Do I know Pangasinan’s cycling history?
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
SOME weeks ago I was asked by some local media colleagues if I really know the history of Pangasinan cycling by just being a former cyclist and as an active sports writer of this paper.
Of course, they know I do know but perhaps they wondered whether I have the facts in my head. Naturally, I said “yes” particularly the significant events and personalities that made Pangasinan, the capital of Philippine cycling. It is my sport.
I started regaling them about the very first national multi-stage cycling event staged in 1955. It was the four-day Manila-Vigan-Manila bikathon that was organized and directed by our province mate, the Bayambang-born the late Atty. Geruncio Lacuesta. It was won by Sta. Rosa, Laguna-son, the late Antonio Arzala. After that successful staging of this first race, Lacuesta did not have to think twice about holding another one the following year (1956) and branded it “Tour of Luzon,” a seven-day bikefest won by Arzala again to become the first ever back-to-back champion in multi-stage road racing. And then there was our provincemate Rufino Gabot of Manaoag who bagged the first runner-up plum, and went on to seize the 1957 championship tiara.
Pangasinan duplicated its supremacy in this two-wheeled event when the late Mamerto Eden of Mapandan wrested the 1958 edition. I was still a mere teenager during that time but I followed the minute-for-minute radio coverage of that summer event, and daily newspapers coverage each following day. And because of the successful daring feats of Gabot and Eden, “Tour of Luzon” earned thousands of fans among our province mates. In fact some of our then national sports scribes, described the annual Tour of Luzon as the number one favorite sport during summer time and called our province as “cradle of Philippine cycling” because of the many rising cycling stars.
I told them that before I captured the sports’ prestigious diadem in 1973, I also won the first runner-up plum twice (1965 and 1967), and also won the 1977 championship. All these races were organized and directed by Lacuesta. I pointed out to them that after Gabot and Eden’s conquests, there were 18 other Pangasinenses who won the national Tour’s tiaras, namely: Edmundo de Guzman of Lingayen (1962), Gonzalo Recodos of Manaoag (1963, Jesus Garcia of Mangaldan (1973) and twice in 1977 – Tour of PICCA and Marlboro Tour; Teodorico Rimarim of Basista (1974), two national Tours were held in 1975; Tour of PICCA won by Samson Carino of Mangaldan and Tour of Luzon won by Samson Etrata of Binalonan, then Modesto Bonzo of Sual (1976), Jacinto Sicam of San Manuel (1981-1982), Romeo Bonzo of Sual (1983), Ruben Carino of Mangaldan (1984), Pepito Calip (1985), Bernardo Llentada of San Nicolas (1991), Reynaldo Navarro of San Jacinto (2000), Wlfredo Calosa of San Jacinto (2001), Santy Barnachea of Umingan (2002, 2006, 2011, 2015), Arnel Quirimit of Pozorrubio (2003); there were two national Tours in 2018, the Le Tour de Filipinas won by El Joshua Carino of Mangaldan and Ronda Pilipinas won by Ronald Oranza of Villasis.
That’s a total of 20 Pangasinenses who made waves in competitive cycling. Testing my memory further, my media colleagues then asked me for names of Pangasinan riders who won the first runner-up plums. We had Ignacio Jacinto (1957) and Virgilio Delin (1964) both from Manaoag, Narciso Tullo, Jr. of Binalonan (1969), Cesar Catambay of Mangaldan (1973, 1974, 1983), Tranquilino de Vera of Tayug (1979), Fermin Zabala of Bautista (1981), and Gonzalo Espiritu of San Manuel (1992).
Having heard me remember the names of our Pangasinan cycling greats who gave multiple honors to our province, they nodded in appreciation. I hope you, too, my dear readers, are pleased with it.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: ‘For nation will rise aginst nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. “All these are the beginning of sorrows. MATTHEW 24: 7-8
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