mates behind you - shouting at you to keep up. At this point of the race, we were traversing a long uphill grind, pushing at 26kph. i was running 2nd on the line when all of a sudden a green/yellow clad rider from Joven came passing by me and cris. there was not even a point where i was tempted to bridge the gap-....for one- i was not familiar how strong this rider was, i never got to race with him before; secondly -i was not familiar how long the course would last with this type of gradient.



to play it safe, i tucked in behind my teammate and pray hard we reel this guy in. As soon as i get settled in, i see another Gcash rider sprint to bridge the gap - and this was Joel! i knew the guy was on form, but smart riding played a bigger role - we all knew we'd blow up if we tried to match this light weight rider, Joel then smartly slowed down and stayed with our pace. kiko from joven was eventually joined by another elite rider and the duo blasted out at full speed. half way throught he course, they hovered around a gap of 37 seconds from the second chase pack, now mostly composed of 8-10 riders (mix of Gcash/Joven/Elixir and some elite riders)


As Cris was setting up a steady tempo, my team mate Eric held his wheel, while i try to latch on to Eric's - at this point, another Joven rider wanted to disrupt our chase and we tried to battle position for Eric's slip stream.neitheir I nor he would give up, several times our bodies and handle bars would bash (minus the vulgar words)-it was all psycho war. sometimes, i would lose it, sometimes i would just force him out of the line (things you get when you watch 12hrs of tour de france a week). Eventually, they had enough of the jockeying and two Joven green jerseys break away from our chase group.


in an instant, They managed to open a 100 meter gap.at this point, Eric knew these riders and shouted at me from behind "Leian, those guys will break away - bridge em!!"...as I was accustomed to 100rpm cadence on inclines, it was easier for me to accelerate and bridge the two.I went around Cris then pedalled as fast as i could, in a few seconds, i was able to bridge. Looking back, we opened a huge gap! the two Joven riders eventually maintained a high pace splintering the whole chase pack from behind.


Since our designated team leaders were hovering behind us, i chose not to participate in the pace making and instead sit down and relay info to my team behind what our pace was up front. This info was crucial as Eric was able to bridge with us after 30 mins of riding. now it was equal, 2 jovens,2 Gcash,1 elixir, and some elite riders comprising the chase.


Jovens tried in succesion to up the tempo to drop me swapping leads and disprupting my rythm. at one point, one of their team vehicles passed a bottle to their second rider blocking me from checking the front rider who was now accelerating and clearly taking instructions to break. i curteously signaled a hand to their crew that they should not do that and it was blatantly disrupting the outcome of the race. it was such a tactical race. racing with a bunch of disciplined curteous competitive riders makes it the more fun and interesting. I said to myself...this team really is good!
For about an hour, the compsition of the group remained the same..By this time we just traversed canyon woods and 15kms from the finish. everybody was nervous and Joven was forced to keep the pace up bec we knew several of our team mates and other executives were just right behind us - but no idea how far. I was radioing our team where exactly the finish was because by now, i was nursing headache. lack of sleep was kicking in...but i've gone this far to give up. I stayed second in line, glimpsing if my leader was in a good position. My job was to check the lead rider, and the rest is up to Eric. From a far, around 400 meters from the line, Eric manages a violent sprint.he was across the road and he managed to gap us 50 meters. At this time, the 2nd Joven rider tries to bridge slowly...but was gaining ground. All I had to do was sit up and make sure the 1st Joven rider was in check.


As per eric, when he saw that that 2nd Joven rider was making ground, he literally stopped and just waited for him for a cat and mouse chase. we were 200M now from the arc. All this time the 1st joven rider was grinding to bridge and i was right behind him. We could see that we were bridging eric and his Joven mate fast! I said, we are gonna catch em! 100 meters and we were right behind them! at an instinct at this point, Eric manages a second wind to sprint away from us and gets a clear Second, the 1st joven guy is now free wheeling - clearly spent and the 2nd rider and I were still charging fast! as soon as we bridge the rear wheel of his Joven team mate...he shouts..."don't freewheel!!! - bec the 2nd rider knew i was right there across his struggling teammate!" unfortunately the 1st guy thinks we already got dropped and doesn't know am at his left shoulder while talking to his right side with his team mate....it was a virtual drag race and with a last Lunge to the line, we were separated by inches!! everything seemed to go in slow motion...At the final...i ran out of road and only managed 5th...but it was a good race. joven made the race more interesting and something to look forward to in the next stages. i have to congartulate this team for such a fantastic performance.
unbeknownst to us, we suddenly realize that the finish line was closed and all the fancy bands playing. we just got too zeroed in on the moment everything just went past.


As we compose ourselves, one by one each rider/group trickle in succesion to the finish. I was more than anxious to see my team mates who made it all happen for us - such unselfish sacrifice to get us in front safely and fresh. joel came in with a fast sprint, then came cris clearly exhausted, maxi, Robin, Rune...all spent from the dyas' effort - but all was well since we got a guy up the podium. Thanks to you team!. we missed Maiqui - one of our Super domestiques - surely next time around when he gets back from the US for his "aka ..Overseas training" - (edit the couch powerbar Tv eating time) we'll be gunning again for a good race.
as usual, we find our Waterwood friends and the rest of the caravan still eminating with smiles and energy. seeing these guys grind it out and progress inspires you to do better.


Unfortunately, we missed the awards, Joel and I had scheduled appointments in the afternoon, and we did not have the luxury of participating on those much awaited "post race chats" on the regular team lunch.

This definetely is one of the most exciting stage race yet. Congratulations to Bobby (and for the excellent support! you guys made a great team crew!) and the rest of the GCC organizing team. Looking forward to the next race.

-Leian CRUZ


team Globe G Cash

Phil Cycling :Powerbar Tour of Paranaque by Joel Gironella


Powerbar Tour of Paranaque
by Joel Gironella


To all those who raced POWERBAR TTT, congratulations! Just like the kids who all received medals for participating in the POWERBAR KIDS RACE, all the POWERBAR TTT riders are all WINNERS as well. Its not always about the competition..but its also about having fun and giving your best and i'm sure all of you put in a very good effort. Kudos to all. Well here is how it went for me...


My preparation for this TTT (and most especially for the upcoming Tour of Egat race in Thailand) experienced a serious fallback when i developed a sore throat last sunday. I got a virus which i probably caught from my son who had cough a few days before. I tried to fight it out with all these herbal medicines and over the counter drugs but unfortunately the sore throat developed into an upper respiratory tract infection. Come race day, i still had some serious mucous lodged in my lungs and i was worried that putting in a huge effort in the TTT might make my URTI worse than it is now. Since i have committed myself to my team, i decided to RACE come hell or high water. My pre race preparations went well. I brought my trainer, did a few spins then tried out the course 2 or 3 times. My legs actually felt quite okay...the only problem i had was my congestion.


I had to cough a few times to loosen up my chest and throat. We were the 1st team to be set off and by 7:20am, we were lined up in the starting line tent where the honorable mayor of Paranaque, Mayor Florencio Bernabe, did perhaps the fastest 10,9,8,...1 countdown i have ever heard in my life....All i heard was a 10...then all of a sudden it was already 2..1. Had i known it would have been the TURBO 10 to 1 countdown, i would have clipped my pedals even before he started the count. Anyway, caught by surprise, i had to immediately clip and start our train since i was the designated first man out. My teams agreement was to start steady with no immediate accelerations. I set off the pace at a good 42kph and after 500 meters, 2nd man Maiqui Dayrit took over. I can tell my team was really PUMPED up because there was a lot of cursing and shouting in the formation :-)



You can compare the adrenaline my boys were feeling to an ENGLISH PREMIERE LEAGUE SOCCER game. The shouting was not to show any disprespect to any rider but was a way to bring out the pent up tension...it meant that this ride is all BUSINESS. Every lap Robin Valdes would shout out the average speed to give us a gauge of how we were doing. The team was so fluid and our plan was working really well. It was agreed that no rider should bring down the speed during his pull. If you think you will blow, either you take a shorter pull or you pull as long as you can and sacrifice yourself for one more time..but don't bring down the speed. Well thats just what my trusted teammates Emilio Vicenz and Maxi Abad did. They took some really good pulls and gave it all they've got. At the halfway mark, we averaged 42kph with 7 riders still intact. By the beginning of the 6th round, i starting going redline. My legs were still okay but my breathing was noticably shorter and deeper. My pulls started getting shorter and shorter.


During the 2nd part of the 6th lap, another teammate of mine, Maiqui Dayrit, performed a selfless act by sacrificing himself. He was about to peel off from his pull at 46kph when RUNE shouted at him...SACRIFICE YOURSELF MAIQUIIIIII.....hearing that, Maiqui painfully went back to the right and dug in for another 30 seconds at a blistering 47kph speed. He finally peeled off, utterly exhausted and soft pedaled around the course in the last 2 rounds all by his lonesome self...ANOTHER JOB WELL DONE. We enter the 7th lap and i started to recover a bit and was able to take better pulls. At this point we were still 6 riders with 5 to finish. It was a far cry from our TTT in the same course last year wherein we were down to just 4 riders with just 2 rounds into the race with 4 guys to finish. Had any of us experience a mechanical trouble during that race, it would have been game over even before we could complete the halfway mark.



We learned from our mistakes last year and vowed not to experience the same close call situations again. By the 7th lap, our strategy of a negative split was being realized. We were now averaging 43kph. Our time splits would show that we were going faster after every lap. We start the 8th and final round still pumped up. I shout from the back...LAST ROUND!!!! GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!!!!. Soon enough Eric (who'm with Leian was definitely the ENGINE of this run and were taking the longest pulls) jumped it up 1-2kph higher than the current speed. I struggle to keep contact and had to dig deep to keep contact with Jon Urrutia who was my front man. Jon was feeling good too and was taking really good pulls during our run. I knew that the last round will definitely hurt. Its either you block out the sensation or you keep it as long as you can for your team. There were no more strategies in the last round...its either you hang on or you get dropped.



Its an all or nothing situation. With 6 guys and 5 to finish, we could afford to loose 1 more rider. I honestly thought i was the one who will go but for some reason i got a 2nd wind. At the last turnabout, we spot the dreaded AUTOTREND team who were in the 1st round of their run. They were within striking distance. Eric shouted encouragements to the team so loud that even if he was the 1st guy in the train and i was the last guy, i could still hear him. We were closing in...100 meters...75 meters...50 meters...25 meters...CONTACT. We pass them at 46kph and i decide to sacrifice myself. From the extreme back i went to the front and i tell Eric...I'LL TAKE THIS..LETS GO!! I bring up the speed a bit more no longer shielded by my teammates and do one last pull. Robin Valdes, who has been riding extremely well trying to peak for next weeks EGAT race with me, passes me at 48kph!!! followed closely by Leian. Robin doesnt seem to be loosing speed and was probably going 50kph in the last kilo. More guys pass me.. Eric.... then Jon.


I was about to coast and call it a day when i look back and realize that I AM THE 5TH GUY! Rune apparently started cramping after the bridge and decided to slow down after giving it all for 39 grueling kilometers. S*&T!!! i now have to continue my run!! I Dug deep, really deep and finish a few meters behind Jon totally spent. I proceed to the neutral area with a painful grimace in my face...dried up saliva hanging on the side of my chin (its totally unattractive looking at riders who have just finished a time trial...PRO or AMATEUR :-) I continously cough for close to a minute and i though i was going to puke. That was a VERY HARD EFFORT. That moment reminded me of ROLF ALDAG in the docu movie HELL ON WHEELS wherein he was coughing so hard after finishing his ITT. We give each other the congratulatory handshake and high fives (we would probably hug had we been europeans...hahaha) for a job well done. Our winning avg. speed? 43.3kph! It was an unbelievable run and i would really like to thank my unbelievable team. Each man had a job to do and they all did it well.

Thanks again to Raul Cuevas of POWERBAR for a great race! This is probably why a POWERBAR RACE is the most attended local cycling race so far. Everyone apprciates the professionalism of the organziational team behind it. Thanks also to Ricky Led for being a great Race Director and for George Carag for a job well done in the course.

I won't be doing the Crit this morning as i have decided to rest and recupperate and be at least half healthy for Thailand next week. I hope everyone had a great time and i'm so looking forward to seeing most of you in the next POWERBAR RACE.

Joel Gironella
Team Union Fenosa

Philippine Cycling: Custom paint job atty Goyo's bike






here is the custom paint job done by a local Filipino artist on atty Goyo Larrazabal the organizer of Terry Larazzabal Bike Fest Ormoc city.
fantastic bike custom paint job!!!!!


Saturday, December 23, 2006

MASTERS CUP RACE May 28-29,2005 ...In conflict with my daughter's 18th bday!

i have 2 back to back races which i need to finish to save my team waterwood/rmrmetalfab from sliding from 3rd overall to 4th place in the team standings of the MASTERS CUP RACES 2005...but its my daughter's 18th birthday!!! what to do? grit my teeth and do both tasks with little sleep in between!










That's my daughter! In Xiamen China after getting Gold Medal at the choir olympics elimination round...

Friday, December 22, 2006

Team Cycling Cub of Bulacan and Team rmrmetalfab


team CCB cycling (club of bulacan) and team rmrmetalfab (rmr own by raymond see)

Campagnolo Delta Brakes Croce d Ouch!

campagnolo delta brakes croce d ouch!

MASTERS CUP FINALS 2005 STAGE 3



here are more photos relating to the Master's Cup series...the two photos shows team globe G cash wearing the LOOK jersey awaiting start of stage 2 with the 100islands in alaminos pangasinan.
























































the route map for the mangaldan stage up baguio was pasted onto the gasoline tank of the escort marshall.




























the race route from Lingayen to Dagupan where i got lost shows the zigzag route climbs up SUAL


































this is the photo of team waterwood/rmrmetalfab at the starting line of Master's Cup Finals 2005 Stage2 Hundred islands Pangasinan...to Dagupan.from left to right Michael Miranda, Dennis Dionisio, Raymond See, Ren Badelles, coach Rudy balbon (the hairy one ex pro cyclist) and our driver ric