Coming full circle

The 2011 Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival had a deeper, personal meaning to me than any other race. When I joined the TLBF back 2006, actually my third engagement, the event was still held in Ormoc. Back then, I could feel that there was something was wrong with my body as it wasn’t recuperating like it to used to but I just disregarded it and blamed it all on overtraining.

During the race, I was always at the tail end, struggling to just hang on in spite of the preparations I had made for the race. Instead of racing at the first half of the pack, I was riding with the “laughing group”, a professional cycling vernacular that meant ‘a group just trying to make the time cut’. It was only a few days after the event that Dr. Gorgonia Panilagao told me that I had a thyroid condition.

The next 18 months were the most depressing time of my life. I couldn’t physically ride and while I lost my appetite to get back on the saddle, I made a promise to myself that I will race in the TLBF again come hell or high water! Reaching the TLBF, I knew I had to take little steps, the Rekla races first and then the road races in the north. The second to last test was to ride across the Trans Central Highway. I had ridden the TCH a week before the 2006 TLBF without getting off the saddle, which was another personal best and I vowed that I was going to conquer this mountain again even if I had to crawl to do it. Well, I did it three times since, and even though I walked in all of the three editions, I was pretty proud of myself for finishing the last two.

The TLBF was the last test. The event was coming back to Ormoc after being held in Subic for the past few editions and the timing was just right. Nothing would hold me back from joining and finishing the race. Even though IDNF’d on the 151km stage II (Ormoc-Mahaplag-Ormoc), it was more of fatigue and length of the route than anything else. So even though I’m still not a hundred percent, I consider myself well. Thanks to the TLBF, I’m back!

Finally, the guy who gave Ramon Espinosa, the 2011 Tour de Larrazabal champion, nightmares during the race was a Kiwi named David Carruthers, a physically handicapped individual who is 80% deaf. Sponsored by hearing aid manufacturer HANSATON, he’s not only a gifted athlete but also has multiple degrees from the Otago University in New Zealand……It seems everybody is hitching themselves to the Azkals bandwagon these days. But folks, hold on to your horses! The Azkals may have won the hearts of our young lasses because of their looks but as far as I’m concerned, they haven’t anything yet. Bangladesh, whom they “thrashed”, isn’t exactly a power in football even in the Asian region. And getting beat by a Mongolian team that’s hardly Man U doesn’t get me excited one bit.The Azkals are more of a potential rather than a team for the here and now. However, I’m hoping that they will do good in the WC qualifier. And maybe I will auto-convert.