TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD Emmanuel Dave Montemayor banked on his familiarity of the routes in a much different 7-Eleven 40-km cross-country mountain bike race at the trails of Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal recently.
As a result, Montemayor took the overall top honors for a third straight time, this time with rival James Carl de la Cruz chasing him in the last 100 meters of an uphill trek to the Skyline finish line.
The 5’8” Montemayor was a second ahead of De la Cruz when he checked in with a time of an hour and 47.06 seconds.
“Sabi ko pa sa sarili ko na malakas ako sa mga ahon. Kaya pinatunayan ko po ito sa pagkuha ng pangatlong championship,” said Montemayor, who hails from Meycauayan, Bulacan.
De la Cruz was second at 1:47.07, with Jerico Rivera in third at 1:48.29.
Montemayor’s good fortunes earned him the P25,000 top purse, just a day before he was to plunge into action in the weeklong PhilCycling National Championships in Tagaytay City.
“Sana maka-medal pa po ako,” added Montemayor.
Later, Nicole Quinones again celebrated with her father, former national champion Eusebio Quinones when she went home with the top women’s honors.
The 23-year-old Quinones, taking a break from her stint from her professional club team competing in Indonesia, ruled the women’s category in 2:12.40, with national team member Shane Yao behind by a second (2:12.41).
Adel Pedijas settled for third in 2:16.07.
The elder Eusebuo Quinones took the crown in the men’s 55-year-old category.
The route was again changed, with the trails located inside the newly-opened Timberland Mountain Bike Park, and with two 2-km uphill routes, making the event a challenge.
Vic Paterno, president and CEO of 7-Eleven Philippines, watched the race while riding a personal e-bike. He was happy with the participation of 1,400 entries, 200 more than last year.
“This is okay, considering we had more before the COVID-19 pandemic. MTB is now coming back. Now we want to get back to 3,000,” said Paterno, “I think we have made a positive impact on Philippine cycling. As a former amateur racer myself, I feel like I owe a lot to Philippine cycling in terms of keeping me healthy, keeping me motivated, keeping the mind fresh and learning how to compete again.”
The event reflects 7-Eleven’s commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle and environmental appreciation, and with the competitions held at the Timberland Heights, one of the premier trail locations in the country, has been key to the event’s success, with participants eager to explore more of its trails.
