Another
turn of the year has passed. This is usually the time to look back at some of
the major events that happened in the past 365 days. Hence, the multitude of
year-end TV specials that air around this time. Being a well-traveled person, my
journeys have allowed me to experience cycling in some of the most beautiful
places to bike in the country. Here are my top cycling experiences of 2016:
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| February: Biking in Legazpi |
Recently,
I’ve taken up the practice of traveling alone to some far-off destination in
the country. This started in 2015 when I backpacked through Negros Island and
Siquijor. Having saved enough money this year, I set my sights on visiting Legazpi City in Albay to see Mayon Volcano.
And just like what I did in Siquijor, I also took the opportunity to experience
biking in this new destination.
Luckily,
Legazpi City has some of the best bike infrastructures I’ve seen in the
country, with bike lanes along Legazpi Boulevard and other major streets. There
is also a bike shop, Motoragon Bike Shop
and Bike Tours, that offers affordable bike rentals. When I visited the
shop, it so happened that my celebrity idol, Rovilson Fernandez, was also taking a bike tour with the shop owner
for his Malaysian travel show. The shop let me borrow a folding bike, which I
used to go around the city looking for fancy restaurants and cool sights and
activities. It was exhilarating biking around the city at night. By 9 p.m., the
streets were literally deserted with very few vehicles on the road. If only it
didn’t rain that hard on my second day there, I would’ve enjoyed the experience
even more.
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| May: Giro di Luca in Bohol |
When
I first heard from my company that they’re sending me to Bohol for the annual
Giro di Luca cycling event, I thought I died and went to bike heaven. After
all, it’s quite out of this world for your company to send you and your bike to
one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines just to bike!
Giro
di Luca is an annual cycling event in Bohol that’s been going on for the last
four years. It was established by veteran cyclist Gianluca Guidicelli, father
of Kapamilya star and Ford Forza Triathlon member Matteo Guidicelli. My company
sent me and my bike to the event as part of Ford’s promotional activities. They
wanted me to experience the race for myself and see how reliable Ford’s fleet
of vehicles were during the race. The three-day event covers as total of 500
kilometers in distance, which the cyclists must complete in three legs: Panglao
to Guindulman in Day 1, Panglao to Carmen in Day 2 and Panglao to Tubigon on
Day 3.
To
make the story short, Red, my humble, ₱4,000-worth bicycle, was able to ride an
airplane (in an embarrassing wraparound of box cartons) and ride with some of
the biggest names in cycling in the country and abroad (including SportsU
anchor Dyan Castillejo and Australian cycling power couple Belinda and Justin
Granger)! And while I didn’t finish the race because of the physical toll of
the distance, I saw how idyllic and picturesque it is to go around Bohol in a bicycle.
It was a whole new way of experiencing Bohol.
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| September: Pedaling to General Trias |
I’ve
always wanted to visit Cavite’s other towns and cities on a bike. In 2015, Red
and I reached Cavite City, Noveleta, Kawit, Rosario, Tanza, Ternate,
Maragondon, GMA, and Carmona, while I’ve always biked through the cities of
Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas since I was in my teens. That leaves the other
upland towns and cities of Cavite for me to visit.
Through
the wonders of Google Street View, I found a shortcut from my house to General
Trias, Cavite’s newest city. In under two hours, I reached the historic city by
passing through Patindig Araw in Imus City and Advincula Avenue in Lancaster
New City. Among the places I visited were the St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral,
the old Potente house where Andres Bonifacio once stayed, and the Vibora
Cemetery where Artemio Ricarte, a general in the 1896 Philippine Revolution was
buried. I also passed by the Alapan Flag Memorial in Imus City, where the
Philippine flag was first waved in battle in 1898 a few months before it was
officially unfurled during the Declaration of Philippine Independence in Kawit.
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| October: Uphill to Tagaytay |
Aside
from Kaybiang Tunnel in Ternate, the only other destination in Cavite that
attracts many cycling enthusiasts is Tagaytay City. The challenging uphill
terrain, combined with the city’s cool, mountain climate, makes it a magnet of
cyclists.
Initially,
I thought that biking to Tagaytay would be physically taxing for me given the
terrain and distance. But since I was able to conquer Kaybiang Tunnel and the extraneous,
mountain trail leading to it, I could make it to Tagaytay as well. My only
other fear is biking along Aguinaldo Highway, which is most dangerous
thoroughfare in the province. Again, through the wonders of Google Street View,
I was able to map a route along the inner roads of Silang, Cavite to reach the
city.
Amid
a major downpour that stranded me in Silang for an hour and despite the
difficult trail I took, I reached Tagaytay City chilly and wet in five hours.
After several obligatory photos with the Taal Lake as my backdrop, I went to
Olivarez Junction and placed Red on a bus back home. Not bad for a first-time
bike ride to the country’s second summer capital.
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| November: A Bike Tour of Intramuros |
Capping
my year of biking adventure is my Intramuros bike tour in November. I’ve always
wanted to do a bike tour of the Manila’s historic walled city and only UNESCO
World Heritage Site and document certain sights in the district that only a
bike can reach.
In
under three hours, I was able to reach Intramuros via C5 Extension, Ninoy
Aquino Avenue and Macapagal Boulevard. I visited Casa Real in Plaza San Luis,
among the few museums in Manila I have yet to visit. I also passed by the
Bambike Ecotours where I chatted with Bambike founder Bryan McClelland who showed
me around his shop. Dropping by La Monja Loca, I thought I was going to see performance
artist and tour guide Carlos Celdran, but he was on vacation. But I didn’t
forget to buy his signature bowler hat from his “Damaso!” protest at the Manila
Cathedral.
The
rest of the tour took me to the ASEAN Garden in Puerta del Parian where there
were busts of different ASEAN leaders. Red and I also biked through the
pockmarked brick alleys above the walls and took photos of some of the lesser-known
monuments in the former fortress city.
Postscript: In
2017, I hope you’ll continue to join me as I document my cycling experiences
around the country, and hopefully, in some parts of the world! Let me raise a
virtual glass and say, “Here’s to more memorable cycling experiences in the
next 365 days!” Cheers!
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