Elite foreign, Phl riders clash in P1.5M Le Tour

MANILA, Philippines - The second edition of the Le Tour De Filipina unfolds April 16-19 with the country’s premier riders again testing their mettle against experienced foreign bets in the UCI-sanctioned road race offering a cash pot of P1.5 million.

Irish rider David McCann, riding for the Taiwan-based Giant Kenda team, will be back to defend the overall individual title, leading a sterling cast that includes veteran international riders from South Africa, Singapore, Mongolia, The Netherlands, Iran, Japan and Malaysia.

Riders from Azad University in Iran, considered the toughest in Asia at the moment, are tipped to give McCann a tough challenge in his title-retention bid.

Singapore’s OCBC, Mongolia’s Snow Leopard, The Netherlands’ CCN Sportwear Colossi, Japan’s Bridgestone-Anchor and Malaysia’s Perengganu and Le Tua are the other international teams.

Lucien Lloyd Reynante, who placed second behind McCann last year, banners the local bets that include former tour champions Joel Calderon, Arnel Quirimit and Santi Barnachea.

Reynante rides for the 7-Eleven team, Calderon for Road Bike Philippines, Quirimit for Air21 and Barnachea for Wow Magic Sing.

Each team is allowed five cyclists and three support personnel.

Smart, American Vinyl/LPGMA and Camarines Sur are other local teams which have confirmed participation in the four-day race starting with the Roxas Blvd. criterium race on April 16 followed by the Balanga, Bataan to Iba, Zambales Stage Two, the Iba to Lingayen, Pangasinan Stage Three then the Lingayen to Baguio Final Stage.

The entourage will be ferried from Manila to Orion, Bataan for the second stage.

The riders run a total distance of 506.90 kilometers in the event which adopts the theme “Save the Seas” in keeping with the worldwide consciousness effort to promote environment protection.

KIA Motors is the major presentor with Smart PLDT, Airfreight 2100 and the Lucio Tan Group of Companies led by Tanduay also backing the event running through the coastal areas in the western to northern provinces of Luzon.

“To make the event exciting, we bring the riders to this route that we feel would produce worthy champion,” said Gary Cayton of the organizing Dynamic Outsource Solutions Inc. (DOSI).

DOSI, which is under the Lina Group of Companies, enjoys the distinction of being the only organization authorized by the Union Cycliste International to organize and manage UCI-sanctioned cycling events in the Philippines.

The 2011 Le Tour De Filipinas had its official media launch at the Manila Pavilion yesterday attended by LGC chairman Bert Lina and Philcycling president and Antipolo Mayor Bambol Tolentino among others.