Pangasinan’s longest and biggest

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

FIRST, I have to thank the Lord for hearing our prayers not to pour rains during the 2007 PD Cycling Challenge last Sunday. As I said last week, a bicycle road race with rains, especially with gusty winds, will surely endanger the life of every contestant and will affect the success of the affair. Thank God, it turned out to be a sunny day and not even sporadic rains were felt the whole day.

The one-day bikefest organized by the province police office headed by our provincial director, lawyer, Senior Superintendent Isagani R. Nerez, was originally distanced at 212 kilometers. But because of the huge amount of prizes at stake and the smooth terrain that will be passed by the cyclists, we, the organizers, initiated by Superintendents Ric Tamayo and Polly Cayabyab, decided to extend the length of the event to level it with the prizes up for grabs based on the local cycling rule. The participants, especially the ‘big guns’, did not bother to complain knowing what is in the book.

Prior to my cycling heyday-I believe at age 11-I’d been an avid follower of this two-wheeled event known before as the “Tour of Luzon.” And I was never told nor ever came to know about a one day race in Pangasinan that exceeded more than 250 kilometers. But it happened last Sunday. History was made. For the first time in Pangasinan road racing, a 268-kilometer lung-busting and grueling race was held, and 46 out of 75 contestants survived. (See related story on this page).

The race started across the capitol building in Lingayen with the town’s dad, Ramon Bataoil, assisted by Lingayen hizzoner Jonas Castaneda and Dagupan City Rotary Club president Rudy Ramos flagging off the pedal pushers at exactly 9:30 a.m.

Save for the one untoward incident that happened in the town of Bugallon, it was a perfect race. Two stray dogs coming from nowhere suddenly crossed the path of the second wave of five riders composed of seven-time Tour sprint king Enrique Domingo, 2006 Padyak Pinoy king Santy Barnachea, this year’s Padyak Pinoy first runner-up Baler Ravina and promising cyclists Emil Pablo and Pepito Calosa.

Calosa and Pablo, unfortunately, ran-over the two animals that caused them bad spills and a lot of precious time. Domingo, Barnachea and Ravina were unscathed.

Receiving contusions and concussions in some parts of their bodies, the duo were not able to recover, but survived the race, good for P500 each.

Despite the length of the route, the road spectacle was the most well-attended that I had   directed especially in the towns of Sta. Barbara, Malasiqui, Basista, Mangatarem, Aguilar, Bugallon, Sual, Alaminos City, Bani, the turning-point Anda and, of course, Lingayen where the finish line was located in front of the PNP building.

The finishers were pleasantly met by the town’s chief executive Castañeda and aldermen Bataoil and Eddie Ferrer and they also handed the prizes, trophies and medals assisted by Colonels Nerez, Tamayo, Cayabyab, Lomibao, Captains Ferdinand de Asis and Mona Lisa Asis.

At the awarding ceremonies, Castaneda and Nerez thanked the participants, sponsors, the organizers and the PNP men along the route, saying that without their big help, the occasion would not have been very successful.

The road battle last Sunday was my 136th under my directorship in Pangasinan and nearby provinces. And it will be memorable to me and to the participants because it was the longest, the biggest in prizes and the most strenuous bikefest I’ve ever done in the province. In short, “there’s always a first time”, as the saying goes. At least it can be said that our future champions and flag carriers in this game are now battle-tested in this kind of magnitude.

Kudos to Sr. Supt.. Nerez and his colleagues for a job well-done.

Mabuhay kayo at sana’y  mayroon  pa uli next year, Sirs.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/)

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