Waterwood Park to Gapan and back 107kms 9-18-05

FROM THE PAST.....

Team Waterwood Report: Sept 18 2005 long ride 107km Waterwood Park base camp to Gapan Nueva Ecija and back

Guys,

Here is our report.

Following the recent success of waterwood riders at a the keirin style mano y mano race....team manager Engr Rolly Cruz...reiterates the need for waterwood riders to do long rides and accumulate base mileage. He says...if only we could train as hard and as long as the other teams...waterwood team would have been more competitive... Last sunday it was agreed upon that there will be a long ride today Sept 18. However ..a typhoon had brought rains to entire Luzon area (including bulacan for over 5 consecutive days since monday...so nobody had really rode the entire week!)

By friday .. engr rolly cruz calls me up over the celphone and tells me...if sun shines on saturday...post a map of waterwood base camp location over the email and invite anybody who wants to ride the long ride with us.

The sun did shine on saturday...so i called up best buddy jojo cardenas for us to do 1 hour ride inside waterwood to loosen up.

Come sunday morning ...i got a call from teammate Richard Uy...he says Shintaro Valdez and Kaye Lopez is with him and wants to ride...Dondie says he picked up Alaska strongman Raul Luminario together with Moises Zaplan and they too want to ride...I panicked and called up my lieutenant super domestique Rommel Punongbayan and 2nd lieutenant Ryan Balangon...just in case i get dropped...these guys get Free lunch just to bridge me over the peloton....in case i get dropped.

By 6:30am engr rolly cruz calls me up saying the assigned driver for sag vehicle couldnt make it. i say i got to turn back and hire the services of the father of my 2nd lieutenant Ryan Balangon ...because waterwood never makes a long distance road trip without a team vehicle.

We arrived at the waterwood base camp by 7:30...as soon as we arrived...everybody heads out of base camp and our ride is underway. 20 riders headcount. ...i say to our team waterwood regulars...now is the chance for you to feel how it is to join Masters cup...because with all the invited guests this looks like a mini masters cup race in the works...

The speed picks up immediately..because no beginners were in sight...everyone has gotten the itch to pull harder...because there was very wet weather for the entire week....so our bente bente long slow ride picks up speed to 40kph by the first 10kilometers and me and my domestiques breaks off the peloton and soon out of breath from chasing...by 15kilometer mark...jonathan eugenio...

former track star...now waterwood head coach becomes first casualty as he got broken chain and so gets to ride team sag wagon...by 25 kilometers Richard uy gets a flat...everone is delighted and everyone stops for the short rest.

After Richard repairs his flat speed picks up again and i am yoyoing at the back...clearly in trouble. Guest Rider Alaska strongman Raul Luminario was setting a 38 to 40 kph speed up front. my super domestiques attack to break up the pace...Raul chases and as soon as he settles at the back of my 1st and 2nd lietenant i attacked...textbook style. Raul gets caught flatfooted then mounts a chase...together we ride breakaway style....until im out of breath...Richard uy leads out the peloton and catches us and from then on...Richard and Raul took turns to pull and a gap forms again...

3 to 4 waterwood riders couldnt catch their breaths...got left behind...my 2nd lietenant ryan balangon suffers a puncture by 40kms mark...out of the running...i called out my first lieutenant to start pulling up front ...he says "" sorry boss...am cramping..."" waterwood regular Sonny Pantua suffers broken spokes and gets a lift...luckily as per plan by 45kilometers mark...we slowed down and had breakfast at Jolibee Gapan Nueva Ecija. Jonathan Eugenio fixes his chain and sonny pantua skipped breakfast to replace his broken spoke so they could ride the return trip home.

After breakfast...we are at it again...the group is really going too fast over the straight and open roads of Gapan going to San Luis...slowing down only in the town markets due to traffic.....and also on rough road patches.

There is still 60kilometers of open road again...at one point...waterwood regulars gets red in the face...a gap had been formed and it was Team David's Salon beauty Kaye Lopez who goes up front and pulls the chase group... amidst shouting by bystanders....a lady pulling 12 guys at the back?

As soon as the bridge had been gapped the peloton rides again at 38 to 40kph being pulled by raul luminario and richard uy again...

My super domestique rommel punongbayan rides up to me and says...""boss you better stick it out in the middle of the peloton...because im breaking away by last 20kilometers to the finish...then you can follow me.""

(The pull was so hard....the ""breaking away idea"" never materializes because by 90kms mark my super domestique rommel gets double cramps and had to ride team sag wagon).

By 80kilometers mark near Candaba....my group got gapped when we have to chase guest rider Moises Zaplan when he failed to go right turn and got lost......together with millionaire Dondie Azarcon, Moises Zaplan, boss Dodong, and domestique Rommel we tried to swap pulls to close our gap...unfortunately by 90kms mark Dondie Azarcon runs over a pothole and suffers rear end flat...game over for him and he gets to ride sag wagon....Boss Dodong and my domestique rommel punongbayan also suffers cramps and rides sag wagon...by 90kilometers mark.

So im left with 10.5kms to ride with Pldt guest rider Moises Zaplan swapping pulls until we reach Waterwood Base Camp 107kms....we were very happy to finish the 107kms...

Everyone was very happy...im very impressed with team manager Engr Rolly Cruz and Jojo Cardenas and Michael Miranda and Richard Uy...and also our guest riders Shintaro and Kaye...Moises Zaplan of Pldt ...that Alaska strongman Raul Luminario...wont you consider applying for Team Waterwood? hahaha

Richard, Shintaro and kaye have to go home early...as for us...its chowtime...so we went to the Bulalo Republic...bulalo specialty house near waterwood and had lunch and great story telling again...

For those who missed this ride....waterwood announces we will be riding alabang by daang hari to tagaytay via amadeo next sunday...in case you want to ride with us...we will be very happy...friendly style racing only...

We look forward to riding with you again soon...

Thanks so much to our guest riders who found time to join our once in a blue moon 100kms training ride.

See you again soon