The 7-Eleven Trail 2019 concluded last Sunday at Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal, with Alvin Benosa conquering challenging trails of what is known as the “mountain biking capital” of the Philippines.
The 38-year-old cyclist submitted an official time of 1:50:08 in ruling the 3,000-rider field that joined the biggest single-loop, cross-country mountain biking race in the country.
The top 3 finishers will join the two top racers from the Enduro Alliance on May 24 to 26 in an all-expense paid Red Bull Holy Bike Race in Barcelona, Spain.
Finishing runner-up to Benosa in the 40KM race was 20-year-old Archie Duran (1:51:28), while 28-year-old Jericho Rivera grabbed third spot (1:55:17).
Philippine Seven Corporation President and CEO Jose Victor Paterno also participated in the event and even bagged second place in the 40KM Male Age 50-and-up category with an official time of 2:34:02.
Paterno said new trail features have been incorporated in the latest iteration of the race to produce an even more challenging course, while the first 5KM of the course was made to undergo numerous trail improvements.
“One of the improvements is the new 1.5KM that we included right after the steep road climbs,” said Paterno. “When we created this race, it was all about the terrain. The most important thing was the terrain. The terrain here is among the best in the Philippines, but it also has the best trails.”
The single loop race course, which consists of both 30k and 40k tracks, is summarized as a mix of 10% road climbs, 30% fire road, and 60% single-track.
“We started with 900 and we kept going. This year we closed two weeks earlier in registration because we already hit 3,000 participants. Every year we make the trails better, we try to up the game in organizing and we take it as a challenge. Next year we’re going to cut the 30K division, it’s going to be 40 kilometers only,” said Paterno.
Meanwhile, the 40KM female category was dominated by Ariana Dormitori, followed by Nicole Quinones and Melissa Jane Jaroda.
The 30KM female category was won by Emily Bagaso, Veronica Lapuz, and closing in for third place was Lwahna Mavecka Montanes, while the 30KM male category was conquered by Cailh Jeron Mariano, followed by Christian Polintan Carlos and Genesis Orozco.
This is the sixth year of the 7-Eleven Trail 2019, geared to promote a healthy lifestyle and appreciation for the environment.
