PhilCycling national trial for road gets going this weekend
TOP road cyclists in the country gather at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga on Saturday, July 10, for the national trials of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling).
The elite riders will vie for spots in the national team which will see action in the Asian Road Cycling Championships in August in Thailand, and the 31st Southeast Asian Games in November in Vietnam.
A total of 111 cyclists — 98 men and 13 women — are registered to compete in the two-day event.
The women’s 17.1-km individual time trial (ITT) kicks things off at 8:30 a.m., followed immediately by the men’s 24.6-km ITT.
The men’s and women’s criterium will follow at midday at the Clark Parade Grounds.
The road races on an out-and-back course — 98.40 kms for women and 147.60 kms for men — are scheduled on Sunday, July 11.
PhilCycling officials, headed by its federation’s president Abraham Tolentino, and executives of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Clark Development Corp. (CDC) are expected to see the national trials off.
The national trials are being staged under a “bubble” setup in close coordination with BCDA and CDC and the Central Luzon Regional Task Force, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Health, Philippine National Police, Province of Pampanga and the Department of Tourism.
It is presented by Standard Insurance, Smart, MVP Sports Foundation, and supported by Go for Gold, Chooks-to-Go, GAC Motor, Gatorade, Versa, 7-Eleven, Le Tour de Filipinas, 7-Eleven, UBE Express, Inc., Powerade, Wilkins, Coca-Cola, Shimano, Bike-X and MadCrank. —