Filipino riders chase berths in Tour de France

MANILA, Philippines - In a bold bid to crash the Tour de France, eight Filipino cyclists within the age range of 19 to 23 will train eight months of the year abroad and work their way to qualify for the world’s most prestigious bike race by 2020.

It’s an ambitious goal but LBC sports development executive director Javy Mantecon said yesterday with the Filipino’s size and physique, there’s no reason why he can’t be another Lance Armstrong.

“We’re looking to create Filipino sports heroes in cycling like Manny Pacquiao in boxing,” said Mantecon. “We’ve got the Azkals, the Volcanoes, Smart Gilas and Manny. Now, it’s time to find a cycling hero. We’re starting with a pool of eight riders and every year as we stage the nationwide Ronda Pilipinas, we’ll bring in more potentials as they emerge. We want to showcase the talent of Filipino riders to the world. Eventually, they’ll be noticed and signed up by international clubs. It’s a longshot for an entire Filipino team to compete in the Tour de France but in eight years, we hope to see individual riders racing with different international clubs.”

Chris Allison, 28, is the coach in charge of LBC’s “Road to France” project. The former elite biker with Belgium’s Johan Bruyneel Cycling Center has handpicked eight Filipinos to form the initial pool. They are Pangasinan’s Julius Bonzo, 23, Ilocos Sur’s Jemico Brioso, 23, and Kelvin Mendoza, 20, National Capital Region’s George Oconer, 19, and John Mendoza, 21, and Cebu’s Marvin Tapic, 22, Jay Pagnanawon, 23, and Elmer Navarro, 22. The team will train in Holland and Belgium next month, in Malaysia in May and in Australia from June to September.

“I was on a motorbike scouting the bikers in last year’s Ronda,” said Allison, a UST medical student from Atlanta. “We picked the top eight under-23 riders for our pool. We brought them to a cycling center to study their threshold values, physiological make-up, how they pedal and other details which we sent to a bike maker in Italy to manufacture specifically-designed bikes for them, down to crank arms. We also did sweat tests to show their ability to perform under hot and cold conditions. This scientific approach could give us that extra half percent to make the difference in improving their times. In Australia, we’ll be training with their developmental riders. We’re hoping to parallel the training system developed by the Australian Institute of Sport. Australia’s population is only 1/5 of ours but they’ve been able to develop world-class, record-breaking athletes because of their training systems. We want to mirror their approach.”

Mantecon said the Filipino’s potential to excel in cycling is evident. “We brought in three foreign cycling experts to oversee Ronda last year and they were amazed at the passion we showed in the race,” he continued. “It didn’t matter if they were on flat roads or climbing mountains. They commented that Filipino riders compete with a lot of heart. At LBC, our vision is to support our Filipino riders and give them the chance to become recognized world-wide.”

Allison said the average Filipino’s size and weight make for a perfect cyclist. “They’re like the Colombians and Venezuelans, tiny, light and great mountain climbers,” he said. “Cyclists are part F1 drivers and part marathon runners. I think Filipinos fit the mold of riders who are the best in the world.”

Allison began riding when he was 15 and seven years later, was ranked among the top 25 under-23 amateur bikers in the US. He campaigned in Europe for two years, joining crack Belgian, Israeli, South African, Latin American and North American riders in living the life of a pro rider. “It’s a hard life,” he said. “A season runs for about six to seven months and you’re constantly racing, moving around from country to country. You’re always training. You eat and sleep cycling. We want to introduce that life to the best Filipino riders so they can be our new sports heroes, earning thousands of dollars and bringing honor to the country.”

Ronda Pilipinas administrator Jack Yabut said the LBC tour prepares riders under grueling conditions. “We’re doing 16 stages this year when most races go only up to 10 except for the big ones in France, Italy and Spain where they go 20 to 23 laps,” he said. “With Chris’ program, our bikers will learn race strategy, how to attack flats and mountains as a team, pacing and other things we weren’t conscious of before. We’re moving to the next level and we’ve got to be ready.”

Mantecon said LBC’s programs are in conjunction with PhilCycling’s direction. “We’re training riders whom PhilCycling may want to tap for the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games,” he said. “We’re all in this together because it’s for flag and country.”