MANILA – Cycling enthusiasts are looking forward to the 10th Fil-Am Criterium Grand Prix this month in Pampanga.
The Clark Development Corp.'s parade grounds in Angeles City will once again host the tournament organized by former national cyclist Wilson Blas.
Races in the junior (15 to 18 years old), masters (55-60), senior (24-34) and veterans (35-44) categories are scheduled on April 22.
The managers race, masters (45-54), men's pro, Junior (19-23) and women's open as well as mountain bike (amateur) competitions are also set on the same day to be followed by the awarding ceremony.
"The Fil-Am Criterium Grand Prix is my little way of giving back to the sport. I want to help my fellow cyclists," Blas said in an online interview on Monday.
Blas was a member of the national track team from 1993 to 2004. The native of Malabon City migrated to the United States in 2005.
He staged the first Fil-Am Criterium Grand Prix at the Neopolitan Complex in Fairview, Quezon City in 2012. Other venues were Meycauayan, Bulacan and Quezon City Memorial Circle.
"I am very thankful to my friends and teammates here who donated the prizes for the tournament," said Blas, who was a sophomore nursing student at Arellano University before he left and continued his studies in the US.
He broke the 1-km national record in the UCI World Cup and eclipsed the national sprint record in the 2001 Asian Cycling Championships in Taiwan.
Blas also won the silver medal in the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He was a bronze medalist (1-km event and team pursuit) in the 1997 SEAG in Jakarta, Indonesia and bagged the bronze (team sprint and team pursuit) in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur edition. (PNA)
