With modest Asian Track goals, PH reboots cycling program
With the continent’s best riders part of the 600-strong field in the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) Track and Para Track Championships, it is easy to understand why the country has modest goals in the tournament being held at Tagaytay CT Velodrome.
“I don’t expect any medal or podium finish here for our track cycling team,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said at the sidelines of the tournament’s opening day in cool Tagaytay City, a popular summer getaway destination.
Tolentino, who is also president of PhilCycling, believes that exposing talented Filipino cyclists to world-class competition will be the key to taking the sport to the next level.
“We’re starting from scratch … we’re still calibrating and adjusting,” Tolentino said.
“So we will learn, little by little, and we will soon learn it.”
Golds at stake
At stake during the event are 44 gold medals, while 30 golds are up for grabs in the para track competitions.
Also present during the opening ceremony was Philippine Sports Commission chair Patrick Gregorio, who called the event “a dream come true” for a country hoping to revitalize the local cycling scene and achieve the goal of putting a Filipino rider in the prestigious Tour de France.
“We finally hosted this event after 31 long years. And it is really a dream come true for Philippine sports,” Tolentino said. “We are thankful to ACC and UCI for helping us.”
Joining Tolentino and Gregorio were ACC president Dato Amarjit Singh Gill, alongside Mayor Brent Tolentino, Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo, Uzbekistan Cycling Federation secretary general Khurshid Atakulov Bakhodirjanovich and Saudi Cycling Federation president Abdulaziz Al-Shahrani.
A total of 16 countries will gun for Asian titles in the tournament at the venue, which has become the Philippines’ main cycling hub after the iconic Amoranto Velodrome in Quezon City was demolished.
