The PhilCycling National Championships for Road returns after a two-year hiatus from June 21 to 24 with Tagaytay City as main hub, according to Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
“With the pandemic restrictions eased, it’s high time we brought the National Championships back on the road,” Tolentino said. “We scrapped the races in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and last year, we could only stage the National Trials under a strictly-controlled environment in Clark.”
The national championships—co-presented by Standard Insurance and the MVP Sports Foundation and supported by the POC, Philippine Sports Commission, Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino, Eighth District of Cavite and Province of Cavite—will feature races in road, individual time trial and criterium for men and women elite, under-23, juniors (17-18) and youth (16-under).
Registration is ongoing online via the PhilCycling Facebook page.
Participants will be screened and determined based on their skill set as the national championships demand only riders who are potentials for the national team. The final roster of participants will be announced on June 17.
The top five riders in the road races, top three in criterium and top two in the ITT will be named to the national team for the period July 1 to December 31, 2022. The next sets of finishers will be considered for the national pool.
The races are also supported by the First District of Batangas as well as the municipalities of Laurel, Agoncillo and Talisay and the local Philippine National Police commands.
A team time trial race could also be included in the competition program depending on the number of recognized and legitimate cycling teams which will register for the races.
The routes and distances for the juniors and youth road events will also be determined at the close of registration period.
The races are—criterium for men and women 2.10 kms circuit (start-finish Praying Hands, perimeter road around Tagaytay City Hall and Tagaytay International Convention Center) on June 21, ITT for women 20.36 kms and men 30.30 kms from Nasugbu to Praying Hands Monument (Isaac Tolentino Avenue, Tagaytay City) on June 22, road for women 114.41 kms start-finish at Praying Hands via Payapa Road on June 23 and road for men 137.43 kms start-finish Praying Hands via Sungay Road (Talisay) on June 24.
The elite (with under-23 races incorporated) will be flagged off in the morning while the competitions for juniors and youth will be raced in the afternoon.
The PhilCycling will also hold national championships for mountain bike in Danao City (Cebu) from June 10 to 12 and BMX at the Tagaytay City UCI BMX Track on June 25 and 26.
