TATTLE TALE - CARCAR ENDURO EDITION

TATTLE TALE - CARCAR ENDURO EDITION

I'll let you in for some juicy, classified  buzz. I almost miss that yummy lechon in Carcar, i almost miss meeting old acquaintances and friends from Cebu, i almost miss that epic enduro race in Carcar, why you ask? Our wicked uncle, (yes, uncle you are wicked) he asked me not to go to Cebu,  for reason we don't know. I was thinking why would you ask your managing director not go to the race she's suppose to manage, he casually said we need to make tipid, and " I can manage." he said,  on hind sight i wonder what could have happened if I didn't go there. I initially agreed not to go since i knew i will be back to  Cebu after our race in Carcar,  not as an organizer but this time, as a commissaire for the Philippine National Games in Danao City. Good thing our big boss Nestor Santamaria III interfered and ask me to go to Cebu. I was able to taste the famous Carcar lechon and we were able to stage the Carcar race successfully. 

    On our way to Carcar with our timing team

But wait there's more, our uncle must have pissed that i choose to go to Cebu and decided not to book a room for me or might have conveniently forgot to book a room, I was with our timers, all men with only 2 rooms reserved, so i did what any sensible person will do, ( the place was fully book and i don't have any other place to go) i joined the other two male timers in one room, so much for privacy. I haven't experienced anything like before after years of  organizing races but there is always a first time, right? And you can always take it as a learning experience or an eye opener, whatever suits you.  I know, it was not intentional, right uncle?  I swear, my simplistic, boring life has become interestingly challenging since ONE.

        On board Cebupac contemplating on lechon and chicharon

                                     

It occurred to me, I'm still lucky, because for years we've been organizing races and i only have this petty experience. But a lot of working women, who do not fit the jaded macho mentality of some brusque baboon especially in the field dominated by men, have far worst experiences. Although in this day and age, i think people are more inclined to choose competence, integrity, and conscientiousness over incompetence and meaningless show of machismo. In behalf of all the working women who has to endured such crassness and bullying from some senseless, rubbish men.  I hope men start to respect us and our abilities as a person. I simply hope for us to respect each other,  regardless of the sexual orientation, babae, lalaki, bakla, tomboy.  Hence, I applaud, the outstanding men i knew and the male friends i have, for appreciating  and seeing me wholly as a person. I'm glad i'm surrounded with outstanding men who know how to respect women.

                                           

I'm glad  i went to Carcar. I met Lorenzo from JN Trail Bangers and saw his cutie baby boy, I met Dave Chong from V12, i remember during our race in Bohol or is it in Cebu few years ago, i introduced him from V8, several times, it might  have pissed him big time. Now, i'll never forget V12 Rad Gear since they are our sponsor also we get our finishers jersey from their company. I had a chance with the V21 couple, Noe Jabonero and his lovely wife, Coodie Jabonero, their son,  joined the 19 and below category and won the sixth place.  Noe also won the 7th place in the 40 and up category. Congratulations to both of you. 

                                                         Tenten Yu from Humpers

I've met the adorable guys from Team Humpers except Dandan Tiu since he said he has to be in the states. Too bad, Bai Andy wasn't able to race, he got this nasty cut/bruise around his eyes, sumemplang na sa practice. Good thing, he was live on FB during the race but was strategically located in the super steep section, so we were able to witness the riders' "rise and fall"  in that steep section.  Butz Francisco, expertly navigated the steep section in contrast with Heydar Hosseini's most talked about semplang, marami kasing fans eh. But i'ld say this Tenten Yu's action pic is most instragram worthy,  pero helmet talaga nag dala dyan. Joke Tenten!

              Lorenzo Macasero, Joyce del Socorro, Nick Vleasco and myself

 The Outbreak and the JN Trail Bangers were there too, i finally got to see,  Ado Codera of Outbreak and Batchub Semblante of JN Trail Bangers.  I'm glad, i got to see Nick Velasco joining the hard tail cat, sponsoran nyo na po ng full sus ang batang yan, magaling po yan. Chok Bongcayao of the Rurok Factory Racing Team was there after championing the 20-29 category in La Union. It's nice to see Aaron Kisler of San Fernando Syndicate and other Cebu enduro riders to many to mention. 

Jay Ronald Lagoc of E-Team, Kenneth Banico of Dartmoor and Wendell Barba of Taokas/Team Barba

Elite category winners!

Gabriel Amigo III was the champion in our 3rd leg in La Union which happened two weeks before Carcar and has become champion again in our 4th leg in Cebu. Wendell Barba and the rest of  Barba Team was there. He was also the champion in the 30-39 category. We were planning on catching up after the race, too bad they have to go back right away to Dumaguete after the race. Matutuloy na yan for sure this September since we are going to stage another race in Dumaguete this September. I hope to see JR soon too. I know he is recuperating very well now.

                 

Rommel Ragasa, Rene Lutching, Francisco Trinidad and Doc Henry Dimaano

Of course the Reklamo Team, Rommel Ragasa and Nilo Estayo were there. Rene Lutching of Rottenwheels, who very much deserves a warm congratulations having won the second place in his category. Papi, Dru del Rosario also joined but was not lucky to go to the podium this time. Sir Francisco Trinidad from Biliran and Doc Henry Dimaano from Waka Boys, I'm delighted seeing you guys again.

Raul Tabil Jr. of Bikelab, Nilo Estayo of Reklamo Racing and Lawrence Aguinillo of Bikelab

The Bikelab elite group of riders from CDO were there, Raul Tabil Jr. was there, he won second place in the elite category. Apparently, elite rider Lawrence Aguinillo of Enduro Cam Sur is now a Bikelab rider. Totoo ba eto Mr. Renax Lim? lol

   Monching Balagot, Kenneth Banico, Mc Kevin Ruiz and Ed Matthew Razon

Congratulations to these outstanding group of youngsters who joined the race.  There were 26 riders in their category. Gerry James Guste from Kabado team came all the way from bicol. To Kenneth Banico, who's such a cry baby, in few years time binata ka na, wag ng iyakin ha.  He cried, thinking he didn't win because he encountered a mechanical problem with his bike during the last stage but he still won. 

                                        Yannie Alindao, Irene Robles, Ruby Jean Calatero

  Joyce del Socorro, Fredha Salonoy, Tyra Diez, Quennie Wei and Yannie Alindao

These seven gorgeous and courageous women,  braved the Carcar trail. I remember  Queenie, she's such a cutie you'll never thought she'll be able to shred those trail with her petite body but she did. Congrats Queenie and to your supportive boyfriend. Congratulations to all of you. 

                                                       Dashing MOAB group

          Misamis Occidental Asso of Biker, (MOAB). Inc.

Thank you to the  Misamis Occidental Asso. Bikers ( MOAB), Inc.  for the support. Mick Dinulos we missed you but we'll surely see you this December 8, 2018 for the Philippine Enduro Series Finale in Tangub City. 

Beerland Downhill Team

Team Outbreak thank you for the support

Team Sipat Cycle House Philippines

I'ld also like to thank the team from Hong Kong who joined our event, the Hong Kong Shun Lee Bike Shop Team, Tomas Tsz Hang Leung. Joe Sung, Pui Kin Lui and Paul Kam Po Cho. We hope you enjoyed our event.

To the teams I haven't mentioned yet, the Cebu Trail Blazers, Barili Team, Aguroy, Out of Control, Team Lockdown, TCS, Ten Percent, Bike Monkeys, Dirtmafia, Mt. Panamao MTB Club Biliran, Oz Racing Kokonut, Team Safety First, Leyte Pahoy, CMBN, Coat, Tyk Bike Hub Inc., Team Big Ring, JNB, Enduro CamSur, Singletrax Dipolog, Toptune Team Lakapa. Privateer, Proligid, Team Bpers, Team Alexandra thank you very much for your support. I'm thrilled to be able to meet you guys. 

   
Clark Bisda, Oliver Nebres, myself in the middle, Lester Lebumfacil , Arvin Hubalde

Finally, I'm grateful to these four men who helped me in Cebu. Thank you for helping us, ensure a great race in Cebu. 

PS

Bacnotan and Carcar actual race report to follow.

UNANG SALVO NG ONEnduro!

UNANG SALVO NG ONEnduro

Looking back at a successfully event, a grateful heart weaves an ode to those who in one way or another contributed to it.

But first, let me tell thee, the tale of ONEnduro. 

There was once a woman who desperately wanted to improve and change  how her former colleagues organize enduro events,  and a man who trusted her and shared  her vision of a more organized, more efficient and more fun  MTB Enduro events in the country.  They took on the challenge of  breaking out of the shadow of an unsavory organization and  formed a new, dynamic and  progressive one. They then merrily pedalled their way twist, bump, rough terrain and all ... and that ladies and gentlemen is  how ONEnduro  was born.  ONEnduro  means ONE NATION ENDURO  (ONE), our prolific creative director  Bhokie Senar, coined the name ONEnduro, thank you Bhokie for the name that singularly sums up our vision. To Nestor Santamaria III, the president of ONEnduro,  I know you are  an extremely low key person and you don’t want your name mentioned but allow me just this once to mention you and thank you for having my back,  there will never be ONEnduro without you.

Have you heard of the word “Nanganay”, that perfectly  sums up my Unang Salve sa Patiis Experience as an organizer?  ‘Birthing’ something isn’t exactly a holiday but as any mother will understand the analogy, after seeing those smiling, happy faces after the Unang Salvo sa Patiis event, it was all worth it.

Before we even  begin,  there was an unexpected knot  we have to clear and  I am grateful to my cousin for making my life easier  and helping me with it.  First lesson I learned, your family and your  trusted friend  will always have your back.

I would like to say thank you to the Batang Patiis group, especially to Mr. Jay Sanchez, for setting aside his affiliation with the  Enduro Alliance and accommodating us. Thank you for being our partner in the Unang Salvo sa Patiis, it was a breeze working with you  and the Batang Patiis group, sa uulitin. Thank you to Mr. Edrie Ocampo also from Enduro Alliance for being graceful and  joining the race.  Enduro Alliance mounts  enduro races in Luzon while we organize races from all over the Philippines, the Philippine Enduro Series.  Like what I’ve told Edrie, we are a small community and we only want the best for it. So collaboration will always be better than competition, that’s why I made it sure that our race schedules do  not overlap.  We will always  be supporting Enduro Alliance just like how they supported us.

To the wisdom shared by Mam Anna, Ives, Walrus, Dennis, and others (you guys know who you are) thank you! No word can express my gratitude! to all of you. I struggled to break free from the image of an old affiliation, that I have to make pronouncements about it. But I guess after Patiis, we have already proven that  this is a completely new group. We promise to work hard to be better, worthy of your trust and confidence.

To the other two members of our team,  Nammi Gardoce  our PRO, thank you for  easily trusting me after I asked you to join our team.  To our race director, Renan Ricafrente  thank you for completing our team ,  also thank you  for trusting us. Your dedication and  passion for the MTB sport is unparalleled.  I know we have a long way to go, challenges will always be there but with a strong team members like you guys, I will always be  confident and proud of our team.

To our marketing arm the RSBE, Ms. Lyn and Marie, to the Red Cross medics,  to Kuya Richard and the “mga batak sa Patiis,”   to Kuya Edong  of Edong’s Tapsi, to our sponsors and media partners, to the RUROK TEAM for rendering their services for free  and  installing the bike mechanic station to help  the riders during the race day. We are thankful to all of you.  To Mam Anna Liza Faminialagao of Sanduro/Basekamp, thank you mam for your support. To Mr. Ronald Dela Rosa for hosting our awarding ceremony, thank you sir. To the photographers, Ms.Isa Halamani of Rurok bike, Bernard Canlas, Team SER, Spokes and Gear Cycle Shop, Foto Xycle, Olive and Zelle Cinco.  The riders are always looking forward to their action shots, so thank you sa inyong mga mamimitik, pinaligaya nyo ang mga riders sa inyong mga petmalu na pitik.

Elite Category winners

Finally to all the teams who  supported us,  thank you very much. You guys are our inspiration, to deliver the best for you. Team Prima, Norco Phils., TYK Bike Hub, Team Commencal PH, Ground Zero, Enduro Cam Sur, SPD8, Hopecycle, Bicrosser, G-fort,  Giant Factory Off Road team, Joyride, Teamburgy Racing, Dirt Monkeys, Trail Extreme , K&K, LUAt, Attack, Team Brownrice, Sampaloc Enduro Racing, Mandirigma 109 , Rottenwheels, Batang Patiis, MSCP, MFR, Reklamo Racing Team, 80’s Gravity, MTBx4ULUL, Batang ulol, Sandugo Basekamp, IMPERIAL, SIPAT DNF, Weekend Rider, Bike Line-VSKS, Giant MFR, Drift77, Navigator, KFT, Gelos Cycling Apparel, 1FDR, BMXERs80s, Spoke and Gears  Race Team, Endurojunkies ph,GMTB, Free agent, Sessionistas, Tag-BUNDOK, ALERT, Privateer, TGH,   Team Sarapok, Team Birdland, SCRacing, Tagyuna,  Pineapple Express, Team Haooh Ciclismo,  Kona Racing Philippines, FUA, HAGZPAGZ, Dirty Drankers, WIFE, Team Brusko, ZE4400, Peashoot, Churva, 922 Cycle Team,  KKK, NOOB, Yakan Team, ZERO,  Team Basilan, MBC Ph, Mudbikers, TeamPadJAC, IloveKC, Team Group Hug, & Padyak Jubail.

Of course thank you to my family, to  my husband who supports me 101% and to my two daughters who constantly cheer on me. I am grateful to the three of you, for the love and support.  Going home after the race day, I was dog tired, but when my daughter asked  me, “So mommy,  how was the race?” I said, “I think it went pretty well! “, then she said, “ That’s nice! Congratulations! “ , I think that was the best compliment I have ever received in a long time.

Lastly, to everyone who supported us, maraming  maraming salamat.

ROBINSONS METROEAST INDOOR BIKE CHALLENGE

ROBINSONS METROEAST INDOOR BIKE CHALLENGE
by: Ione Baron Mejia

Weekend check. Yours was fabulous for sure. Mine, too.

I have discovered a whole new exciting, cardio bursting,  sweat inducing world of the indoor biking. I've been hearing about spin class, soul cycle class, cycling class, they come in different names but it's an indoor biking class and i haven't experienced it yet. Let's just say, it's because we are geared more into the woods, the trails and the mountains.

I was one of the bloggers invited to attend the Robinson's Metro East In Door Bike Challenge  powered by San Marino Tuna last Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Pasig City. When asked if i wanted to join the race, i was thinking, it's a freaking 20 mins in door biking, how hard could it be, of course i'll join. This may sound as an excuse but like any other working mother out there, ( I am a practicing CPA,  i have two outlandishly smart daughters, an adopted strange cat and quirky husband to attend to) time management is a challenge,  I haven't been on the saddle for a month and on top of that i was having a flu, I was having a runny nose during the race. But still indoor biking, it wouldn't be that hard, right? Wrong!!!

The event was very well organized and i appreciate the fact that it was catered for all ages. My daughters had fun with the Kinect and WII. And since it was held at the mall, mall rats were treated to some healthy treats. Kudos to San Marino Tuna and Robinson's mall for advocating a healthy lifestyle. There was food tasting. The San Marino corned tuna, was the star of the event, it has the delicious taste of corned beef with the health benefit of tuna and it has less oil than the usual tuna flakes. After tasting it, my daughters were raving for it.  San Marino  corned tuna and crackers, is the new puto and dinuguan, its the new millennial's food combo. It's affordable and healthy even better for people watching their weight like myself.

                                  Food sampling is a must!

                  Even senior citizens got their hands on Kinect and the Wii

                                   There were free BMI and BP check!

                              Diet consultation is also free for everyone!

                                          The photo booth was a hit.

                                             My girls and I queuing!
                                     

Do you know what i like best in the event? It was the race itself. I was not prepared and i have underestimated the race that i don't know anything about. But i like it because it was a learning experience for me. First two mins of the race, i knew i will have a hard time with it, my thought was, why did i join this, i could just have blogged it without joining this. It was hard to pedal since the intensity was adjusted, it's like you're biking uphill continuously for 20 mins, i wanted to stand up but for some reason i can't. I keep telling myself, you have finish this, your children are watching.  This has reminded me of the cardinal rule before racing, 1. you have to prepare yourself,   2. be sure you are physically fit.  It was foolish of me to join without any preparation and while having a flu. Lesson learned, know what you are getting into and never ever assume.

                                                         #alamnathis

Finally got my finisher's certificate.

You may ask, why is it hard? Remember when you were still a newbie in mountain biking, your friends invited you, sabi dyan lang kayo sa tabi, yon pala sinabak ka sa ahunan, ganon ang pakiramdam. Imagine 20 mins kang papadyak ng ahon ng walang pahinga at hindi ka pwedeng mag adjust ng gear,   pabilisan yon  ha. Masaya di ba? Kailangan talaga ng ensayo don. But aliw ako kay grandmang  sumali, panis kay lola, palibhasa best in spin class yata. At dahil dyan mag spin class na rin ako. Magandang pang cross training pero san kaya meron sa Quezon City?

Congratulations to Robinsons Metroeast and San Marino Tuna for the successful event and for promoting the healthy lifestyle.  Hopefully, next year a lot of people can join and experience the Indoor Bike Challenge.

                                   Congratulations to the winners!

Congratulations to King Filart - Champion 

Again, congratulations Robinsons Metroeast and San Marino Tuna for mounting a successful event. We look forward to year 3 of the Indoor Bike Challenge! 

A VERY ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP

The Rocky Mountain Cup held last March 11, 2017 in Iba and Botolan, Zambales. It  was a rocky event, literally and figuratively. Literally, because the trail was not only a rock garden, it was a F&*$%#$ ROCKY MOUNTAIN, figuratively, well,  it's more fun to let you all speculate and let all of your imagination run wild. lol

 These are the very rocky trails of Zambales.

It was almost barren.

With only a handful of trees.

I had fun with this race, i got to guest in the Dateline at ANC  and in Pambansang Almusal at  Net25 to promote the race. Although I'm always been comfortable with my own body and my weight,and I always believe that you have to accept your own uniqueness and that people come in different sizes, that  small or extra small is not a universal size,  maybe so in real life, but apparently not on TV. I look huge, and admittedly i look ugly. hahahaha. 

I honestly don't remember what i said there, i just remember being so nervous, it was so formal and everyone was so quiet  and serious. 

This one of the very few times I've got full make up on since i'm a lippy girl, i would just put on lipstick and I'm good to go. Pambansang Almusal has it's own,very friendly make up artist.

I mentioned, it was a rocky event right, It was rocky for us, the moment we ride up the coaster going to Zambales.   We were picked up by a coaster from Zambales in Tiendesetas at 10PM Thursday night ( March 9) after waiting waiting for more than two hours, then, let's just say i decided to forget whatever happened there. On handsight, maybe the driver was just hungry, we did not asked them or offered them dinner before we head back to Zambales. I'm just glad i was with Joyce and Nilo during the whole trip. being with the people you like can turn an unpleasant experience into a funny narrative tale afterwards.

Meet the elite riders in the Rocky Mountain Cup!!!

To all the participants thank you for joining. We hope you enjoy the very rocky trail of Zambales.