Le Tour de Filipinas gives way to Southeast Asian Games preparations

MANILA, Philippines — Oraganizers of the Le Tour de Filipinas (LTdF) have sought the rescheduling of the race’s 10th edition in its effort to actively join preparations for the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games and to allow adequate time for the rehabilitation of calamity-stricken provinces in the Bicol region.

UBE Media Inc. president Donna Lina said the LTdF was originally scheduled for Feb. 17 to 21 – this time as a five-stage race from the previous four stages to level up in its first decade.

But because of the country’s hosting of the SEA Games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 also this year, Lina stressed the LTdF’s role in helping prepare the country’s top riders for the biennial multi-sport regional competitions that the country is hosting only for the fourth time after 1981, 1991 and 2005.

UBE Media has written the International Cycling Union or UCI, the world governing body for cycling, through the Asian Cycling Confederation and PhilCycling under president Rep. Abraham Tolentino and chairman Bert Lina to move the race to June 14 to 18.

“The Le Tour organization wanted to help harness our cyclists to their best possible condition in time for the SEA Games,” Lina said. “And because of the recent calamity that struck Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon and the rest of the Bicol region, it has become more imperative that we postpone the race.”

Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon were declared under a state of calamity because of tropical depression Usman, which caused landslides and massive flooding in areas where the LTdF’s 10th editon would specifically pass through, particularly in the town of Sagnay which was badly hit.