Manila to Davao on a Folding Bike

My work has taken me to (almost) every major city in the Philippines.

From as far North as Aparri to as far South as General Santos City. Being a member of the United Folding Bikers group, I feel it as an obligation to promote cycling as an alternative form of personal transport, not only because I have loved cycling all my life but the sheer joy of riding has made my work and my cycling passion work together.

 

A typical 10am Davao flight for me would be like this…

Leave the house at about 7am and head to NAIA 3 Terminal, which would take me about a little under two (2) hours (I used to take the MRT, before it has turned into the hopeless mode of transport that it is now), get to the to Arrival gate (theres an entrance and access to the Departure area on the rightmost part of the building so you don’t have to bike up the Departure ramp).

Then I fold and pack my bike, amidst all the amazement and bewilderment of passers-by, head straight to the bathroom (just below the escalator after the entrance), wash the face and extremities and go up to the departure area on the 2nd floor, check in my bike and head off to the terminal area. First part done.

Then I basically get on board, fly and land in Davao.

Then I wait for the luggage carousel to spit out my bike, bring it outside and unpack my bike, reinflate the tires with my Dahon Postpump, roll up my Dahon travel bag and just ride to the hotel, again amidst the oohs and aahs of all the people waiting for taxicabs on the curb. I’m in the hotel in about 10 minutes.

I will gladly do this for all my travels in exchange of this…

Manila to Davao on a Folding Bike

My work has taken me to (almost) every major city in the Philippines.

From as far North as Aparri to as far South as General Santos City. Being a member of the United Folding Bikers group, I feel it as an obligation to promote cycling as an alternative form of personal transport, not only because I have loved cycling all my life but the sheer joy of riding has made my work and my cycling passion work together.

A typical 10am Davao flight for me would be something like this…

Leave the house at about 7am and head to NAIA 3 Terminal, which would take me about a little under two (2) hours (I used to take the MRT, before it has turned into the hopeless mode of transport that it is now), get to the to Arrival gate (theres an entrance and access to the Departure area on the rightmost part of the building so you don’t have to bike up the Departure ramp).

Then I fold and pack my bike, amidst all the amazement and bewilderment of passers-by, head straight to the bathroom (just below the escalator after the entrance), wash the face and extremities and go up to the departure area on the 2nd floor, check in my bike and head off to the terminal area. First part done.

Then I basically get on board, fly and land in Davao.

Then I wait for the luggage carousel to spit out my bike, bring it outside and unpack my bike, reinflate the tires with my Dahon Postpump, roll up my Dahon travel bag and just ride to the hotel, again amidst the oohs and aahs of all the people waiting for taxicabs on the curb. I’m in the hotel in about 10 minutes.

I will gladly do this for all my travels in exchange of this…

Bike to Work

Here’s my daily commute, just so you’d get a feel how liberating it is to bike to your workplace (and back).

Sorry for the low video quality, this was originally at 720p HD taken from my Gear2Go Action Cam but had to drop the quality to upload to youtube.

11km – 35 minutes – 18kph average = happiness 🙂

My Love Affair on Two Wheels

I can’t recall when my love affair with bikes began.

I have vague memories of a yellow tricycle I rode when I was 6 or 7, around the dining table. The family easy rider with its curved frame and curly handlebars. Most of the memories I treasure involved a bike of some sort.

I learned to ride in Baguio’s famed Burnham Park, back in the day when it was actually a park and not SM Baguio’s front yard. My dad hired someone for P20 to teach me how to ride and I was riding in 30 minutes, haven’t stopped ever since. I started with BMX in my early teens, executing bunny hops and cherry pickers. Single speed was all you need, my legs were my gears, I was invincible.

Then you have your first spill and realize that you’re not immortal. went home with a gash running from my wrist down to my ankles, stopped racing for about a week and then it was back on the tracks, but it was never the same, caution and care started to creep in, dang I was maturing.

A few years pass and the BMX is replaced with another acronym, MTB, which meant climbs, trails, mud, ruts, downhills and heart. I conquered every mountain around my region, Antipolo, Pilillia, Tanay and finally Sierra Madre. It was fulfilling, it was tough and made me feel like I’m grown up.

All that disappeared when a road bike zipped past me at about 60kph, no matter what I did there was no way I was going to catch up with him or it for that matter, there was something magical about the roadie, almost angelic.

Fast forward to today and I have hit mid-life with my Roadie, my MTB and a Folding bike. Cycling is still a huge part of my life.

Cycling has set me free.