A hundred cyclists will race their way up Marcos Highway March 2 for the Baguio leg of Ronda Pilipinas.
A special lane will be designated for the participants of the local cycling competition, according to City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña.
The cyclists will come from Nueva Ecija and battle a grueling 177.1-kilometer open road distance to reach Baguio for the eighth of the 10-stage race.
“We anticipate the arrival of the cyclists by 1 p.m. of March 2 at the Lake Drive, Burnham Park,” dela Peña said.
He said the Traffic Management Unit of the Baguio City Police Office is preparing their traffic scheme for the event as this will affect the flow of vehicles from Marcos Highway to Burnham Park.
“We wanted to promote sports tourism in Baguio that is why when the organizers of Ronda Pilipinas visited last year, we really asked them to return the route to Baguio,” dela Peña said.
The last time Ronda Pilipinas included Baguio in its route was in 2015 with the Summer Capital as its final leg to complete the 1,000-kilometer race of flat roads and mountain passes.
“Baguio is the most awaited leg of Ronda Pilipinas because it is most challenging being an uphill race,” dela Peña said.
The Ronda Pilipinas will start Feb. 24 with 137-kilometer distance in Sorsogon to Legazpi towards Naga, Camarines Sur followed by the 212.5-km distance from Daet, Camarines Norte to Lucena City then end in Antipolo City for a break.
Cyclists will resume Feb. 29 from Antipolo towards Lingayen, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija before taking the uphill race to Baguio.
From Baguio, cyclists will go down Pugo, La Union and end in Vigan, Ilocos Sur for the closing March 4. – Jessa Mardy Samidan
April 19, 2024
