CADLAN, PILI – Three hundred sixty-eight cyclists – amateurs and professionals – have signed up for the 10th straight year staging of the famed Tour of CamSur 2007, a stiff mountain bike race that forms part of the colorful and exciting activities of the annual Kaogma Festival on May 19-27, 2007.

        This year’s bike race has been trimmed down to a leaner, sleeker 3-day, 3-lap race that will take off in breathtaking Caramoan on May 19 traversing the killer mountain route of Presentacion, Lagonoy, San Jose, Goa, Tigaon ending the first lap in the quaint, idyllic town of Sagnay. Next day’s lap race, May 20, will start on the mountain slopes of barangay Bongalon in Sagnay and will pass by barangays Minadongjol and Kilantaao then onto barangay San Ramon in Iriga City, Buhi, Baao, Bula, thus, effectively racing through the stretch of the fourth district of Camarines Sur, then coursing through barangay Mataoroc in Minalabac, barangay Grijalvo in San Fernando then ending stage two of the race at the poblacion. The final lap – May 21 – will kick off at the town plaza of San Fernando proceeding to the Capitol Complex via Pamplona, Sipocot, Cabusao, Libmanan, San Fernando, Milaor, Almeda Highway in Naga City, and Pili.

        Awarding of prizes will commence in the afternoon of May 21 at the special Kaogma stage within the Capitol Complex grounds. For its decade run, the race categories have been adjusted to the Open Individual (Best Time) Category and the Team Category as recommended by PhilCycling, the governing body of all cycling races in the country today. Once again, the said body sanctions the race this year.

        The participants came from all over Bicol region such as the provinces of Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, and Albay, the cities of Tabaco, Ligao, and Legazpi as well as other places like Pasay City, Tarlac City, General Santos City, Batangas, Calauag, Quezon, Malabon, Cavite, and Leyte.

        Organizers for the said race decided to shorten the laps and streamline the operation due to the searing heat experienced this summer that might lead to unforeseen mishaps like heat strokes and similar health concerns brought about by the heat wave that could best be avoided. JMTSantelices