CRISING UPS THE ANTE, SMOTHERS XTERRA ROUTE
Just when organizers thought the Xterra race route was challenging enough, flash floods hit area to make the race route even more exciting for this Sunday’s race
The heavy rainfall brought by tropical cyclone Crising that made its landfall last Saturday night caused floods in parts of Cebu. It did not spare the already prepared bike route of the Xterra Danao in Danao City.
The Xterra Danao, an international off-road triathlon race, which covers a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40K bike and 10K trail run, is set on April 23 with a start and finish area at Coco Palms Beach Resort.
The bike course of the race is stationed in the trail areas and terrains of Barangays Looc, Sabang and Manlayag, mountain barangay of Danao City.
Xterra pro Joseph Miller together with other off-road triathletes checked on the route for a practice ride on Easter Sunday and they were greeted by a route affected by tropical cyclone Crising.
But Miller, an offroad racer by heart, believes it will only make the race more challenging.
“The bike route gets tougher because of the flash flood in the area. Ning dako ang mga canals and ni gawas ang mga loose boulders,” Miller relayed to SunStar Cebu yesterday.
Miller of Ford Forza Triathlon Team also sent photo of him walking the flooded part of the route which was chest-deep. There’s also a muddy part of the bike course, a result of the con- tinuous pouring of rain last Saturday night and early Sunday.
“There was part of the bike course that was like a swimming pool. The water almost reach the neck,” he said. “The structures of the route has really changed.”
Miller, a veteran of Xterra competition, though, said that this kind of situation is expected in an Xterra race, which features an off-road bike course. The course is affected whenever there’s a heavy rain or typhoon on the race venue.
Miller advised the other participants to expect a tough course on race day. He reminds them that despite the challenging course, don’t forget to have fun.
“Xterra is a race that you have to expect the unexpected. It is like you are racing with mother nature anything can possibly happen. Always a tough course that’s Xterra should be. The most important thing is get out there, get dirty and have fun,” said Miller.
This is the Xterra. As they say, it’s not your typical triathlon. It keeps getting exciting, it keeps your heart pounding as you keep thinking what the route will be. JOSEPH MILLER Xterra Pro