Sunday, August 19, 2007
Apayao to Cagayan Bike for Mama Mary
We had a wonderful chance to visit Apayao last June. Robin and I got invited to join a tribute ride for Mama Mary as part of the fiesta celebration of Piat, Cagayan. Eboy's good buddy, "Atty", is from Cagayan and every year they organize an epic mountain bike ride around the area. This year the ride would begin from Cabugao, the capital of Apayao and end up in Piat.
Apayao is probably one of those poor Philippine provinces that never gets any attention. It's so poor in fact that malaria still lurks in these hinterlands. As a precaution, Robin and I took prophylactic anti-biotic dosages. I had to drink this tablet once a day for 6 weeks! Apparently, you really won't know that you have malaria until weeks after the mosquito bite. Even the roads leading to the capital are unpaved gravel roads.
Half the challenge of this trip was not just the planned 9 hour bike ride. It was the almost 24 hour car ride (one way) that would bring us through Cabanatuan, Cauayan, Tuguegarao,Piat and finally Cabugao, the capital of Apayao. We left Makati at around 8:30pm on a Thursday and finally arrived at Cabugao at around 7pm (!) the next day. We of course had the customary stops for meals and pictures along the way. Although I pinched hit for Robin for a couple of hours, Robin drove most of the way. It was amazing how he kept awake. We stopped for breakfast at Cauayan Isabela, hosted by the local bike group. Very hospitable people, and they really opened their homes for us. The food was simple but sumptuous. They had this really wild stew that was similar to "Papaitan". It looked like batchoy but extremely bitter; like a mixture of ampalaya and bile! Acquired taste obviously. Lunch was in Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan. You can't escape the buffet craze... even that far north. We wolfed down our food knowing full well we would need all the carbs we could get for the next day.
Piat has a very old statue of the Virgin Mary and it is to Her name that we were riding. The plan was to motor to Cabugao, sleep overnight at the parish church seminary, then bike our way back to Piat the next morning. Hopefully we would arrive in Piat in time for the 4pm Holy Mass in celebration of the Feast of our Lady of Piat. There we were supposed to meet close to a hundred other cyclists from Cauayan.
We parked our vehicles at the church yard and boarded a dilapidated Kia van. The van looked like it was being held together by masking tape. But we crammed in 7 bikers in there along with our gear. We had to leave our cooler and some of our bags because we were bursting at the seams! Another 5 bikers crammed into Atty's pick up which had at least 6 bikes loaded onto it.
Past Piat is a town called Tuao at the border of Cagayan that has a beautiful old church that is still in use. We kissed the cement roads goodbye and entered the land of gravel and dust. Most of us had actually never biked in the area before so we took careful note of the terrain as the van gingerly made its way to Cabugao. Knowing that we would pass the same road the next day although in reverse, we applauded everytime the van would climb and held our breath and prayed when the van would go down a descent. "Oh no, that was a long downhill section! We're going to have to climb that tomorrow!" All in all though, we noted that Cabugao was much higher than Cagayan so we knew it would be mostly downhill.
The seminary at Cabugao was a modest compound in the middle of town.
We were led to an old dormitory which seemed to be in a similar state as our Kia van. The priest and seminarians were in a conference somewhere so it was a bit strange moving into other people's rooms and sleeping in their beds. The downstairs toilet was sealed shut with tape with a strong warning sign against its use. He he he, no problem with compliance here. Hanging inside the bathroom were 2 pairs of camouflage design underwear. Uh oh, looks like the military has sent its deep penetration agents to spy against these leftist seminarians!The people though were very nice and they welcomed us with open arms. The swarming mosquitos welcomed us too. I fretted over that.. as a mountaineer, I can take a lot of discomfort... leaches, mud, heat, sleeping on hard floors, etc... but mosquitos piss me off big time. Luckily we had a fan and Off lotion. Dinner was simple and spartan... extremely tough pork but very good soup. Life is tough in Apayao... and it really gave me new respect for the life of a parish priest in the hinterlands.
The next morning we were finally on our way back to Piat this time on our bikes. Most of the ride was through a winding loose gravel road that was thankfully wide enough. The loose gravel made it tough to keep one's balance especially on a downhill because tire grip was at a minimum. I could feel my front and rear wheels drifting from one side to another. Two of the guys
took a spill. I was all prepped with elbow pads and newly purchased shin guards. The ironic thing is the only injury I got from the ride was a blister behind my knee from the shin guard straps.Admittedly, the view wasn't as spectacular as the Cordilleras. The road wasn't as high and therefore the cliffs weren't that sheer. But it was an experience nonetheless testing our endurance over 9 hours of bumpy roads. Fortunately, Robin and I prepared well for the ride. We prepared our power sandwiches (peanut butter and strawberry jam on whole wheat Gardenia bread) the night before. As I bit into my sandwich though, I realized Robin was overzealous with the peanut butter. The stuff stuck to my teeth, palate and throat sucking out every last bit of moisture in my mouth! Turns out that as Robin was slapping on the peanut butter that morning, he was muttering something about bonking (running out of energy) being the biggest danger in long rides. Well, I beg to disagree! Suffocation from peanut butter overdose must be higher on that danger list.
Of course after downing one of those zillion calorie sandwiches, we suddenly stopped to have lunch. I didn't even realize they had packed fried chicken and rice into the back up van. I ate the chicken anyway... and I paid for that right after... the longest uphill climb was right after lunch! Despite that though, I did quite well. I passed Eboy and Atty on the climb and almost caught up with Lester as well. We stopped for
a refreshing break at a natural flowing water source. Luckily it was a bit cloudy so the heat didn't pose that big a problem. The halo-halo stop was great though. Pinipig, banana, gulaman, sweet malagkit rice and other stuff made the halo-halo unique and much appreciated.Finally, after close to 9 hours on the road (including stops) I crossed the river that bordered Apayao and Cagayan at around 4pm. Just ahead was Tuao. By this time though, due to varying fitness levels and pace, the bikers were scattered. I was all alone and I knew Robin, Lester and some others were way ahead me. I decided not to stop in Tuao and proceed to Piat to try to catch up with the them. When I got to Piat, I was surprised to find no one around from our group. There were several vehicles including a large truck full of bicycles. The group from Cauayan had arrived hours before. When I opened my cellphone I realized they had all stopped at Tuao to regroup. They even sent the backup van to look for me! Yikes, what a blunder it was not to have left my cellphone open to receive messages. Oh well, hard lessons learned. By the time the group caught up with me it was dusk. Atty led the group in a thanksgiving prayer (an entire rosary again!) and afterward we argued on whether to grab a shower somewhere or to just proceed straight to Manila. A few hours later the issue was settled as we drove along this lonely road with no sign of civilization or even a faucet. So much for the shower.
Again Robin drove most of the way... I took over a few hours later and told myself I'd try to drive for at least 2 hours. After just half an hour, I could hear my ipod's 80s music echoing mysteriously in my ear! Everything looked and sounded strangely surreal. The road seemed to float around. It was REALLY tough keeping awake. A couple of days later we found out that it wasn't just fatigue that was hitting us. A freon leak in the A/C system was discovered by Robin's mechanic. Freon apparently is toxic and can cause drowsiness symptoms! And I thought it was just the mind blowing music of Steely Dan!
When we finally drove into my village the sun was up. We had been traveling on a bike and in a car for another incredible 24 hours. This ride was more than just a bike epic. It was a test of physical and mental endurance... or should I add, a test of butt endurance.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Bonanza Loop Finally Conquered!
Wow! It's hard to believe that it's been 2 months since my last post. I guess it's all the more perplexing since I quit my job! Shouldn't I have more time to blog? Well, it's turned out that I do have more time... to ride.... he he he. These are the times when you realize what the more important things in life are. Funny thing is now that I'm not working, in-between-jobs as they say, I seem to be busier than ever. I wake up early and I feel like my days are full and well-spent, so much so that I get a good sleep at night.
Ok, time to catch up on my blogs. One memorable ride we did was last June over the Independence day holiday. After 3 tries, we finally completed the Bonanza Loop! Recall that we first explored the trail with Robin and Joel way back in April. We reached up to the stream and turned back (t'was me who chickened out due to exhaustion). The second time my bottom bracket gave out 30 minutes into the trail.
This time we challenged Elena, Mona, Nix and Kiko, our novice bikers, to help us finally close the loop. Frankly I was a bit worried about bringing them to a trail that we hadn't really fully explored. We knew they could make it to the stream, albeit with difficulty, but beyond that who knows what kind of uphills we would face? Robin, Bong and I just reassured them that we would take it slow and make frequent rest stops. I also insisted we start riding before 8 am to avoid the heat. The big risk we faced was we didn't know exactly where the trail starts to head down toward Montemar. Getting lost with a group of novice bikers is not exactly fun.
We motored to the trail head in Bgy. San Antonio and parked, hoping we'd still see our cars there when we came back. Our plan was to bike all the way to the front of Montemar, and complete the ride via concrete roads to Bgy. Kabayo, where we were staying. Then we'd motor back to San Antonio to pick up the 2 other cars.
It was a beautiful, sunny but cool morning as we set out. Luck was on our side, even the poultry farm wasn't so smelly. The novice riders looked comfortable as we hit the first rest stop for pictures. The first few hills though took its toll on Nix and Kiko. As usual, my son likes to barrel up the hills and then run out of steam at mid-climb. By the time we hit the ranch gate, Kiko was wondering aloud about heading back. Nix was experiencing shortness of breath and nausea; payback time for all the steaks she ate while on cruise a few days back!
It was a beautiful, sunny but cool morning as we set out. Luck was on our side, even the poultry farm wasn't so smelly. The novice riders looked comfortable as we hit the first rest stop for pictures. The first few hills though took its toll on Nix and Kiko. As usual, my son likes to barrel up the hills and then run out of steam at mid-climb. By the time we hit the ranch gate, Kiko was wondering aloud about heading back. Nix was experiencing shortness of breath and nausea; payback time for all the steaks she ate while on cruise a few days back!
Mona in the meantime was showing off her fitness charging up the hills on a borrowed bike. Unfortunately for her she didn't have the right shoes for the clipless pedals which were now painfully digging into her soft soles. When her feet would come off the pedals during a steep climb, she'd have to stop. Of course that's unacceptable for this spinning class instructor, so she would go back down the hill and ride up again! Although she was an ex-member of the David Salon Cycling Team she'd never gone mountain biking before and you could tell she was enjoying herself. Oops. Looks like Robin's going to have to buy a new bike soon.When we finally hit the stream, we took another well-earned rest. I couldn't restrain myself though, I decided to go on and scout the trail up ahead. What I saw wasn't encouraging. A 
looooong steep climb faced us. I had to fib a bit when I got back to the stream and I told the girls that it looks like the downhill part is nearby (ya right). "uhh, but first we need to push our bikes a bit since the climb's too steep." 15 minutes later, we were still alternately pushing and pedaling up this long hill. I stole a glance at Elena and she didn't look too happy.
looooong steep climb faced us. I had to fib a bit when I got back to the stream and I told the girls that it looks like the downhill part is nearby (ya right). "uhh, but first we need to push our bikes a bit since the climb's too steep." 15 minutes later, we were still alternately pushing and pedaling up this long hill. I stole a glance at Elena and she didn't look too happy. I kept reassuring them... malapit na... malapit na. See, I can see the trail and it's leveling off! (ya right). To my chagrin, the double track trail we were following began to turn away from the trail that I was pointing at a moment ago. Oh no, what if this trail starts heading uphill again?!? I was worried that the Kiko and the girls were near exhaustion and they couldn't take another climb. Luckily, it started leveling off and as we rounded the curve I saw a familiar group of eucalyptus trees in the distance. Further down we could see the South China Sea! It was like a big load was removed from my shoulders. The trail flattened out and eventually started heading down. It was a classic downhill ride complete w
ith green scenery and soft earth. The trail brought us to a rustic cattle farm where we politely asked an old man for directions. Take a left and you'll end up in Saysain. Turn right and it will lead you down to Montemar and Bagac. The cattle was quite a sight! About a hundred head of cattle blocked our trail. We could see ALL OF THEM staring at us from a distance, with their tails swishing away the flies. As we rode closer, the herd slowly parted to let us through. I could hear strains of the Marlboro theme song playing in my head.
ith green scenery and soft earth. The trail brought us to a rustic cattle farm where we politely asked an old man for directions. Take a left and you'll end up in Saysain. Turn right and it will lead you down to Montemar and Bagac. The cattle was quite a sight! About a hundred head of cattle blocked our trail. We could see ALL OF THEM staring at us from a distance, with their tails swishing away the flies. As we rode closer, the herd slowly parted to let us through. I could hear strains of the Marlboro theme song playing in my head. 
The payback downhill was worth the sacrifice! Not too steep, but loooong. Through the cogon fields, some cultivated plots and eventually we hit the eucalyptus tree plantation we had been to some weeks back. Within half an hour we were at the most technical part of the downhill. A steep, bumpy road with lots of water damage. Nix took a spill but wasn't hurt too badly. Elena gingerly made it through. Kiko didn't get off his bike at all. I guess there is no substitute for saddle time in teaching you good bike balance. Through out the whole ride, Kiko showed his excellent balance. His weakness though is he doesn't know how to pace himself and he still lacks mastery of his gear shifting. This results in a lot of energy wasted.
Finally we hit the last stretch of dirt road just before the Montemar subdivision. Just 20 meters from the concrete road, Elena took a spill over loose gravel. Elena could hear Bong exclaim, "Aray!" as she fell. "Ooooo, that's got to hurt!" Poor Elena. Her shin swelled up and you could see the black and blues. Luckily it was just a scratch. Tsk tsk tsk, I hope she doesn't accuse me of wife abuse!
The last few kilometers of concrete road took their toll on the novices. Except for Mona, they were exhausted. Although by this time, the rain started to fall cooling us down a bit. It was a triumphant ride nevertheless with the girls wishing for more of those rides in the future!Friday, May 4, 2007
The Killer Loop Trail
To celebrate his birthday, Robin arranged another trip to Bagac, Bataan. This time with Bong, Nix, Poch and Doris. Of course Mona, Elena and the kids were around too. Note that we avoid calling this place Montemar... the dreaded "M" word... he he he, that should be subject of another blog about Uncle Charlie.
The plan was to finally complete the Bonanza ride from Bgy. San Antonio to Saysain, reportedly a 4 hour ride. Then the next day, we were to ride around the Orion area with our guide, Eboy, who I found via the net. Unfortunately, after just 20 minutes into our ride along the Bonanza trail, my bike suddenly seized and my crank refused to turn. I thought it was just a kink in the chain but unfortunately it was more serious than that. My bottom bracket was loose and the only way to tighten it was with a special tool that nobody likes to lug around. Robin tried turning it with his fingers and ended up cutting himself. We managed to tighten it somewhat but we decided it was prudent to head back and abort the ride.
Next day I borrowed Nix's bike and we all met Eboy at the Total station in Pilar. Eboy is a hardcore outdoors man. An Amci veteran, he has climbed almost all the major mountains around. Since he got married though, he's had to tone it down by doing shorter trips using his mtb. "Shorter" trips of course is subjective. He talked about this many forays in the jungles of Mariveles,exploring old guerrilla trails and finding paths across the Bataan peninsula. Eboy started a group called the Bataan Trailriders.He tells of times when he and his wife Joyce would find themselves trying to head back from the trail beyond 7pm. In fact most of the trails in the area are Eboy discoveries. I somewhat liken him to explorers like Magellan or Columbus... always finding and mapping out new adventures for the sheer pleasure of it. In fact, the website I visited mentioned package rates for Eboy's tours but after talking to him on the phone and inquiring, he said he'd do it for free since he was riding that weekend anyway. It was as if he was reluctant to charge for something that was obviously a source of joy and passion.
With us that day, was Nestea (as in the drink), a music tutor and a member of Bataan Trailriders. Eboy apologized that the first hour or so would have to be "scripted" somewhat since we had people from the Bataan tourist office who wanted to take pictures to promote the area as a destination. We took the main road to the waterfalls near Liyang. After a 15 min hike down a steep hill, we came upon the short but impressive falls. It has a beautiful pool only slightly marred by plastic trash thrown by the locals. Eboy groaned in frustration as he narrated the clean up drive they had in the area recently. "Obviously, we need to be more than just janitors and educate the locals about this gift that they have," he remarked. After a few photo ops we headed back up the path with the tourist office guys, but not before seeing one of them throw his empty water bottle carelessly on the ground! Looks like it'll take more than just a lecture to educate those guys!
After a few kms of paved road, we hit the trail head. A graded road full of loose gravel. The first climb was a killer (hence the name killer loop?) as we struggled to get traction from our rear wheels. Poch demonstrated his new found fitness by getting to the top first, Robin was close behind and then me, Bong and our sweeper Nestea. Before that hill, Eboy was cagey about where he was taking us. He said we had many options like Killer Loop, Killer Loop Junior etc. I guess after seeing us tackle the hill, he was more definite about taking us on Killer Loop. The name is daunting and for good reason. It took us more than 8 hours that day to finish the trail although it included the rests plus the photo shoot side trip to the falls. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
After a few kms of paved road, we hit the trail head. A graded road full of loose gravel. The first climb was a killer (hence the name killer loop?) as we struggled to get traction from our rear wheels. Poch demonstrated his new found fitness by getting to the top first, Robin was close behind and then me, Bong and our sweeper Nestea. Before that hill, Eboy was cagey about where he was taking us. He said we had many options like Killer Loop, Killer Loop Junior etc. I guess after seeing us tackle the hill, he was more definite about taking us on Killer Loop. The name is daunting and for good reason. It took us more than 8 hours that day to finish the trail although it included the rests plus the photo shoot side trip to the falls. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Near the top of the hill was a beautiful rest house with a windmill. It had a breathtaking view of Mt. Samat and a steady wind. Eboy explained that the guerilla trails that these roads followed were well-worn and wide probably to accommodate small artillery pieces designed to take potshots at the troops in the low lands. Later on the Japs probably used them to flank the USAFFE troops making a last stand on Mt. Samat 65 years ago. Seems like the same war story everywhere. Invaders in overwhelming numbers storm a handful of heroic, well-entrenched defenders. In the end, a traitorous local gives away the secret path that finally dislodges the defending patriots. "300" the movie? No! THIS IS BATAAAAAAN! (You're supposed to yell that while kicking the hapless courier into a bottomless pit.)
A few minutes later we were among the trees which was something quite unexpected. I've seen the deforestation of Bataan first hand when we did the Bonanza trail a few weeks ago, so seeing those lovely trees was just special. In some places the trail got quite deep in some places that it was like biking through a small canyon. The canopy didn't last long though as we hit the open trail 
again and labored up some of the toughest climbs that day. We rested midway up the last climb under a giant balete tree. Eboy's trail rides are planned well. He times his rest stops in cool, shady areas where the wind blows steadily. Parang aircon! And believe me, there are shady areas where the humidity can still kill you. Eboy and Nestea taught us a neat trick. While doing a slow steady climb, it'll help cool you off by taking off your helmet and just strapping it onto your backpack. Just don't forget to put it back on though once the downhill begins.
again and labored up some of the toughest climbs that day. We rested midway up the last climb under a giant balete tree. Eboy's trail rides are planned well. He times his rest stops in cool, shady areas where the wind blows steadily. Parang aircon! And believe me, there are shady areas where the humidity can still kill you. Eboy and Nestea taught us a neat trick. While doing a slow steady climb, it'll help cool you off by taking off your helmet and just strapping it onto your backpack. Just don't forget to put it back on though once the downhill begins.
Finally most of the climbing ended and we entered a lush canopied area that looked a bit like the Makiling rain forest. It was so cool (l
iterally) we almost fell asleep while resting. The trail in this area looked more like a road big enough for a 4x4. Eboy gets asked a lot if he could guide motocross bikers and 4x4 enthusiasts through this trail but he gives the cold shoulder. We'd hate to see such a great trail torn up by knobbies from an ATV.Through out most of the ride we could see the cross of Mt. Samat to our left as we slowly made our way around it. We weren't actually on the slopes of Samat but on Mariveles mountain. Which is really an extinct volcano with numerous peaks. By this time, the noon time sun was beating hard on our heads (especially my naked
head) but the wind kept us cool. Our water supply however was next to exhausted. I regretted not buying a spare bottle of gatorade at the station! Poch was especially worried. He drank like a fish and sweat it all off almost instantly. "Is there a water source up there?" he anxiously asked Nestea. "Yup. Meron." "Ano, tindahan?" "Walang tindahan doon," Nestea answered with a chuckle. In fact, that was one of the many extraordinary things about this trail. After just 20 minutes into it, we didn't see a single soul except for a solitary farmer somewhere near the start.Luckily we soon hit the water source. It was a brook that crossed the trail. The water was clean, clear and refreshingly cold. Eboy laid out a leaf where we could lay down our bottles to scoop up the water. I could see Poch was a bit worried about drinking from it but thirst got the better of him. Bong had nursed his 2 liters throughout the ride and decided not to risk an upset stomach with the Subic Triathlon just days away.
Near the top of the trail we stopped to enjoy the 360 degree view of Mariveles,
Manila Bay, Mt. Samat, Mt. Natib, and the South China Sea. Soon after that we hit the downhills. I think Eboy calls this the Killer Loop trail because you can get killed on the way down. It was WILD. I'd say the scariest downhill I've been on so far. It was steeper, longer and faster than Makiling. It started with a slow extremely steep descent (much like Cali). Poch almost did an endo as he struggled to stop his bike. As his rear wheel went up, we could almost hear the sportscaster doing the commentary..."Will he make it?....will he make it?.... he made it!"
I think what made the downhill scary and difficult were the numerous unexpected dips and drops. "Stay on the right side of the trail, cause there's a bit of a drop on the left," warned Eboy. What an understatement! It was more like a cliff and I didn't dare look at it for fear of steering into it. At one point I did lose control and fell, luckily this was after the cliff. Although I didn't get any injuries, my adrenaline levels were so high my muscles started cramping up causing extreme pain. I was gasping for breath and decided to ride on through the pain. Luckily for Nix there was no damage to her bike although earlier, her shifters had given up on me and I was stuck on my granny gear, which was acceptable given the terrain.
Moments later I hit a severe dip and rise that caused my bike to violently buck up from under me. I didn't fall but again the cramps hit me so badly I laid down on the ground grimacing in pain. I heard Robin's worried remark, "O Dave, ano nangyari?!" "Cramps! Arrgghh!".
Luckily I got past that. Since we had a little more time, Eboy led us down "Joyce Trail" the loop he does with his wife when he wants a short training session. A single track joy ride is what it was. Less scary than the previous downhill but just as fast. Near the end of the ride we had a series of bad breaks. Although it gave a lot of comedy relief. Poch hit a thick patch of old cut bamboos that had been laid across the trail. As he went over, it closed on him like a venus flytrap and he got entangled in it. He was incredulous having seen Eboy just ride through the patch without incident.
Soon after we had to stop as Robin, and then Eboy got flats. As Eboy fixed his flat, a group of boys started to gather around and gawk at us. They were the first souls we'd seen on the trail over the last 6 hours. I made a mental note never to buy hydraulic brakes after one of the kids pressed on Eboy's brake lever while he had his tire out causing his brakes to close. He decided to finish the ride with this rear brakes constantly gripping, albeit lightly, his disk rotors. A few minutes later, while riding the last kilometer of highway before the finish, Robin got his 2nd flat running over a broken bottle.
Whew! After 8 fulfilling hours, we were back at the Total Gas Station in Pilar and our ride back to Bagac in Bong's Expedition was full of excited chatter recalling the day's fantastic ride around Bataan's Killer Loop!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tour of the Fireflies and the Limitations of Age
Last April 15, Kiko and I joined the Tour of the Fireflies. This annual event is a massive 5 hour bike ride along the streets of Metro Manila that is held to raise awareness of our deteriorating environment. It's called that way because air pollution has driven away the beautiful firefly from the city. The motto of this event is, "We'll keep doing this ride until the fireflies come back."
I could tell Kiko was excited about the ride. He'll take any opportunity to show off his biking skills and knowing Paulo was going to be there, he was all set. I shoved a sandwich into him on the way to Tiendesitas to make sure he was fully fueled. It's funny the way I worded that, but that's exactly the way Kiko treats food... like a necessary chore. He wolfs down his food without a trace of enjoyment. I think he eats faster than it takes to load gas in my car.
We were well prepared for a hot, long ride. Bananas, Cliff Bar (like a Powerbar) and 2 liters of water each on our backpacks. Nix and Paulo joined us at Tiendesitas for the mass start. Bong was still in Iba, Zambales after his first Olympic distance triathlon held the day before."Massive" is the correct word to describe this ride. I'm not sure of the official estimates but I'd say there were more than 3,000 people that Sunday including 120 members of a Pasay bike club all dressed identically in blue jersey an
d helmet. It was really quite a site seeing thousands of riders of all ages, shapes and genders (some in costume) crawling along C5 at 10kph. It was actually scary trying to keep our balance as the throng slowed down along the narrow stretches and curves. The bikers were so close together that at one point Kiko's handlebars snagged onto mine and we had a few hairy moments keeping our balance while entangling ourselves. After Kiko extricated himself from that and seeing him weave through traffic, I realize that biking is undeniably my son's strength. There's a lot of pride in that statement... sniff sniff.
From C5, the ride went through Fort Bonifacio, then into McKinley, and then Ayala Ave. Meanwhile, I saw a few people getting flats, some others taking a spill... I think it took us close to an hour to hit the Ayala triangle... one of the designated stops. We blocked traffic along Makati Ave. and the motorists were furious! We just gave them this "Asa ka pa!" look. Once a year... just once a year.... bikers rule this city! You could see th
e marshalls really sticking their bikes in front of these angry taxi drivers... ready to fight for this once a year privilege. There were a few motorists who really didn't give a damn and they pushed their cars and trucks through the line regardless of who was in front. Nix had to stop for one of these bastards in the intersection but little Paulo didn't stop at all, and a van almost hit him. Nix was furious! She cussed at the driver but instead a confused pedestrian answered her back, "Sino'ng tinatawag mo'ng gago!?!" thinking Nix had addressed her. Close call!
I could see that Paulo was slowly tiring. I pushed him up the hill going into the Fort and by the time we hit Buendia, Nix and Paulo were several minutes behind Kiko and I. When we got to Roxas Blvd I couldn't spot them anymore. It turns out Paulo had to pee several times and by the time they tried to join the pack, Nix and Paulo were too far behind. Luckily the sweeper van was there to pick up Paulo. We regrouped in front of Malate Church and Nix decided to call it a day. It was a good decision... we were just 15km into a 50km ride and it was getting hot! Kiko gave me this worried look and said, "Uhhh, is it still far Dad?" "Kaya natin to Kiks!" was my standard reply. He was a trooper nonetheless.
We turned right on Padre Burgos, passed the Manila City Hall, the old Metropolitan theater (in a sorry state) and made a right up the Quezon Bridge. Tight squeeze on that bridge! Then down through Quiapo. Poor Kiko, he just went with the flow. I don't think he ever realized the historical significance of the whole area... until we turned into Espana and I pointed out the UST and its hospi
tal. "That's where you were born, son!" His face lit up... "Huh? How come you never told me that Dad?" Sigh. It's the simple things we take for granted that are sometimes important to our kids.
By the time we got to the Welcome Rotunda in Quezon City and turned right into E. Rodriguez, the pack began to slow down even more as the road got narrower and it began to get hotter. Along St. Luke's Hospital it was almost unbearable as the surrounding tall building prevented any sort of wind from cooling us down. When the pack would stop, you could see the bikers veer off to a shade on the road side to escape the oppressive sun. Kiko gobbled up half my Cliff bar in less than 3 seconds. Right turn on Gilmore road. "We used to live near here Kiks," I said as I tried to get his mind off the heat and the ride. He had this glazed look but all through out the ride you could see his kick never faltering. When we hit Ortigas I thought we'd go straight on to Tiendesitas but the sadistic organizers felt they had to take us down Santolan first and into Cubao to please the Araneta Center sponsors. So we turned left into Edsa and right into Cubao. I chuckled to myself that it was better that Kiko seemed lost. If he had known how quickly we could have cut short the ride, I think he would have broken away from the pack.
We took the mandatory rest in Cubao to listen to the speeches... in the shade of course. As the ride restarted I made the mistake of
not filling up my empty hydration unit. There was a 20th avenue water station but it seemed too full of people for me to stop. Back into Santolan and right into Katipunan and I finally decided to stop at the water station in front of White Plains Village. Finally, the welcome relief of cool water!
As we approached the home stretch our pace got faster... relieved that the finish line was just 5 minutes away. Time to showboat a bit in celebration. I did a few bunny hops on my bike which brought some laughs and encouragement from my no.1 fan, Kiko. I saw a speed bump (hump) near the end of Temple Drive and I decided I'd show my son the Mother of all Bunny Hops. As I hit the hump I tugged hard on my handle bars and on my cleated shoes to push up the front and rear of the bike. I felt an excruciating pain stab into my lower back and I struggled to keep from falling. I had seriously strained my lower back muscles... again. I thought to myself, is there no end to this back problem? I used to say that I pull my back maybe once a year. No problem. I stay in bed for 2 or 3 days and that was that. Well this was the 2nd time since January of this year. Sheesh. It's embarrassing to admit but I no matter how much I deny it, I'm getting old.
My back was so bad I could hardly keep myself on the saddle let alone pedal the bike. Luckily Tiendesitas was just around the corner. We were greeted by a firetruck spraying us with water. Sarap! But I couldn't stay long under the waters spray with my camera with me. I had a hell of a time trying to put our bikes on the Terrano's roof rack. Luckily, my son has really grown up and his strength has improved significantly. He hoisted the rear and I took the front of the bikes. Whew! That was probably the worst back strain I'd ever experienced and I was bedridden the rest of the day.
Recovery from the injury was coming along fine and by Monday afternoon I was walking around (I couldn't even sit up from bed Sunday night). By Tuesday I was back at work and but when Wednesday came I reinjured my back soaping my foot in the shower! Aaargggh! Frustrating! Obviously this injury really needs more than a week of rest and taking it easy. No sudden movements allowed! Sigh! Hopefully I'll be ok by this weekend. We're planning a ride in Bataan again. This time stretching will be part of the agenda.
Is it The Limitations of Age or The Age of Limitations?
I could tell Kiko was excited about the ride. He'll take any opportunity to show off his biking skills and knowing Paulo was going to be there, he was all set. I shoved a sandwich into him on the way to Tiendesitas to make sure he was fully fueled. It's funny the way I worded that, but that's exactly the way Kiko treats food... like a necessary chore. He wolfs down his food without a trace of enjoyment. I think he eats faster than it takes to load gas in my car.
We were well prepared for a hot, long ride. Bananas, Cliff Bar (like a Powerbar) and 2 liters of water each on our backpacks. Nix and Paulo joined us at Tiendesitas for the mass start. Bong was still in Iba, Zambales after his first Olympic distance triathlon held the day before."Massive" is the correct word to describe this ride. I'm not sure of the official estimates but I'd say there were more than 3,000 people that Sunday including 120 members of a Pasay bike club all dressed identically in blue jersey an
d helmet. It was really quite a site seeing thousands of riders of all ages, shapes and genders (some in costume) crawling along C5 at 10kph. It was actually scary trying to keep our balance as the throng slowed down along the narrow stretches and curves. The bikers were so close together that at one point Kiko's handlebars snagged onto mine and we had a few hairy moments keeping our balance while entangling ourselves. After Kiko extricated himself from that and seeing him weave through traffic, I realize that biking is undeniably my son's strength. There's a lot of pride in that statement... sniff sniff.From C5, the ride went through Fort Bonifacio, then into McKinley, and then Ayala Ave. Meanwhile, I saw a few people getting flats, some others taking a spill... I think it took us close to an hour to hit the Ayala triangle... one of the designated stops. We blocked traffic along Makati Ave. and the motorists were furious! We just gave them this "Asa ka pa!" look. Once a year... just once a year.... bikers rule this city! You could see th
e marshalls really sticking their bikes in front of these angry taxi drivers... ready to fight for this once a year privilege. There were a few motorists who really didn't give a damn and they pushed their cars and trucks through the line regardless of who was in front. Nix had to stop for one of these bastards in the intersection but little Paulo didn't stop at all, and a van almost hit him. Nix was furious! She cussed at the driver but instead a confused pedestrian answered her back, "Sino'ng tinatawag mo'ng gago!?!" thinking Nix had addressed her. Close call!I could see that Paulo was slowly tiring. I pushed him up the hill going into the Fort and by the time we hit Buendia, Nix and Paulo were several minutes behind Kiko and I. When we got to Roxas Blvd I couldn't spot them anymore. It turns out Paulo had to pee several times and by the time they tried to join the pack, Nix and Paulo were too far behind. Luckily the sweeper van was there to pick up Paulo. We regrouped in front of Malate Church and Nix decided to call it a day. It was a good decision... we were just 15km into a 50km ride and it was getting hot! Kiko gave me this worried look and said, "Uhhh, is it still far Dad?" "Kaya natin to Kiks!" was my standard reply. He was a trooper nonetheless.
We turned right on Padre Burgos, passed the Manila City Hall, the old Metropolitan theater (in a sorry state) and made a right up the Quezon Bridge. Tight squeeze on that bridge! Then down through Quiapo. Poor Kiko, he just went with the flow. I don't think he ever realized the historical significance of the whole area... until we turned into Espana and I pointed out the UST and its hospi
tal. "That's where you were born, son!" His face lit up... "Huh? How come you never told me that Dad?" Sigh. It's the simple things we take for granted that are sometimes important to our kids.By the time we got to the Welcome Rotunda in Quezon City and turned right into E. Rodriguez, the pack began to slow down even more as the road got narrower and it began to get hotter. Along St. Luke's Hospital it was almost unbearable as the surrounding tall building prevented any sort of wind from cooling us down. When the pack would stop, you could see the bikers veer off to a shade on the road side to escape the oppressive sun. Kiko gobbled up half my Cliff bar in less than 3 seconds. Right turn on Gilmore road. "We used to live near here Kiks," I said as I tried to get his mind off the heat and the ride. He had this glazed look but all through out the ride you could see his kick never faltering. When we hit Ortigas I thought we'd go straight on to Tiendesitas but the sadistic organizers felt they had to take us down Santolan first and into Cubao to please the Araneta Center sponsors. So we turned left into Edsa and right into Cubao. I chuckled to myself that it was better that Kiko seemed lost. If he had known how quickly we could have cut short the ride, I think he would have broken away from the pack.
We took the mandatory rest in Cubao to listen to the speeches... in the shade of course. As the ride restarted I made the mistake of
not filling up my empty hydration unit. There was a 20th avenue water station but it seemed too full of people for me to stop. Back into Santolan and right into Katipunan and I finally decided to stop at the water station in front of White Plains Village. Finally, the welcome relief of cool water!As we approached the home stretch our pace got faster... relieved that the finish line was just 5 minutes away. Time to showboat a bit in celebration. I did a few bunny hops on my bike which brought some laughs and encouragement from my no.1 fan, Kiko. I saw a speed bump (hump) near the end of Temple Drive and I decided I'd show my son the Mother of all Bunny Hops. As I hit the hump I tugged hard on my handle bars and on my cleated shoes to push up the front and rear of the bike. I felt an excruciating pain stab into my lower back and I struggled to keep from falling. I had seriously strained my lower back muscles... again. I thought to myself, is there no end to this back problem? I used to say that I pull my back maybe once a year. No problem. I stay in bed for 2 or 3 days and that was that. Well this was the 2nd time since January of this year. Sheesh. It's embarrassing to admit but I no matter how much I deny it, I'm getting old.
My back was so bad I could hardly keep myself on the saddle let alone pedal the bike. Luckily Tiendesitas was just around the corner. We were greeted by a firetruck spraying us with water. Sarap! But I couldn't stay long under the waters spray with my camera with me. I had a hell of a time trying to put our bikes on the Terrano's roof rack. Luckily, my son has really grown up and his strength has improved significantly. He hoisted the rear and I took the front of the bikes. Whew! That was probably the worst back strain I'd ever experienced and I was bedridden the rest of the day.
Recovery from the injury was coming along fine and by Monday afternoon I was walking around (I couldn't even sit up from bed Sunday night). By Tuesday I was back at work and but when Wednesday came I reinjured my back soaping my foot in the shower! Aaargggh! Frustrating! Obviously this injury really needs more than a week of rest and taking it easy. No sudden movements allowed! Sigh! Hopefully I'll be ok by this weekend. We're planning a ride in Bataan again. This time stretching will be part of the agenda.
Is it The Limitations of Age or The Age of Limitations?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Caliraya Sports Week Part 3
Ok this is the end of this trilogy. I just wanted to write about the "Deaf Trail" in Caliraya. This dirt road starts from the Caliraya cement road and ends about 15km later at a school for the deaf. It's a moderate climb on a mountain bike (I'd call the Reverse Palace Ride a difficult climb) but it can really demoralize you if you're not psyched up to climb it.
I've done the climb before (before I tore my ACL) the last time we visited Bong's place in Cali. This time Nix and Elena decided to join us. Nix had tried climbing the trail a few weeks back and she turned back in the middle of the climb when Bong told her, "After the curve, there's another hill." He he he. That did it. I guess if you put it in your head the next curve will be the end of the trail, you'll get psyched out when you discover it ain't over yet.
Poor Elena was still struggling to find her rhythm on a mountain bike. I think this was just her 3rd real ride on an MTB. She would sometimes shift gears too early before the start of a hill and other times she would shift late. I'm convinced that a large part of the problem is that she's still not comfortable and therefore she tends to tire easily due to the tension. She complained later that hands and forearms felt really tired from gripping the handlebars so hard.Meanwhile Robin was determined to get a proper workout from the ride... so he went up and ahead of us.... a few minutes later he'd turn around and rocket down the hill.... then up again to pass us.
At the end of a particularly hard climb, we had to stop and Bong reassured Nix and Elena that this was the highest point of the climb. Ya right. Highest point?!? Mwa ha ha ha. 3 or 4 more hills later, Elena wasn't laughing anymore. She was out of breath and struggling. The bananas helped a bit. After some coaxing we finally made it to the gate of the school.... he he he, the politically incorrect joke of the moment: Bakit walang doorbell dito?
It was a great downhill ride and my KHS full suspension really performed nicely (the last time I was using a hard tail frame). At one point, I almost over-shot one of the steep left turn curves. I applied just enough braking force, locked the rear wheels for a split second, letting my rear wheel skid a bit and then ended the move with a subtle correction. I was a bit anxious on the way back because it was getting dark and I thought Elena wouldn't go down fast enough. She did great though, speeding downhill at a faster-than-expected pace. She said she just had to put more trust in her bike and that it wouldn't fall apart on the way down. By the time we hit the cement road it was dark already but we made our way back (about 4 km of cement road) to the Surf Kamp parking lot safely.
All-in-all, a great 4 day vacation. Although I must confess I felt very bad about not being able to properly meditate over the holiness of Holy Week. As if to drive home the point, while on the bangka on our way back to Manila, I realized to my chagrin that I had left my car keys in Bong's house. Luckily I had a spare key. Unluckily, we had to endure the noisy car alarm that went off as I tried to manually override it without my remote. To make matters worse, the traffic was terrible. We missed the 6:30 pm Easter Mass completely. Next year, I'll make an effort to at least hold a Stations of the Cross prayer with the kids. We did that in Anilao a few years ago and it really was a touching experience for us and the kids.
I've done the climb before (before I tore my ACL) the last time we visited Bong's place in Cali. This time Nix and Elena decided to join us. Nix had tried climbing the trail a few weeks back and she turned back in the middle of the climb when Bong told her, "After the curve, there's another hill." He he he. That did it. I guess if you put it in your head the next curve will be the end of the trail, you'll get psyched out when you discover it ain't over yet.
Poor Elena was still struggling to find her rhythm on a mountain bike. I think this was just her 3rd real ride on an MTB. She would sometimes shift gears too early before the start of a hill and other times she would shift late. I'm convinced that a large part of the problem is that she's still not comfortable and therefore she tends to tire easily due to the tension. She complained later that hands and forearms felt really tired from gripping the handlebars so hard.Meanwhile Robin was determined to get a proper workout from the ride... so he went up and ahead of us.... a few minutes later he'd turn around and rocket down the hill.... then up again to pass us.
At the end of a particularly hard climb, we had to stop and Bong reassured Nix and Elena that this was the highest point of the climb. Ya right. Highest point?!? Mwa ha ha ha. 3 or 4 more hills later, Elena wasn't laughing anymore. She was out of breath and struggling. The bananas helped a bit. After some coaxing we finally made it to the gate of the school.... he he he, the politically incorrect joke of the moment: Bakit walang doorbell dito?
It was a great downhill ride and my KHS full suspension really performed nicely (the last time I was using a hard tail frame). At one point, I almost over-shot one of the steep left turn curves. I applied just enough braking force, locked the rear wheels for a split second, letting my rear wheel skid a bit and then ended the move with a subtle correction. I was a bit anxious on the way back because it was getting dark and I thought Elena wouldn't go down fast enough. She did great though, speeding downhill at a faster-than-expected pace. She said she just had to put more trust in her bike and that it wouldn't fall apart on the way down. By the time we hit the cement road it was dark already but we made our way back (about 4 km of cement road) to the Surf Kamp parking lot safely.
All-in-all, a great 4 day vacation. Although I must confess I felt very bad about not being able to properly meditate over the holiness of Holy Week. As if to drive home the point, while on the bangka on our way back to Manila, I realized to my chagrin that I had left my car keys in Bong's house. Luckily I had a spare key. Unluckily, we had to endure the noisy car alarm that went off as I tried to manually override it without my remote. To make matters worse, the traffic was terrible. We missed the 6:30 pm Easter Mass completely. Next year, I'll make an effort to at least hold a Stations of the Cross prayer with the kids. We did that in Anilao a few years ago and it really was a touching experience for us and the kids.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Caliraya Sports Week Part 2
Gosh, maintaining a blog is so much work! I'm so way behind my posts that I'm still trying to finish writing about the Caliraya trip last Holy Week. Since then I've got more pics about the Tour of the Fireflies. Oh well, isn't that the story of my life... always playing catch up ball.
I thought I'd share this video of me wakeboarding in Caliraya. I was apprehensive because I haven't done this for about a year and it's just been 6 months since my ACL operation. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just give it my all. I had a few good jumps and this is one of them. I still can't do that jump-and-reverse-the-board move yet. But I think I've figured it out already (it'll have to wait till next trip to Cali). I should make the jump toe side first (from the right going to left) hanging on to the ski rope with both hands. When I'm airborn, I can let go of my right hand and hopefully the force will help spin my body. If only I can jump high enough and spin hard enough to land that sucker trick.
I also noticed thanks to the video that on my usual heel side jump, I'm hanging on to the rope with my right hand, letting go of the left. Bad form, because when I land on the other side of the wake, my body would tend to twist counter clockwise. Hmmm. I wonder if my jump will improve if I hang on with left and let go with my right?
I thought I'd share this video of me wakeboarding in Caliraya. I was apprehensive because I haven't done this for about a year and it's just been 6 months since my ACL operation. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just give it my all. I had a few good jumps and this is one of them. I still can't do that jump-and-reverse-the-board move yet. But I think I've figured it out already (it'll have to wait till next trip to Cali). I should make the jump toe side first (from the right going to left) hanging on to the ski rope with both hands. When I'm airborn, I can let go of my right hand and hopefully the force will help spin my body. If only I can jump high enough and spin hard enough to land that sucker trick.
I also noticed thanks to the video that on my usual heel side jump, I'm hanging on to the rope with my right hand, letting go of the left. Bad form, because when I land on the other side of the wake, my body would tend to twist counter clockwise. Hmmm. I wonder if my jump will improve if I hang on with left and let go with my right?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Caliraya Sports Week
Holy Week this year found us at the Caliraya lake house of Bong and Nix Arroyo. We made sure we didn't get bored and brought practically everything but the kitchen sink! 2 bikes and a kayak on top of the Terrano. I got a bit worried as we drove up the lake... my engine began to get really hot. Luckily the climb wasn't that long and we reached the top before the temp gauge hit red line.
The trail behind the Arroyo property at Lake Caliraya is a great place to bike. Quite technical because the trails are narrow and full of underbrush. Robin and I went through the same trail we did last September. 
Great views all around and a tough uphill climb on the way back from the end of the trail.
My favorite part of the trail is right at the highest point of Bong's property and just before the ride ends. You go down this really steep hill with your rear brakes fully locked. Despite this, gravity continues to pull the bike down so you need to apply the front brake carefully, too much and you do an "endo" (short for end over end). The hill is so steep I'm completely out of and behind my saddle. The two videos on this page will show a successful descent and the other a classic endo.
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