MANILA, Philippines – Placido Valdez, a veteran biker who nearly won the now defunct Marlboro Tour five times in the 1990s, and his son Gerald clinched the overall title in the first ever Tour de Cagayan.
The father-and-son tandem ruled the tough 746-kilometer race from Pasig City to Sta. Ana, Cagayan that drew the participation of an elite cast of 70 riders on May 10 to 14.
Placido Valdez, 41, a five-time runner-up in the Marlboro Tour, finally wore his green jersey in the equally exciting Tour de Cagayan, with the help of his 20-year-old son. Marlboro Tour was shelved in 1998.
The grueling five-day bikefest was organized by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) in cooperation with the Cycling Organizers Association of the Philippines (COAP).
It was a strong first and second place finish for the duo from Cabanatuan City, with the older Valdez finishing the race in 11 hours, 37 minutes and 12 seconds and Gerald only three seconds behind. Rolly Villamor clocked in at 12:30:17 for the third spot.
The Valdez tandem pulled away from the rest through an execution of attack and defense that kept the competition posed by the other 68 riders at bay.
Placido Valdez, who raced against Marlboro Tour champions Carlo Guieb, Renato Dolosa, Bernardo Llentada, and Victor Espiritu in the 1990s, started and ended the race strong, as he won the first lap as well as the fifth and final lap.
As the first champion of Tour de Cagayan, the older Valdez took home P100,000, on top of the P10,000 awarded to him for winning two lap races. His son, Gerald, also won P75,000 for his runner-up finish. Villamor was awarded P50,000. A total of P1.3 million in cash prizes were given to winners and participants.
The Valdez riders said they will use the cash for house repair as well as for new bicycles as they prepare to join other bikefests in the country. Aside from Gerald, Placido is training another son, Gilber, to be a professional rider. “Lahat ng possible competition, sasalihan namin,” said Gerald.