Manggahan paves way for ‘bike paradise’ Guimaras
ILOILO City – Guimaras may be more well- known for its sublimely sweet mangoes and the annual Manggahan Festival, but the rising interest in the island-province is also fueling a biking revolution in the popular tourist destination.
Part of the annual festival, the Manggahan Woodland Bikefest is set to kick into high gear this year with the 2017 Philippine MTB Enduro National Championship (May 20) at the Woodland Bike Park in Sitio Sablay, Sibunag; the 6th Mango Man Triathlon ( May 20), and the annual Tour de Guimaras (May 14).
Sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale and the Philippine Cycling Federation, t he national Enduro championship will see participants competing in six categories, namely: Open Men Elite, Open Women Elite, 29 and below, 30 to 39-years old, 40 and above, and the Hardtail course.
In last year’s Manggahan Open Elite hurdled Enduro race, Eleazar Barba Jr. barreled past the competition clocking in at 15:33.73 through obstacles and the rough forested terrain of their race route.
The grueling competition is one of the main events of the Manggahan Woodland Bike Festival organized by the Guimaras Bike Paradise of the Philippines organization, held jointly with the island’s annual mango-centered festivities.
Aiming to lift Guimaras to becoming a rising “bike paradise” in the Philippines, the organizers of the events wish to expand the tourism image of the island-province to include more outdoor sports and adventure seeking.