Things are full speed ahead for the upcoming Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival (TLBF), which is slated to happen on April 2-5, 2009 at Subic Bay Freeport Area. The TLBF, as the festival is more popularly called, started in 2002 and is the only multi-discipline cycling event of its kind in the Philippines and Asia, where races and other activities are held for three days in one location. The TLBF will have a 3-day, 4-stage team road race which four stages include a Team Time Trial, Mountain Stage race, a road race and Individual Time Trial. There will also be an Olympic Distance Triathlon event with participants from Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. The Mountain Bike events include a cross-country race, Downhill, 4X and Dirt Jumping. The BMX Supercross and Dirt Jumping competitions will feature the very best of Southeast Asia, while the Trials competition will continue the tradition of trials competition started in 2006. There have been confirmed competitors from Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Germany.

The Festival is a celebration of bicycling as a sport, health and environmental advocacy avenue that?s been held yearly in Ormoc City, Leyte, and has also become one of the primary mediums to promote CYCLO-TOURISM in the Philippines. A highlight of the 2009 Bike Festival is the 3-day multi-stage road race around Subic called the ?Tour de Larrazabal (TdL)?. In 2006, the TdL was the first multi-day stage road race of its kind in the Philippines specifically designed for business executives who are also avid cyclists who wish to experience how it is to join a tour, just like the Tour de France (while also having a category for cycling professionals). The TdL for 2009 has generated considerable interest not only in the Philippines. The TdL for 2098 will feature scenic race routes showcasing the beautiful Subic Freeport.

For 2008 Edition of the TLBF, the Festival was held in Subic with over 900 registered participants and almost 5,000 cyclists who trooped to Subic to witness the festivities. For 2009 Edition of the TLBF, we will also be conducting the ?2nd FilBike?, the first and only bicycle and outdoor themed expo, featuring maintenance clinics, tech seminars and some of the best bicycles in the Philippines.

The Festival is officially endorsed and supported by the Department of Tourism, under the leadership of Sec. Ace Durano. DOT Usec. Cynthia Carrion has said that the festival is an invaluable partner of the DOT in the promotion of cyclo-tourism in the Philippines, both for local and foreign cyclists. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza has seen the potential of the TLBF and adopted the TLBF in the development of Subic as a premier cycling destination.

The TLBF is Presented by:
SUBIC BAY METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY (SBMA) and DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM (DOT) | Co-Presentors: INQUIRER.NET, YEHEY.COM, PINOY BIKES | Major Sponsors: GATORADE, RUDY PROJECT, SMART COMMUNICATIONS, APRELAC, BIKE TOWN CYCLERY, BUSINESS MIRROR | Minor Sponsors: CHRIS SPORTS, DEUTER BAGS, CAFE BRETON | For The Best Night You?ll Never Remember: JAGERMEISTER | Triathlon Sponsor: ENERVON MULTIVITAMINS | Donor: FLANAX | Media Partners: MTV, ONE SPORT, WAVE 89.1 FM, MEN?S HEALTH, WOMEN?S HEALTH | OFFICIAL LEG OF THE 2009 DIRT RAG WORLD TOUR!!!