Birth of cycling rivalry

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

YEAR 1956 was when the first multi-stage bicycle road race was born. It was then called the “Tour of Luzon”, a one week road battle exclusively for professional cyclists. That was also the birth of professional cycling in the country.

Sta. Rosa, Laguna-born Antonio Arzala won the event while our very own Rufino Gabot from Manaoag town took the first runner-up plum. Our Pangasinan-Ilocos squad topped the team competition and defended the team supremacy thrice from 1957 to 1959.
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Kudos

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I WOULD like to congratulate our Region 1 athletes especially our basketball team that bagged the bronze medal in the just concluded 2008 National Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) Games held in Zamboanga City from April 6 to 14.

They made history by placing third, since we joined this annual meet four decades ago the highest position we’ve gained.

Coached by well-known Pangasinan tactician Renato “Jack” Vidal, our Region 1 quintet was composed of only 10 dribblers from the University of Luzon (UL) and Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU).
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Pangasinan athletes shine again

By Jesus A. Garcia

THE five-day Tour de East Java bicycle marathon where our local boys participated was concluded last Sunday and our all-Pangasinense squad representing the Philippines landed fifth out of 22 teams from different countries in Asia including the host Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Iran, Qatar, Taiwan, China, Kazakhstan, Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as from Europe and Australia.

This was the first time that we sent a local team abroad and also the first time that we placed fifth in an international competition.

The European-trained Iranians, spearheaded by veteran Asian Games medalist Gradel Mizbani, won both the team and the individual events.
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Sportsfest in Bangus Festival

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

NO doubt that the city of Dagupan is the bangus capital of the world. Our government officials, then and now, are doing their utmost to promote this milkfish worldwide.

The city government even tried and was successful in breaking the world’s longest grill in 2004 for the Guinness Book of World Records until it was surpassed recently.

According to Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, this year’s chairperson for the Bangus Festival, the event will officially open on April 16 at 1:00 p.m. through the Gilon-Gilon ed Baley and the annual street dancing competition to be held at M.H. del Pilar street and A.B. Fernandez avenue, respectively.
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First time

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

THE first time a multi-stage bicycle road race was held in the country was in 1955. That was the Manila-Vigan run won by Sta. Rosa, Laguna son Antonio Arzala.

That event, organized by the late Atty. Geruncio Lacuesta, a native of Bayambang, also marked the birth of professional cycling in this country.

The following year, a bigger and more well-organized bikathon was staged, a week-long road battle called “Tour of Luzon.”

Again the sturdy rider Arzala topped the event. Local boy Rufino Gabot from Manaoag landed a close second.
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Respect the verdict

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

WE, the boxing aficionados, watched that colossal battle between our very own Manny Pacquiao against Mexico’s best Juan Manuel Marquez for the 130-pound World Boxing Council title fight.

We already know the result.

Although Pacquiao’s victory was not convincing, not clear, or questionable, Pacquiao is still the winner.

We have to respect the verdict of the three judges.

Because of that third round knockdown he scored, that made the big difference, as many said. Two of the three judges gave him a nod.
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Torn between my two “blood”

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

BY THE time you read this piece, I surmise that the much-touted and much-awaited Pacquiao-Marquez II world title fight may probably just about to start or in progress or could even be already over.

As I said before, my forecast is a victory for the Mexican world champ Juan Manuel Marquez by a decision.

But let me clarify that by picking Marquez to win, it doesn’t mean that I’m anti-Manny Pacquiao. It is that I just want to play the role of contravida this time. (And for being a villain, I was drowned out by an avalanche of bettors in my village who are pro-Paquiao. I’m not a gambler so I just accepted one, a friendly bet for a case of beer).
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Hectic Days

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

FOUR of the last five Sundays, I was vexed and exasperated due to the heavy workload preparing four cycling events, plus some basketball games that I covered and organized.

The latest was the much-awaited and touted Mangaldan bikefest dubbed as “Werweran” held last Sunday and the basketball Goodwill Games last Monday at Macario Ydia Development Center.

Both events were projects of Mayor Herminio A. Romero and the bike tilt was assisted by VM Pedro A. Surdilla, Jr., the town’s fiesta executive committee chairman, Dr. Demosthenis Ydia, Councilors Alberto Fabia, Johnny Valencia and this piece maker.
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My life in cycling and basketball

By Jesus A. Garcia

DURING the last three weeks, my attention was focused on basketball and cycling events.

As the race director of the cycling races conducted in the province over the last three Sundays, it had been my responsibility to make the road battles as successful as I possibly could. Had the events had turned into a flop, I would have been the principal person to be blamed. It is about command-responsibility, ‘ika nga.

I was deeply involved, too, in basketball being the sports consultant of the University of Pangasinan (UPang) whose high school and college players recently saw action in some big tournaments in the province and recently, in Cebu.
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Pangasinan athletes shine anew

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

LAST week I wrote about our victorious Pangasinan pedal pushers conquering two separate big races in the southern part of Luzon.

They were San Jacinto son Reynaldo Navarro and Mangaldan’s promising amateur star Ariel Flores clinching the annual one-day Tour de Calatagan in Batangas in a one-two fashion finish and Asingan  pride Baler Rabina ruling the yearly one day Tagaytay City Challenge.

Both events were run in the mountainous terrain of the provinces of Laguna, Cavite and Batangas.

Navarro received P10,000 plus P2,000 for capturing the ‘mountain king’  plum, Flores netting P8,000, and Ravina bagging P15,000.
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