Sarangani becoming haven for sports tourism

By JUN RAMOS KIAMBA, Sarangani (May 15, 2012) – Sarangani is becoming a haven for sports tourism, a tourism official said, with the biggest national cycling stage race kicking off in Sarangani right after the Sarangani Bay Festival. SarBay Fest will be held in Gumasa where Singapore’s leading adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow with two of the Philippine’s finest kayakers Erwin “Buzzy” Budlong of Cebu and Arnel Gabutero of Davao City started on August 31, 2009 the first-ever attempt to kayak the entire length of the Philippines that ended 3,300 km. away in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. “Just like the Sarangani Bay Fest which happens in May 18-19 and bringing about 800 sports enthusiasts to enjoy Sarangani Bay through Fun Run, the 15-kilometer Swim-Across-the-Bay, paragliding, jetski offshore adventure, bancarera and other beach sports,” Regional Tourism Council chair Michelle Solon said LBC Ronda Pilipinas is bringing in “96 athletes in 16 teams competing in different stages and venues in the Philippines.” “LBC Ronda Pilipinas, a national road biking competition, has chosen Sarangani as the starting point of its Mindanao Leg,” said Solon, who also chairs the Provincial Tourism Council. “LBC Ronda is going to do their time trial on May 23 at the Provincial Capitol and inviting even local road bikers of Sarangani to participate in the time trial,” said Solon. “On May 24, the real race happens starting from General Santos to Kiamba and back with about 180 kms on this leg of the race,” Solon added. Jaideep Chulani, project director of Ronda Pilipinas 2012, has informed Governor Migs Dominguez that “the race will start in Sarangani and reach General Santos City, Kiamba and Davao City passing through various town and municipalities of Sarangani Province.” Ronda Pilipinas 2012 - the biggest national cycling stage race covering Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – “will feature at least 96 Filipino cyclists vying for cash prizes totaling almost 8 million Pesos, the biggest prize ever for local cycling,” said Chulani in a letter to the governor. “Together we can maximize the impact of this massive sports event upon your constituents and the public at large. Ronda Pilipinas 2012 will be an exciting sports event and tourist attraction that will encourage people to love our country and take up cycling which is an eco-friendly sport,” Chulani said. The organizers have mapped out a 2,077 km route, up from last year’s 1,650 km, that will take the riders from Mindanao to Northern Luzon and back to Manila in the 19-day, 15-stage competition which starts with a 20km prologue - an individual time trial - in Sarangani on May 23 and ends with a 15-lap race on June 10. The organizers said riders will be ferried from all over the country to Sarangani starting May 20 in time for the prologue three days later. The 15 regular stages have an average distance of 138 km with 13 of them on flat roads, putting the riders in a race against time right in the first stage, a 183.3 km ride from General Santos City to Kiamba, Sarangani and back to General Santos. The other stages and their distances are Stage 2, GenSan to Davao (143.2km), Stage 3, Tagum City-Butuan City (225.7km), Stage 4, Butuan-Surigao (118.7km), Stage 5, Ormoc-Tacloban (146.6km), Stage 6, Tacloban-Calbayog (170km), Stage 7, Legazpi-Naga (115km), Stage 8, Daet-Lucena (209.2km), Stage 9, Lucena-Antipolo (154.6km), Stage 10, San Fernando, Pampanga-Cabanatuan (119.4km), Cabanatuan to Lingayen (Stage 11), Lingayen to Baguio (Stage 12), another time trial in Baguio (Stage 13), San Fernando, La Union to Tarlac (Stage 14) and Valenzuela to Manila (Stage 15) on June 10, according to the organizers. (Jun Ramos/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)