No one tougher than Dongkey

Heaping pressure in every pedal, Bohol legendary master riders took the race with a heavier load: of ascertaining they could put up the distance between them and the feared Cebuano rider who has been heaping up trophies and pocketing cash prizes for both trail and road races in the region.

A day before the race, hush talk circulating the biking circle shared the same exciting line-up of the region’s best cross country mountain bikers: a top Cebuano biker Dongkey Sanchez is joining the race and he is going to get a tough opposition from the local trail legends.

Boholano elite riders Adelino Buligan, Nicho Lumay, Jonathan Pagaura and Archie Enad got into the same Open Category with Sanchez, and the formidable four should be enough to slide the bolt and lock the Cebu rider out.

On race day, the Cebuano cyclist picked his favorite top of the line alloy composite Scott 29’r with a high end group set which assured him to be pumping through the steepest ascents. The Boholanos took the familiarity of the trails as their advantage.

Arriving a day before the race, Sanchez could only survey the trails on board a single motorcycle, and the rains that came made memorizing the sections almost impossible as he also needs to negotiate with the motorcycle.

 

Taking every opportunity to read the 37 kilometer track that rips off from the Poblacion, local legends have reportedly been ripping through the trails, especially the technical sections.

But, good plans still somehow fail.

As the Open Elite category wheeled to a ravaging start, the Cebuano rider, who used a single but bigger chain ring as against much smaller ones dictated the pace sprinting to over 40 kilometers per hour off to Barangay San Jose and then to the long but steady climbs in Santo Niño before the chilling technical sections of Barangay Rizal.

I had them behind, shadowing me and even drafting, until the long climb when I paced at 23 that they started to fall back, Sanchez said.

From Barangay Rizal, there were too many intersections with few signage, so I have to slow down and ask. It is better that way than stray and cycle back, losing precious minutes, he also confessed.

Humping and puffing, the pursing peloton zipped the highway but felt the pressure mount even as the climb starts.

Sanchez (#03) may have issues with a 29 on a climb, the bigger tires evidently not painlessly designed for the long haul, but from Barangay Rizal to the single tracks in Barangays Sikatuna and Zamora, the big wheels skipped through the rutted trails and rampaged to San Roque, Balintawak and San Jose highway, sprinting back to the finish line over 15 minutes ahead or everyone else.

The pursuing group, all too eager to grab the podium honors with the opposition stretching the distance, pumped and spun the tires through the technical sections, until they burst out of the highway to the 6 kilometer homestretch sprint.

Fresh from another race with a podium finish in Cebu that same week, (#02) Jonathan Pagaura of Maribojoc crossed the line solo, and on his wake was the heart stopping attack and counter attacks of another local biker legend Nicho Lumay of Batuan (#05) and Archie Enad (#01) sidling for the third spot, three kilometers off the finish line.

As the distance burned and the daily highway traffic posed another challenge, Enad of Sagbayan took the edge and zipped through the end line with Lumay a few seconds off his rear tire.

Buligan (#04) of Calape, who struggled off to catch up after getting lost in the trails, humped off to finish fifth in the annual Talibon Mountain Bike Trail race 2019 set August 17.

In fact, visiting bikers who came to claim the hosts Sikad Talibon’s playground on that day lorded it out when they picked three championships in the four race categories, said race organizer Grace Adag Polestico.

In the 30-44 age group, Mandaue City’s Jeffrey Silvano (#18) took the Championship trophy as Talibon rider Roger Torreon settled for the silver finish.

Dauis Bohol rider Julius Ian Daluperit (#24) crossed the line third, while Tagabukid Cyclist and Sikad Marino of Carmen Paul Mesagrande (#16) placed fourth ahead of (#19) Danilo Busano of SBBC. 

In the 30 years old and below category, Cebuano Jorice Mark Zabate (#47) finished first, with Paseo de Loon’s Deven Valderosa (#62) on his heels. On third place was (#63) Neil Arado of Tagbilaran City while (#61) Ralph Giovanni Felisco of Guindulman  placed fourth a head of (#51) Kenneth Laga (AIWA) who was fifth.

In the golden category, Boholano veteran biker and AIWA’s Concordio Bernales (#86) took the top podium followed by (#85) team mate at AIWA Venancio Amora and TagaBukid Cyclist Edsel Estafia (#76) of San Miguel in third.

Fourth place went to Alicia’s Bilbert Aguilar (AIWA) and fifth went to Alberto Escatron (SBBC). (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

HEALTH WINS. Bike races, although some come whizzing dangerously fast, are still among the best motivations for people to remain fit and test oneself. The Organizers of the Sikad Talibon 2019 MTB Race with some race participants enjoy the break after the grueling race. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

ELITE WINNERS. Getting top regional athletes to play in Bohol is an indication that Bohol is now slowly becoming a mountain bike Mecca with Dongkey Sanchez now a regular race participant. With Sanchez is Maribojoc’s Jonathan Pagaura and Sagbayan’s Archie Enad with organizers Grace Adag Polestico and Cong Aris Aumentado’s representative. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)