LPGMA Tour kicks off; focus on foreign teams

MANILA, Philippines - Four foreign teams aim to conquer the road and provide local cycling a challenge not seen in more than a decade when the 2010 LPGMA Tour of Luzon fires off today on Macapagal Highway.

Kelly Benefit Strategies of the United States, South Africa’s EMG, Champion System of Hong Kong and CNN-Collosi, a fusion of some of the most competitive riders from New Zealand and the Netherlands, are out to steal the show in the nine-day race.

Despite the international flavor, the six homegrown teams remained optimistic with team captains Irish Valenzuela of American Vinyl, Joel Calderon of Smart and Batang Tagaytay’s Alfredo Asuncion claiming that they’re up to task.

Even Albert Primero of partylist group Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association (LPGMA), prime real estate developer GeoEstate/The Beacon’s Warren Davadilla and Arnel Quirimit of world-renowned LPG producer Liquigaz are not in the mood to budge.

Every team has six cyclists each and all 60 riders will go for the main prize – the general classification championship – and other special awards they could pick up along the way.

Burlington, the official socks of the Tour, has offered to reward the sprint king, king of the mountain and the top rookie, among others, starting with today’s 87-kilometer massed start criterium on Macapagal.

Stage Two on Daang Hari, Cavite presents a novelty in the country’s summer spectacle.

For the first time, LPGMA president Arnel Ty said the Tour will have an individual time trial (ITT) specifically designed to test the speed and power of the riders on a velocity-crazed 12km course.

``What makes it really exciting is the fact that there’s no time to pace oneself, forcing all the riders to give their all,’’ said Ty.

Nuvali, cyclo tourism’s prime destination in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, will be the next stop of the multi-stage race before moving up North in Clark with another criterium on Day 4.

The next stages will test the skill, shrewdness and endurance of the cyclists with three consecutive point-to-point massed start races from Subic Freeport Bay sprinkled with moderate climbs.

Subic will also host Stage 8, a circuit contest by the sea 84 kilometers in distance before the Tour takes a final turn at the Ayala Triangle (Stage 9) in Makati City.

Reid Mumford will skipper for Kelly Benefit Strategies, the third best cycling club in the US after Radio Shack and Garmin. Mumford has a feisty support cast composed of David Veilleux, Guy East, Ryan Anderson, Jesse Anthony and Cheyne Hoag.

The team-up of CCN and Collosi considers Kelly Benefit as the biggest thorn on race, prompting Lex Nederlof, Thomas Ashley, Daniel Carruthers Cassistan, Michael Naylor and Felix Rohrach to pool their resources.

South Africa’s EMG will lean heavily on James Perry and Dennis Van Nickalk while Champion System of HK parades a young and yet talent-laden squad led by Chau Wai Man and Chau Dor Ming.

It marks the first time the Tour goes international more than a decade after the multi-stage competition included foreign teams in the late 90s.