Mt. Isarog Downhill Biking Race Highlights Kaogma Celebrations

One innovation introduced in the Kaogma celebrations this year that added color and excitement to the revelry was the downhill bike competition held at the slope of Mt. Isarog last May 29 to 30.

The race tested the skills, agility and fortitude of the participants in maneuvering the risky and perilous turns, drops, banks and bumps of the mountain trails at Consocep, in Ocampo, Camarines Sur developed by experts to cater to the demands and discipline of the new extreme sport introduced in CamSur by Gov. LRay Villafuerte.

Drawing participation not only from local cycling circles and aficionados but from all over the country, the competition was truly a sport spectacle not only for the local residents who, for the first time, witnessed the extreme sport but also for those who came to be part of the groundbreaking event.

Riding in their competition-trimmed bike, which at the least costs Php 40,000 or more to assemble, cyclists careened downhill one after the other at a gravitationally-accelerated speed while performing breathtakingly difficult even dangerous jumps, slides, glides and airborne maneuvers on the challenging terrain until the end of the trail is reached at the shortest achievable time.

Participants competed for the categories Beginner, Executive, Masters and Pro-open.

According to Cuatro Hundley, the foreign expert for the project, the trail was developed according to accepted standards as adopted by similar competition trails in other countries he and his partners have visited and participated in.

From the provincial government's end under Gov. Villafuerte's leadership, the project will not only spawn greater involvement of the youth in sports activities but will also be a big boost to the tourism initiatives of the province thereby providing additional source of income to the residents of Consocep.

Michel Roquel of Sta Cruz, Laguna dominated the Beginners Category, Donn Mikael Robles of Calamba City bagged the top honors in the Executive Category, Lex Evangelista of Quezon City took home the Masters Category bacon while JV Barba of Dumaguete City was champion in the Pro-Open Category. The lone Bicolano participant who made it to the top 3 was Leopoldo Tapitana of Bula, Camarines Sur who placed 2nd in the Beginners Category. (FERNANDEZ/MMEC)