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Mahayahay MTB XC 

race set August 26 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, August 14 (PIA)—Gear up: squeeze into that compression jersey or rash guard, snap on that elbow and knee pads, and slip into those cleats, put on the bike helmet and log a few kilometers of training on your favorite cross country trail to get familiar with the switchbacks, tight corners and slight berms, as the Mahayahay trail that is racing on August 26, is not that easy for those untrained. 

The single tracks there are a mix of sandy-loam to rain rutted eroded trails ascending to about 400 meters to Taytay plateau: a rider’s technical skills and a good cardio is a must, race organizers describe the 23.75 kilometers race course of the First Mahayahay Mountain Bike Cross Country Challenge 2018 rolling off from Villarcayo, Carmen. 

At this, race organizers cast the dare to bikers whose love for cross country mountain biking now gets another premium: biking through trails that wind the chocolate hills country and under lovely and isolated oil palm plantations and lovely graded descents. 

Still a relatively young sport in Bohol, mountain biking has however generated more than the expected enthusiasts that Boholanos have started invading neighboring cross country and enduro races, while regular monthly races have been set across the island province: race routes show a diversification of the trails offering that adrenaline rush and painful climbs for the uninitiated and undertrained. 

It is another perfect venue for sports tourism, racing through the farm trails of Villarcayo, Taytay, Poblacion Norte and Nueva Fuerza is a must for Bohol bikers who have yet to build the heart for a kind of sports that supports Bohol’s brand of tourism, a staff from the Provincial Tourism Office said.  

The First Mahayahay Mountain Bike Cross Country (XC) Challenge 2018 gets to 23.75 kilometers of a healthy combination of concrete highways and barangay roads, dirt roads and single carabao cart tracks opened for Open Elite, Seniors (29 years old and below), Masters 1 (30-39) and Masters 2 (40-49). 

Considering the terrain, a slightly shorter route is open for the Golden category (50 years old and above), and the Fatbikers or Full suspension bikers whose forks have at least 1400 mm of travel. 

The race, which registers participants for Php200, also includes freebies as post-race meal, trophy for the podium finishers, finishers medals and registration ends on race day August 26. 

Let off from the starting line in Sitio Mahayahay, Villarcayo, Carmen, the mass start for each category would also require rider participants to be race equipped: crash helmets, hydration bottles, and safe rideable bikes from the 26, 27.5 and 29 wheel diameters. 

For the 23.75 kilometer racers for the Open Elite, Senior, Masters 1 and Masters 2, the race route follows the 1.5 kilometers single track, to the 2 km highway to Poblaciuon Norte’s Sitio Ka-Irit, and then takes the off road trails to Sition Loyu Suba, and the single track technical climb sections to Taytay which would be a short 1.8 kilometers trail that promises the use of small rings big cogs to ease out the pain, advises Rey Embradura, Mahayahay race technical team member. 

After breaching the Taytay plateau, there is an easy recovery of 4.5 km gentle slope single track to Sitio Upper Tagbaongao, Barangay Nueva Fuerza and this exits on a concrete Barangay Road to Sitio Lapulapu, this is about 2 kilometros, Embradura continues. 

From Sitio Lapulapu, another clahhenging single track greets the bikers, these wind through two huge canal crossings and a cold recovery ride measuring about 2 kilometers under the shades of oil palms crossing to another barangay road to Sitio Lower La Fortuna Barangay Villafuerte. 

Here on this segment, bikers have to do a creek crossing: the easy across the creek but prepare to get wet, or via the off-saddle rickety bamboo bridge. 

From Sitio Lower La Fortuna, it is still another single track to Sitio Ca-inas, Barangay Montesuerte, which combines a 2.5 km flat trails and a technical climb back to Taytay plateau before going the technical slopes race back to Mahayahay finishing line, about 1.3 km from Taytay. 

In the Golden and Full Suspension category, the entire race course is about 14 kilometers, Embradura shared. 

While the route follows almost the same with the 23 K, there are loops whict are shortened. 

Race starts with the 1.5 km single track from the highway to 2 km concrete road to Sitio Ka-Irit, Poblacion Norte, and then off road to the 1.8 km barangay road to Sitio Ka Irit and then to Loyu Suba where they initiate the single track technical climb to Taytay plateau, about 1.8 km away. 

Form Taytay, they proceed to Sitio Mahayahay, via the Ca-Inas train in Barangay Montesuerte: a notorious 2.7 kilometers slope. 

From Ca-Inas, Barangay Montesuerte, it’s a 2.5 km pacer before a kilometer-long technical climb back to the top of Taytay and then a switch back to the single track technical downhill sprint to the finish which is located about 1.3 km from Taytay. 

A local bike enthusiast Paul Mesagrande and the Local Government Unit of Carmen under Mayor Francisco Toribio brings the 1st Mahayahay MTB XC race. 

Surely this event will unleash the inner warrior in you. See you soon, bikers!, dares Mesagrande. 

Any group willing to familiarize with the race course and track read may contact local bikers as guides: Rey Embradura: 09076681835, Kevin Montajes (09172073596. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

With fatigue and pain setting inn, will to press on becomes a personal battle but they Mahayahay MTB XC also offers spectacular views and recovery sections that seem to make the hard course an unending tease of ups and downs. (PIA Bohol/foto by Paul Mesagrande)