Niño Surban competes in the final of the “Race Against Drugs & Bike To Stay Healthy Against Covid” on March 28, 2021, in Barangay Sandayong Sur, Danao City, northern Cebu. | file photo courtesy of Juneds Photography
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Danao City in northern Cebu, which is known for its unforgiving mountain terrains in mountain bike, will likely become the home for the cyclists of the national team for mountain bike in the coming months.
This after, Danao City, offered billeting quarters and a training camp for the Philippine national team for mountain bike.
Danao City is considered the epicenter for mountain bike events not just in Cebu, but in the south. It hosted the 2005 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) mountain bike event along with other international MTB races.
According to PhilCycling vice president and Danao City Sports Commission (DCSC) chief Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez Jr., they already offered the PhilCycling as well as the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to host the mountain bike national team’s training camp for the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in November.
If finalized, it will be a perfect place for the cyclists of the national team to sharpen their mountain bike skills as Danao City is well known for its unforgiving terrains and most of all its genuine hospitality.
“The PSC and POC already called for LGUS to adopt a national team. Danao already offered to the federation (PhilCycling). We’re already finalizing it,” said Rodriguez Jr.
Last April, POC and PSC asked for the support of LGUs to help them adopt national teams by housing them, providing them suitable training venues annd other sponsorship aspects for training.
Danao City recently hosted a three-leg mountain bike event dubbed as the “Race Against Drugs & Bike To Stay Healthy Against Covid”. It drew more than a hundred participants including SEA Games gold medalist and national team member Niño Surban.
Also, the city is set to host the national team qualifying events, the “2021 Philippine National MTB XCO & DH Championships”. The XCO (cross-country) championships is slated on June 11-13 while the downhill (DH) is on August 27 to 29, 2021.
/dbs
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