Feuding cycling factions to unify soon
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 18 Jun 2010
Peace and unity within the local cycling community can finally be attained.
This, officials of the feuding Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (Philcycling), assured yesterday during the SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.
Lawyer and two-time tour of Luzon champion Cornelio Padilla, secretary general of the Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham ?Bambol? Tolentino faction and his counterpart in the Mikee Romero side Armando Bautista told their forum audience that the Philippine Olympic Committee-initiated move for the two groups to conduct a joint tryouts in the formation of the national team to the coming Asian Games could be a breakthrough towards ending a three-year animosity between the two factions.
Such leadership imbroglio has resulted in several embarrassment to the country in the international arena, the last one during last year?s Southeast Asian Games in Laos where the entire national team was barred from participation due to the riders? lack of licenses from the governing Union cyclist Internationale.
Tolentino?s group happens to be the one recognized by the UCI, a fact the POC refused to abide by recognizing instead the group of Romero despite the POC charter itself mandating that only national sports associations recognized by its International Sports Federation should qualify to be a member of the POC family.
?Very possible. It?s a good start,? Padilla, the 1966 and 1967 Tour champion and the only Filipino rider to finish an Olympic Games road race, a feat he accomplished in Tokyo in 1964 before turning pro, said when asked of the possibility of the warring factions agreeing to a permanent truce that will lead to the resolution of the leadership controversy.
Bautista, who clarified that Romero is just on leave and not resigned as reported by some newspapers, ?agreed, saying the fact that his and Padilla?s groups are now one in their attempts to form a strong Asiad RP team is an indication that the misunderstanding will finally be resolved.
?Mr. Romero is just very busy with his businesses. On leave lang siya at si Col. (Arnold) Taberdo is just an acting president. In fact, Mr. Romero promised to give incentives to whoever riders will win medals in the Asian Games,? Bautista said.
?That?s why we are ?thankful to the POC in initiating this joint tryouts because that opened the avenue for us to at least agree on a common goal, that is to form the strongest possible team for the Asiad,? he said in reference to the proposal made by POC media bureau chief Joey Romasanta which the two groups adopted.
As agreed upon during a mediation meeting held Tuesday between the two factions and POC mediator Moying Martelino, the series of tryouts starts July 9 and 10 where the road events ? mass start and individual time trial ? will be held at the Subic Bay circuit.
This will be followed by the mountain bike events consisting of downhill and cross country races on July 11.
Track events consisting of the 1-km ITT, 4-km individual pursuit, Olympic sprint for men and women and kerin and 50-km. point race for men will be held July 12 and 13 at the dilapidated Amoranto Velodrome in Quezon City.
Padilla said the five-day tryouts needs a P900,000 funding which will come from either the POC or the Philippine Sports Commission.
?The best riders that will emerge from the tryouts, regardless of what factions they belong will represent the country in the Asian Games this November (in Guangzhou, China),? Padilla and Bautista assured.
Padilla though said competing in the Asian Games will be tough for the Filipino riders who will be up against their counterparts from the former USSR, considered as among the best in the world having the experience of competing in the Tour de France
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