Following the success of the Go For Gold Criterium Race Series 1 in the north, more local talent is expected to emerge in the Queen City of the South.
While Visayan riders have the opportunity to show their strength in the Go For Gold Criterium Race Heat 2, which will kick off on Sunday at City Di Mare in Cebu City.
Months after the Series 1 race in Clark, Pampanga, promising riders from the Visayas take their turn in this one-day speed contest at the new criterium center in Cebu.
One of the aims of the Criterium Race Series, which is expected to attract 500 riders from different categories including elite men’s and women’s and under-23 races, is to pave the way for more local heroes to be discovered in cycling.
“With Cebu being a hotbed of cycling and cycling talent, we hope there will be many spectators tuning in to our event,” said Go For Gold founder Jeremy Go.
“In addition to organizing safe and well-run races to elevate the sport of cycling in the Philippines, these races serve as talent identification.”
Marvin Mandac, a 17-year-old from Batangas, caught the attention of the Go For Gold Cycling Team during Criterium Race Series 1 last March after winning the junior category.
Marco Lumanog of Pangasinan also attracted attention after featuring prominently in the men’s elite category.
“Not every rider will have the opportunity, but this is a way to discover those talents. The best way to find them is to organize high-quality races where riders from remote areas can access and showcase their skills,” said Go For Gold project director Ednalyn Hualda.
Entries in the junior (17-18 years) and youth (15-16 years) categories, the men’s divisions aged 30-39 and 40 and over, as well as in the manager category will compete on the round-trip circuit in City Di Mare.
The men’s elite will race for 25 laps of the flat 1.1km course, while the women’s elite will complete 20 laps. The under-23 category will complete 30 laps, the youth and junior divisions plus men aged 30-39 and 40 and over will race for 20 laps and the managers’ group will cycle for 15 laps.
More than P200,000 in prize money is at stake, with the champion of the elite men’s and women’s categories receiving P20,000 each.
The final leg of this year’s criterium series is scheduled for September or October in Mindanao.
