cycling to the center of the biking universe
At the 2018 Prudential Ride London event, I felt like I was cycling to the center of the biking universe. This was the second year I was able to witness the grand spectacle, thanks to our friends at Pru Life UK, and this year’s delegation was much bigger than 2017’s.
Back for another tour duty were Allan Tumbaga Sr., Pru Life UK’s VP and chief marketing officer; and Nica Riego, external communications officer II; Gretchen Ho from ABS-CBN, and cyclist Ismael Grospe.
The additions were Pru Life UK’s AVP for marketing communication Gizelle Camua with winning cyclists Jeremy Genesis Marana, Aidan James Mendoza, Jermyn Prado, and Tetsuya Junior Minagawa; raffle winners Bertrand Dominique Teplitxky, Pru Life UK biker John Kenneth Cruz, and business journalists Jeng Diaz, Tina Dumlao, Mads Miraflor, Jun Vallecera and Jimmy Calapati.
It was another massive undertaking by the London organizers, and equaled by their Philippine counterparts.
In fact, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said they are trying to make cycling more inclusive, and getting more people into this sport is central to their vision for the future.
“We’re investing record amounts in cycling, an average of £169 million per year over the next five years, and since 2000, London has seen a 154-percent rise in the number of journeys done by bike, with an average of 730,000 a day,” Khan stressed.
Pru Life UK, on their end, held an enormous cycling event early this year where the race winners, as well as lucky raffle-draw participants, earned their trips to England.
The popularity of cycling locally, spurred by the efforts of Pru Life UK, showed with the Philippine group dwarfing the delegations from other participating countries.
Talking with Jonathan Oliver, Prudential PLC Group communications director, gave us a lot of insight into why Prudential has taken part in this event, which literally shut down the city for the weekend.
“It is one of the UK’s biggest charity fundraising events,” Oliver said. “Since it started in 2013, almost 70 million pounds sterling have been raised, benefiting about 800 charities globally. This July 28-29, over 28,000 bananas were consumed, 29,000 Prudential bottled waters were handed out, 20,000 pairs of Prudential sunglasses were given, and three million miles were cycled, which is the equivalent of cycling from London to Manila 450 times.” That’s some food for thought. We now look forward to Pru Life UK’s next event, which will now be a UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale)-sanctioned event, which will not only put our country on the cycling map, but it will also definitely push Philippine cycling to greater heights. *** Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ anthonysuntay, and like my Facebook page: Anthony Suntay.