In line with the ongoing celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines, members of the diplomatic corps and cycling enthusiasts joined in the recent Tour de Manille (Tour of Manila) cycling race at the SM by the Bay at the Mall of Asia Complex.
A joint project of the Embassy of France, together with Firefly Brigade, Inc. and SM by the Bay, the Tour de Manille aims to strengthen the common passion of French and Filipinos for cycling, and to also affirm France’s commitment to reinforcing global camaraderie through sports.
The Tour de Manille is inspired by the Tour de France, considered the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and gives mallgoers a glimpse of how biking can bring people together for good health, good friendship, as well as to help save the environment.
“The catchphrase of this Tour de Manille event should be ‘One more bike, one less car’,” Yves Zoberman, French Embassy Cultural counselor said in a press conference held at the Biker’s Café prior to the event.
Firefly Brigade, Inc. President Jack Yabut shared his group’s advocacy to promote bicycle riding for clean air and sustainable transportation. “Bicycling is a very economical way to travel. It answers congestion and promotes mobility,” he said.
Yabut also mentioned cycling’s health benefits: helping in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system and improving one’s physical condition
The Tour de Manille covered a five-kilometer route for different categories including a Fun Ride and Chase for everyone; as well as Competitive Races for more advanced bikers. The latter included the Sportive Class for Men, Sportive Class for Women, and Le Grand Spectacle Elite Pro-Class.
Rustom Lim of Team 7-Eleven Road Bike Philippines won the Le Grand Spectacle Elite Pro-Class category. RJ Peralta, also from Team 7-Eleven, and Ronnel Hualda of Team Go for Gold placed second and third, respectively.
In the Sportive Class for Men category, Niño Jazul of Team Excellent Noodles placed first, followed by Julius delos Reyes of Team Standard Insurance in second place and Juan Carlos Barrios of Team Spacool in third place.
Professional women cyclists Avegail Rombaon and Marella Salamat, both from the Philippine National Team Corratec Pilipinas bagged first and second places respectively in the Sportive Class for Women category. Melissa Jane Haroda of Team Philippine Air Force finished third.
The riders received the symbolic Medallion Rouge (Red Medal) for courage, inspired by the Tour de France where they award the Red Number for the most aggressive rider, while the top three winners in each category received medals and cash prizes.
French Ambassador Thierry Mathou flagged the Le Grand Spectacle Elite Pro-Class category of the Tour de Manille. He was joined by Yabut, French Embassy Audiovisual Attaché Martin Macalintal, and Firefly Brigade Consulting Race Director and 7-Eleven-Road Bike Philippines Team Director Ric Rodriguez.
The Tour de Manille is part of “PhilFrance: Feel French!” a yearlong festival to celebrate 70 years of friendship between France and the Philippines.
Bikers’ Café, Bike Town Cyclery, DataOne Asia, Peugeot Philippines, Seafood Island, Shimano, SM by the Bay, and 7-Eleven supported the event. Other partners included ABS-CBN News Channel, L’Officiel Manila, Manilascope, Rogue Magazine, and Solar Sports.
The first edition of the Tour de Manille is one of the many exciting cultural events at SM.