Frankie

Honestly, I have lost count of the number of editions the Tour ni Frank (TnF) has been held but what I remember is that Frank Gatdula, a Social Worker from Sacramento, California and originally from Compostela, Cebu, came here in 1999 basically looking for a race and cyclists to support.

The now defunct ASP Cyclehaus was the center of the cycling universe here in the city back then and Frank, who just arrived from Iloilo, went there to ask for information. He was then directed by Sammy Sy, ASP’s manager at the time, to my office, which was just a stone throws away. I was very active back then in the local racing scene, both as a competitor and an organizer. From that point on, Frankie became one of us and through good times and bad times, the TnF didn’t miss a beat.

2013 is the 15th consecutive time that the TnF has been held and it is the longest running executive cycling event in the country today. The TnF is even older than the Tour of Matabunkay! The event will be held this weekend, at 7Am, with crit at the MandaueRekla this Saturday and  then the dreaded Transcentral Highway on Sunday.

The great thing about the TnF is that it has survived without a major sponsor and without any government help. Funding comes from the pockets of Frank and from various cyclist enthusiasts who just want to join a good event and who want to see it flourish. Clearly, a tight budget is not a hindrance to building a great event and the TnFwas able to invite cyclists not only from all over the country but all over the world.

While I want to see the TnF as a marquee event in the future, I want it to remain true to its roots - friendly and accommodating to everybody who love to race bikes. In the meantime, let’s support the TnF by showing up along the venues!

Super Bowl

For the past few years, I have been lamenting the death of the National Football League on local cable TV despite the growing popularity of flag football. I wrote then that I couldn’t understand why such a very popular game was removed from regular TV and replaced with cheering contests and other parlor games!

 But a week ago, as I was surfing through the TV channels, testing our defective remote control, I came upon a premium channel (blacked out, of course) that showed an NFL schedule.

I immediately called up Sky cable and ask about it and it turned out that ASN Channel (311) has been carrying at least five games each week. Well, it was like manna from heaven for me because it was just in time for the last weekend games of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. So, for Php300.00, I’ll be able to see all 2013 playoff games including the biggest sporting event (at least to the USA fans), the Super Bowl!

Finally, I hope we will all have a generally peaceful 2013 ahead of us, especially with the elections this summer……I’m glad that the RH Bill is finally a law, ending all arguments, some seriously silly, once and for all.