The Philippine Outdoors

Hey! It’s been a while that I haven’t updated my blog and I’m sorry for that. Got too busy at work and always traveling in and out of the country since August for a very important project with the company I’m working with.
Though, with those frequent travel, I was able to squeeze some time for some mountainbiking activities, but, I haven’t put it here… Not much free time for my blogging, though.
Anyway, I tried getting a GPS track using my cellphone, a Blackberry Storm2, on my last Mt. Makiling ride last November 7th.
I uploaded it here if in case you need a gps track or direction to go there.

To download the gps track: right click this (in kml format) and save.
To view the google map in a new window with geotagged photos: click here

(continue reading…)

• The crowd with the “Makiling Team Gravity” people











(continue reading…)

I joined Rod and Tisoy, for its early morning ride (today) at Makiling-Rockgarden. This downhill trail at Mount Makiling inside University of the Philippines-Los Banos(UPLB) campus won’t be called a rockgarden if without rocks. True to its name, this trail are full of rocks! It’s not just a tiny bit, but those rocks are big. Big enough to destroy your bike or one of its component if you tackle it wrong. This is one of the few trails here in the Philippines that can give your bike and yourself a good workout.

(continue reading…)

I-On Mountainbike Race, the first mountainbike race held this year at San Mateo, Rizal. The race involves cross-country, downhill, dirtjump, and road racing with categories for every type of racers from beginners to professionals, from kids to adults, and for men and women. The event was successful as shown by the number of registered participants and spectators. The races were well represented nationally as riders as far as Baguio, Subic, Negros, and Cotabato converged in one area to race at their respective descipline.
I joined in Downhill-Executive. This category is for people aged 35 and above who loves the adrenalin rush. The downhill race started a bit late due to transponder problem, and we ended up using the stop watch instead to measure our time. That mistake can be forgiven as it is the first time we use it in our local race.
The first downhill category was released at lunch time, which made most of us hungry as we await for our turn. Still, the majority are quite happy with the race and that’s including me, of course. Perhaps, we’re just quite happy that a race was organized for us to compete and compare our capability with others. Though, there are things that needs to be improved if we want a race that is at par internationally.
As usual, Joey Barba got the best time for the downhill-open category with a time of 1:57:71(minutes:seconds:hundredths) followed by our National Youth member Scott Remi(1:58:37) and coach Eboy Farr(2:02:03).
Meanwhile, Another Joey (Rogers) was the king at Downhill-Novice category with a time of 2:06:74. Ex-pro Jay Teodoro got the best at Downhill-Executive category with a time of 2:18:96. Mark Gomez is the best among the young stallions at beginner category with a final run of 2:18:53.
For the complete race results, please visit the I-ON Extreme Mountainbike website and its multiply site for more photos…

(continue reading…)

Downhill run with the masters? Yes, it is. Philippine DH coach Eboy Farr, local Pro Jhong Sunga and ’09 TLBF DH executive winner Jing Malabanan is with us in this ride. As usual, it’s a good experience riding with this kind of peeps. You can learn a lot techniques watching them bombarding the trail.
But don’t always follow wherever they go, okay? Because following them will only leads you to two options. One is good and the other is… well, you might end up eating dirt…
There are 19 riders overall. It is basically a mixed of veterans, intermediates, and newbies. About 5 riders from South Cycles( Eboy and Jerich Farr, Alvin, and 2 neophytes), 3 from Cavite(Myself, Judy, and Edwin), ATO, Paul, Jhong, Ronnie, Rey, Ronnie’s korean friend, Jing Malabanan and his 2 companions from Batangas, and Kelly and his brother.

A short Video of Eboy and Jerich Farr

(continue reading…)

Well, this is my wife’s baptism of rocks and muds at Mt. Makiling-Mudspring trail. A day before, we have to decide between Nuvali track in Sta. Rosa or Mt. Makiling in Los Banos for our trail ride destination for the day. And, I opted for Makiling (where I can do downhilling) which she agreed.
Thus, it becomes her first trail ride on this beautiful mountain. It is challenging and exasperating for her as expected. And that she has to push her bike up during the first ascent and well….. most of the time towards mudspring…. and even on descent. But, that’s okay, because I don’t want her to have any accidents. I warn her to go slow on downhill and if necessary go down in your bike and just walk. And she did because she’s also afraid and at the same time careful.
Likewise, I met the Makiling Team Gravity riders on that day. It’s a pleasant reacquaintance for the group that I know and ride with for a long time, already. Since, I have to wait for my wife most of the time during our descent(downhill), I was able to get a small videos of them while going down. And it was also an opportunity for me to have my video taken in a downhill ride, since my wife is with me as my videographer.

(continue reading…)

It’s been a month that I’m out of the saddle due to typhoons onset every weekends. Weekend is my only time to bike and I was quite unlucky that every weekend, there’s an onset of typhoon. However, I still consider myself lucky considering how typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, brought havoc to the islands. While those 2 typhoons devastated most part of Luzon province, my family and I are safe from home. I opted to stay home as I feel won’t totally enjoy riding in the rain, just like my September 5th ride . Thus, after hearing the news that typhoon Pepeng went out of Philippine territory, and brought no more rain starting yesterday, Friday, I decided to pack-up my gears and be ready for a short and quick saturday ride. I have to do it quick because I have another paintball session with my colleague at Teradyne , on the same day.

When your riding alone, you wish you have a company to take pictures when youre bombing the trail.

(continue reading…)

I got confirmation Thursday evening from my ride buddies at Santa Rosa, Laguna that the planned downhill ride at Papis trail, Tagaytay City the next day(September 5) will push through regardless if it rain. Indeed it rain on that day. But not just an ordinary rain…………………………….. a heavy rain brought up by the incoming typhoon.

The trail becomes slippery, and flooded by rain. Tires can’t get enought traction. You can’t see what you’re really into. But that’s what mountainbiking is. Lots of challenges, fun and natural factors. You’ll never learn unless you tried it.

I can’t exactly count how many times i fell on my bike. But, after the ride smiles envelope us all.