The Embassy of France to the Philippines and the Firefly Brigade, Inc. present the first ever Tour de Manille cycling race on Sunday, July 9, 2017 at the North Park SM by the BAY, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines this year.
Inspired from the common passion of French and Filipinos for cycling, Tour de Manille (Tour of Manila) is also a platform for express France’s commitment to strengthening global camaraderie through sports.
A press statement on the event notes, “This commitment is at the heart of Paris’ candidacy to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the slogan #VenezPartager (#MadeForSharing), Paris 2024 aspires to be a meaningful opportunity for athletes from all over the world to share emotions, ideas, progress, and innovation through sports.”
Incidentally, the Tour de Manille is also in line with the famous Tour de France, the biggest annual sporting event in the world, which happens on July 1 to 23, 2017. The cycling competitions was first held in 1903 and today has become a test of endurance and will among the world’s best and strongest cyclists. On the other side of this intense contest, however, the French countryside becomes the amazing backdrop of this event that has several legs passing through provinces like Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and finally, Paris.
Audiovisual Attaché, Embassy of France. Photo sourced from the Facebook page of the Embassy of France in the Philippines.
For Tour de Manille, cyclists are invited to cover a 5-kilometer route for the following cycling categories and scedules:
1. Fun Ride and Chase (5 a.m.)
Open to all ages and bicycle types. A challenging case will commence during the last lap of the Fun Ride, where the participants, after a 2-minute head start, will be pursued by professional cyclists from Team 7-Eleven-Road Bike Philippines-Taokas, the only Philippine Continental Team registered with the International Cycling Union.
2. Competitive race (6 a.m.)
Sportif Class for Men—open to male cyclists 17 years old and above
3. Competitive race (6:45 a.m.)
Sportive Class for Women—open to female cyclists 17 years old and above
4. Le Grand Spectacle Elite Pro-Class (7:30 am)
A fierce but friendly competition with participants from the best of the country’s road race cyclists representing groups such as Team Go for Gold, the steadfast Team Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance and Team 7-Eleven-Road Bike Philippines-Taokas
The first 300 riders will receive the symbolic Medallion Rouge (Red Medal) for courage (as inspired from the Tour de France where they award the Red Number for the most aggressive and combative rider), while the top 3 winners of the races will receive medals and cash prizes.
Registration is extended until July 7, 2017 through Bikers’ Cafe at the SM by the BAY in Pasay City and the Firefly Brigade Office in Quezon City.
The 1st Edition of Tour de Manille is organized by the Embassy of France to the Philippines and the Firefly Brigade Inc., in cooperation with SM by the BAY, Seafood Island, Bikers’ Cafe, and Bike Town Cyclery, and with the generous support of Peugeot Philippines, DataOne Asia, 7-Eleven, Shimano, and media partners Solar Sports, the ABS-CBN News Channel, Rogue Magazine, L’Officiel Manila, and Manilascope.
This event is organized as part of “PhilFrance: Feel French!” a year-long festival to celebrate 70 years of friendship between France and the Philippines.