2023 Tour of Matabungkay:  the hardest edition that I joined

CEBU, Philippines —  I haven’t written anything the past 2-3 weeks because I’ve been to a lot of places to race my bike. Three weeks after the 2-day road race in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, The Mayor Eric Melleana Cycling Championship, I proceeded to Lian, Batangas for my 4th Tour of Matabungkay.

In case you don’t know about the ToM, it’s the most prestigious stage race in the Philippines for non-professionals. There is no prize money but the organizers, led by Archt Quinn Baterna, always puts up a great event. And this 2023 edition didn’t disappoint.

This stage race consists of an ITT and 3 road races, which include a 20km climb to Batulao and a 20km descent to Tuy. I’m not really a Jonas Vingegaard as a climber nor I am like Peter Sagan going down. I know there will be a lot of suffering after stage 1.

If I was to get a good result, the best stage would be the ITT. Thirty-three kilometers of flats and a few short climbs along the way, it was my best chance to get a result. I don’t have a TT specific bike and even if I had, I wouldn’t take it with me. Instead, I flipped my stem, moved the handlebar higher and installed a generic aerobat I got from lazada.

But just who was my competition? Just like last year, there was Bernard Llentada, the 1993 Marlboro Tour Champion who was the defending champion in our 50yo+ category. Then new this year, his first time, was Rene Dolosa, a double Marlboro Tour champion, 1992 and 1995.

While Dolosa was a bit chubby, you can never rule out his experience, and it showed as he finished 4th overall in the GC.

For me, I had the best TT in my life. I finished the course in 57min for an average of 34kph. But my time was a far cry from the winner, Llentada who won in 50 minutes. I was at 14th out of 21st starters.

The second stage started with a downpour and ended in the dark, as  far as I was concerned. At the start of the 20km climb, I was a few minutes ahead of the main group as I tried to breakaway but quickly, I was overhauled. The climb is not steep but the length will render your legs disconnected to your brain.

Stage 3 and 4 were just unforgettable. I ended at the tail-end. But considering my weight (90kg) and an age where I’m on the wrong side (excuses!!!) of 50, I knew it was going to be two very long days. There were times along the race that I wanted to quit, and it was that close to quitting.

Fortunately, I made the right decision to continue and cross the line no matter what. In the end, I was 19th place out of 20 finishers. The 20 finishers meant that only 20 riders in my cat completed the 4 stages. There were those who raced on two stages where their time didn’t count  on the overall.

Yes, I promised that would be my last ToM but who knows? Di na gyud ko mo usab, ka usa na lang!