More than a Decade of the TnF

I met Frank Gatdula back in 1999 after he was referred to me by the now defunct ASP Cyclehaus in Sanciangco. A native of Compostela now living in northern California, he was back home and looking for a road community here.

To make a long story short, this January would be the 11th time, out of the past 12 years, that he has spent his January here with the Cebu cycling community. The only time he missed coming home was last year, the year he and his gracious wife, Salome, went to Europe for their Silver wedding anniversary. Still, the bicycle road race that bears his name, the Tour ni Frank, was a go, even if he was not here. This year’s edition will be on the 23rd and 24th of this month.

Since he first came here, Frank has been lending his generous hand to local cyclists- those who need financial backing to make it to the big time or those who need a jersey here or a derailleur there. Most of the time, those he has helped have disappoint Frank and he would swear he’s never coming back but as January approaches, he would start the countdown of the days to the next TnF.

The TnF is probably the longest uninterrupted annual bicycle road race south of Manila. The race doesn’t have the ambience of the executive or professional racing but the TnF certainly has a recipe it can call its own.

A dozen years of putting a bicycle race is nothing to sneeze at. In these times, it would be foolhardy, yet Frank’s love of the sport speaks through the TnF.

Here’s to another dozen years!!!

SKY’s the limit?

There’s a new professional team in the European racing horizon, Team SKY. Team SKY is a British based cycling team and made up mostly of British riders and sponsored by the BSkyB, or British Sky Broadcasting, a subscription TV service in the UK and Ireland. BSB is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

There have been a lot of British professional cycling teams before but this is the first time that a local team has this much financial backing and the first time that a local team has been given this status so fast.

The aim of SKY is for a Brit to win the Tour de France in the next five years (similar to what Bert Lina said when he took over Philcycling a decade ago but never came close to seriously achieving it). It is an ambitious plan alright, even with Bradley Wiggins, the 3rd runner-up in this year’s TdF, as its team captain. SKY had poached Wiggings from the US team, GARMIN-CHIPOTLE.

I don’t think Wiggins or any current British pro can win the TdF in the next 5 years or even in the next decade but SKY’s support of cycling is a good start. Remember that London will be hosting the next summer Olympics on 2012.

Britain tops in the world when it comes to track cycling but has never been able to translate its velodrome experience to the more popular and lucrative road racing scene in Europe.

Lets hope that a black cloud won’t follow SKY!!!

RACE RESULTS January 9, 2010 MANDAUE RECLAMATION AREA

CAT C: 1- LITO QUEBEC, 2- TONY CODINA, 3- HYDE ESMALIN

CAT B: 1- BOY PAGNANAWON, 2- OME RODRIGUEZ, 3- ROGER LASTOMOSO, 4- RICKY ERMITANIO, 5- NILO BARBALOSE. – THE FREEMAN