OpinionsFit to FunctionDone: 500-km endurance ride

Done: 500-km endurance ride

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By Archemedes C. Nellas

The much-awaited Giro ‘d Luca was finally held May 17 to 19 in the province Bohol. It was on its 7th year of Live, Ride, Celebrate, aiming to test every biker’s endurance. 500 kilometers was surely more than enough to test one’s stamina, right?

This Giro ‘d Luca biking event was born in 2012 with just a group of 20 friends, fellow bikers, biking around Bohol to celebrate the birthday of Italian resident, John Luca.

This year, the number of officially registered bikers reached 550.

The bikers came from all over the archipelago, according to Jonel Borromeo, CEO/manager of MotorAce, the event’s main organizer and sponsor.

The entire ride around Bohol is divided into three days: 180 kilometers for Day 1 and Day 2 (like the distance from Dumaguete to Sta. Catalina and back); and 140 kilometers for Day 3/final day (about the distance from Dumaguete to Manjuyod and back).

As a first-timer and an inexperienced cyclist at best, it was a huge challenge on my part.

Add to that challenge the fact that my bike was not a roadbike (that has thin tires), but a heavy mountain bike (with thick tires for better traction).

Giro d’ Luca is not a race, so it eased my mind a bit that I just needed to finish the fun ride, no matter what. I was thinking there ought not to be any pressure, as I had no record to break anyway.

Personally for me, I just wanted to see how far I could go on, and if I would be able to complete the three-day ride.

Day 1: Uphells
We reached over 1,500 meters elevation. For me, every push and pull of the pedal uphill felt like there was no end to it. At some point, I had to walk my bike on the steepest part of the course to conserve my energy, just so I would reach the 90-km turning point.

My quads were firing up as the distance totaled over a hundred kilometers already.

It was always a relief to stop at the water stations that, thankfully, were placed strategically along the entire route. The stations were a huge help for the recovery of the riders, especially for newbies like me.

Day 2: Rolling route
I felt some relief upon learning that this was going to be easier than Day 1. But lesson was quickly learned on the first 15kms: headwind was our primary challenge.

The route consisted of the coastal road-main highway of Bohol, descending into the town of Duero. It was a punishing cool breeze. I was dragging kilometer by kilometer. Despite pedalling against the wind, I was still able to appreciate the scenic view that was truly amazing.

I was reminded of a principle among mountain bikers: Stop and smell the flowers.

Day 3: The dagger
Initially, I could sense that almost everyone was quite excited, thinking that this was the final day; celebrating that some of us were up and about, having reached the final stage of the entire ride.

The route was going to make us traverse a man-made forest in the town of Bilar.

I was thinking “forest”, a scenic, cool place covered with the canopy of hundreds of trees. But before reaching the forest, we needed to compose ourselves as we would once again be climbing one the steepest parts of the course. To add to the difficulty, it was fraught with tight turns, sharing the road with a number of private vehicles and motorcycles and public transportation — so we clearly need to watch out for ourselves.

It was searing hot that day that we were just thankful it rained on us not only once but twice. It was such a great chance for us to relieve ourselves from the scorching heat of the sun.

The good thing about cycling is that along the way, new friendships are always formed, as bikers inspire fellow bikers to Just Keep Pedalling.

In this Giro event, I was by my lonesome 80 percent of the time. It may have been due to the kind of (heavy) bike I was using, or my lack of skill as an endurance biker, or due to sheer exhaustion.

But whenever a biker would pass me, they only had encouraging words to motivate me, and to not give up. You could always feel their genuine concern, adding to my mental toughness. Such, I think, is the world of happy bikers.

And because of that, I never felt alone during the entire three-day ride.

The quad-busting uphills, the speed-dragging headwind, and the heat of the sun were the perfect recipe for the three-day endurance ride. It surely was a challenge of anyone’s mental toughness.

Cycling is indeed a great reason to LIVE and accept whatever difficulties life may bring. Another reason to RIDE is to test our will, and to never give up, no matter what. And the best reason to CELEBRATE as each course is conquered and you get to the finish line alive and whole and just grateful.

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