13th Tour of the Fireflies; 2011

13^th Tour of the Fireflies, 2011

             

            This is the first time we joined this annual bike tour. This experience is intense, tough, as well as challenging, and really fun. For the sake of the environment, and for the implementation of bicycle lanes and parking racks, we rode a distance if 42kms, that’s just for the actual tour. But our group, we still have to go home by bike. In spite of the fact, it is the most gratifying experience in this point of our (my friends and I) lives. Why? This is why?

Before the actual tour, we had to go to the event proper; it was an approximately 1hour trip from Santa Cruz, Manila to Tiendesitas, Pasig City. There were no problems during the trip from our house to Tiendesitas. We arrived there, got ready for the actual tour, and we took our rests for an hour.

Then the time to ride out came. Exactly 7:00am, we started to move out of Tiendesitas and headed to CCP in Pasay City. On our way there, the pace was relaxed with a speed of 15-20kms/h. there were some problems along the way, including one cyclist crashing due to collision with another biker, another had heat stroke in the beginning part of the route; - we are glad the those cyclists were Okay - but we kept our minds on the road, and rode happily and optimistically.  

    

We arrived in the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City approximately 10:30am. As we were entering the C.C.P grounds, we heard a hissing sound as if a tire’s air has escaped the tire. We were surprised to see that the rear tire of my friend’s mountain bike was flat. Some bikers saw our problem and offered help to repair my friend’s bike tire. Unfortunately, the bike’s inner tube was ripped apart. – Maybe because of the pressure caused by the intense heat of the sun – They (the bikers) said that the only solution to the problem is to change the inner tube of my friend’s rear tire. It was really a problem being unprepared in a long trip, - and we learned because of that – because we don’t have equipments with us except the Allen wrench set and an air pump. We don’t have an extra inner tube with us; so another friend of mine volunteered to search for a bike shop in search of an extra inner tube. After a few minutes, he returned successfully; however, as we were repairing the bike tire, the tour is already leaving. Time is of the essence; we had to work double time…

            We repaired the bike just in the nick of time and only a couple of cyclists were to be seen. We had to rush our way so that we could catch up with the group.

            We caught up. Very tired and drenched with sweat, we caught up with the group in Lawton, near Manila City Hall. And, just to be sure that we don’t commit the same mistake again, we decided that we buy an extra inner tube on our way to Quiapo. It also took us a couple of minutes to purchase another inner tube… we were left out, Again. 

           

A couple of meters passed, in Quezon City we met a group of bikers waiting for other ones that were not yet able to catch up with them. So we decided to ride with the cyclists.

            About 12:30 pm we arrived – finally! – at Tiendesitas. The shower was ready and free for cyclists who finished the tour; there were also free refreshments from Nutribar, Pocari Sweat, and Gatorade – blue burst. Some cyclists already went home but we stayed because of the scorching sun waiting for us if we were to travel home at that time. 

As we waited for the sun to settle a little bit, we watched the program where the raffle was held; and the performance by “The Jerks” where they did their renditions of some popular songs like: “Come Together,” “Ang Himig Natin,” and some other popular hits of the past…

            At 3:00 pm we went home. Facing the heat of the sun, extreme road conditions, and enduring the ache of the tiredness of our body; finally, as our reward for ourselves, we dug in a lot of rice and the delicious chicken at Mang Inasal; where we consumed at least 6 bowls of rice.

[Really, some great day, isn’t it?!]