Ibaloy mountain bike wunderkind Vrenj Carantes of NBT/Mount is the youngest rider to win in the 19 and under category at age 13 in the Elyunity Gravity enduro race held in San Fernando City, La Union recently.
Carantes outpaced older and much experienced riders in the event that drew young and old riders from the Cordillera to compete against fellow riders from other regions.
Thomas Dean Baday of Sayote Boiz placed second in the 20 to 29 age category, while F1 Cycles rider Mead Nathaniel Dulay placed eighth and Sayote Boiz rider John Michael Chiday settled for ninth place in the same category.
Vince Dangiapo of 7DayAdventures/BehindBars Bikeshop failed to crack the top 10 this time, only losing by one second to the 10th placer in the 30 to 39 category.
Other riders from the highland like Angelo Carantes and RB Ocampo also almost made it to the top 10 in their respective categories but both placed 12th instead.
The day before the race, a strong thunderstorm that lasted for hours made the tracks muddy, slippery, and dangerous but the race still went on the next day as scheduled. The tracks caused riders to crash, miss lines, and overshoot turns, with former national team rider Nilo Estayo crashing on one of the muddy steep sections and ending up with a fractured leg.
The organizers then decided to change the last stage and use the first stage again to complete all three enduro stages to ensure safety first and prevent further injuries to the riders.
The open/elite category was participated in by the father and son tandem of Downhill National Team rider Jerich Farr and coach Frederick Farr, with Jerich winning by a large margin over his closest competitor.
The event, which to the usual sites, was sponsored by Gravity Bikes, La Union Adventure Team, San Fernando government, the province of La Union and other private sponsors. – Press release
