Camsur Tour, richest PH bikefest is born

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I WAS just a little kid when the first professional multi-staged bicycle race was held. It was called the Tour of Luzon (ToL). That was in summer 1956. The bikefest was won by Sta. Rosa, Laguna marquee rider Antonio Arzala. Probably because of my Spanish-gene connection, I was enticed to ride the two-wheeled transport and eventually joined the fabled bikathon in 1964, placing only 18th overall as an amateur. The following year I turned pro with ideal prizes at stake, winning three stages and finally bagged the first runner-up plum. And the rest is history.

PICCA Tour, Marlboro Tour, Tour ng Pilipinas, Padyak Pinoy and the latest big race called “Le Tour de Filipinas” followed with huge prizes up for grabs, and the biggest of them all was the 1997 and 1998 Union Cycliste Internationale-sanctioned 17-day Marlboro Tour. Foreign competitors, lured by the huge prizes at stake, joined like teams from South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia to name a few. The stage winner collected P25,000 everyday and down to 20th place there was a P1,000 prize for every stage. Overall champion grabbed P500,000 while the team reward was worth P1 million. That was the biggest in the 1990’s.

When the Marlboro Tour was discontinued, largely because of the country’s deteriorating economy, the prizes of the succeeding multi-staged bikathons dwindled tremendously — by at least 60% — much to the despair of our Filipino riders. Foreign riders also withdrew. The prizes, meager as they were, were accepted by our local cyclists because they had no choice, and they continue to participate until now just to earn a few bucks, in pursuit of their passion, and the chance to be a member of the PH squad.

But recently, there has been a positive development in the cycling front.

Last May 11-19, a bikefest was born called “Camsur Tour”, organized by Camarines Sur Governor Erley Villafuerte and supported by SM Super Malls. Huge prizes were at stake, surpassing the 1997-1998 Marlboro Tour, which was won by Tabaco, Albay-born and Mapandan son-in-law Irish Valenzuela. Second place went to Asingan standout Baler Ravina. They won the top two prizes worth P500,000 and P300,000, respectively.

Not only that, unlike the other PH big races, the stage prize was worth P50,000 per day, twice the amount of the Marlboro Tour and all the top 20 finishers also received ideal cash prizes for each day. And again unlike the Marlboro Tour, the top three riders in the ‘King of the Mountain, King of Sprint, and the Best Young Rider’ plums received an amazing P50,000, P30,000, and P20,000, respectively in each of these three categories. Marlboro Tour only gave prizes for the top rider, each in these three divisions.

My reliable source, Ric Rodriguez, a veteran of many international races as a coach of Jazy Sportswear and the 7-Eleven team, said the little-publicized Camsur Tour will be staged again next year with a whopping amount of P4.7 million in cash prizes and Gov. Villafuerte will be at the helm anew.

Mabuhay po kayo sir and thanks for helping our poor Filipino cyclists. Sana ipagpatuloy ninyo palagi ang inyong dakilang advocacy.

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The Stradcom Cycling Cup which I wrote about here last week will definitely be held on June 19. According to Jun Velasco, the chief organizer of the event, the bikefest will be sponsored by the Bayambang 400th Year Anniversary Foundation executive committee, Royal Mall, and CSFirst Bank, Inc. with well-known businessman and philanthropist Cesar T. Quiambao at the rudder. I want to clarify that the event, which will start and finish in Bayambang, will have two categories: the pros and the amateurs with different prizes amounting to P104,000. It will traverse key places of central and western Pangasinan up to Alaminos City with an approximate distance of 155 kilometers, not 210 kilometers as I first reported. Starting time is 10:00 a.m. See you there.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” JOHN 3: 35-36.

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