MANILA, Philippines – After four successful stagings, including last year's first ever international edition, LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2015 goes grassroots by requiring participating teams to field half their six-man roster with under-23 riders.
Ronda sports development head Moe Chulani said each teams will have to enlist one junior cyclist aged 17 to 18 years old and two more 19 to 22-year-old riders who would be apart from the three elite members above 23 years old.
"LBC Ronda Pilipinas is veering towards to helping the country's grassroots development program in cycling because we know there are many untapped talents out there," said Chulani.
Ronda's new ruling was borne out of LBC's dream of producing a talented crop of riders who could end up representing the country in international races like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, the Olympics and the Tour de France.
Chulani also announced that the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2015 edition, tentatively set in January or February next year, will have a new format compared to the previous four stagings.
This time, Ronda will hold three legs, one in Mindanao, another in the Visayas and the last in Luzon.
The Mindanao and Visayas stages will be opened exclusively to Filipino cyclists spread through 10 to 12 teams with the top half of it advancing the Luzon stage where they will be joined by an equal number of foreign contingents.
The Mindanao leg will be a four-stage race that is being planned to go through Cagayan de Oro, Iligan via Marawi, Malaybalay in Bukidnon, Butuan City and Dinahilayan also in Bukidnon while the Cebu is another four-stage race consisting of laps in Dumaguete, Bacolod, Cebu via Toledo and Lapu-Lapu ending at Mt. View Resort.
The International race set in Luzon will have six stages consisting of the Batangas to Lucena via Laguna, Lucena to Antipolo, Quezon City to Tarlac, Tarlac to Dagupan, Dagupan to Baguio and Baguio City stages.
Expected to participate this early are the LBC-MVP Sports Foundation team, 7-Eleven/Roadbike under Bong Sual, Navy-Standard Insurance and Cycleline Butuan, where reigning Ronda champion Reimone Lapaza rode on his way to his sensational come-from-behind win.
Aside from big cash prizes courtesy of LBC, winners will have a chance to get noticed and possible the opportunity to ride for the youth-laden national team.