It was love at first ride.
Reigning Miss Sikad Sugbo Khirsten Zia Giango started biking when she was still a kid.
“It was just an ordinary bike with training wheels ’till I learned how to balance. I then switched to a folding bike, which I used for a very long time,” said the 20-year-old stunner.
As time passed, Giango got busy in school and became more interested with team sports.
She fell in love with cycling once again when she rediscover her passion last January 2021.
Khirsten Zia Giango with her road bike. | Photo courtesy of IskwadTv
Khirsten Zia Giango rides her road bike. | Photo courtesy of Carmen Maniniyot
“I thought nga wala lang, mag bike ra ko kay ga bike sad akong friends. But then as time passed, I eventually realized that biking isn’t just riding your bike, pedaling, and roaming around places, but it’s also bonding and treasuring even the smallest amount of time with the people who were just strangers in your eyes before but they are your people now,” she said.
‘In biking, you get the opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the scenery, and the fresh air. The simplicity of just riding your bike is already beautiful enough to think of, you’ll eventually love the essence of it’
Biking also taught her a lot, such as managing her time, dealing with stress and the negativity in life.
“The greatest advantage that biking gave me is that I learned how to self manage my time as well as a way to cope up with stress and escape from negativity,” Giango said.
For her, biking does not only help her feel good, but also improve her productivity as well.
Since she started biking, Giango has been a regular face in bike routes in Cebu.
In fact, she won the Miss Sikad Sugbo title last 2021.
She also joined the Cross Cebu 600 under the 100-kilometer women’s category from Mandaue City to Bogo City last year. It was her first road race.
READ: FACES OF CEBU: Khirsten Zia Giango, 19, Miss Sikad Sugbo 2021
She also is now an endorser of a famous local brand of cycling apparel.
“What motivates me to continue biking is the people that I meet along the road, cyclists themselves. Meeting these people really make me feel that I am part of the cycling community. They greet, they nod, or even smile whenever we pass by each other. I really believe that the cycling community is like a whole big family where everyone help out each other, push each other, and encourage each other to be better. It’s just something you couldn’t let go easily,” Giango said.
/bmjo
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