ORGANIZERS of the Ironman 70.3 Philippines will plot a new bike course after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña did not allow the use of Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) for the international sporting event.
Sought for comment, Princess Galura, general manager of Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI), the company behind the Ironman 70.3 Philippines, said they will announce the new bike course in due time.
“We’ll move on. We will work on a new bike course with the support of the (Cebu) Province, and many more. Give us a few days. We will make this happen and work hard to ensure Cebu remains as the Crown Jewel of Asia,” said Galura.
The Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship will be held in Cebu on Aug. 5, covering a 1.9-kilometer swim, 90K bike and 21K run, and is projected to draw more than 2,000 triathletes.
Osmeña said that he will not allow the use of CSCR due to the concerns about traffic. Construction work on the underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave. are ongoing and the CSCR is the only access for most of the motorists going to and from the southern towns and cities of Cebu.
“They were asking if they can partially close the SRP. I like the Ironman but what comes first? So many people are complaining about traffic, the people have undergone so much agony already. I decided not to allow this year. Next year, anytime, no problem,” said Osmeña.
In the previous years, the CSCR was used as portion of the 90K bike. The bike segment started in the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City and went to Mandaue City and Cebu City, including the coastal road, and back.
The swim portion and the run segment are held in Lapu-Lapu City and will not be affected.
Cebu City South Road Properties manager Nagiel Bañacia said that the number of vehicles using the CSCR is still high even on weekends because of the ongoing roadworks on N. Bacalso Ave.
Cebu City Hall no longer allows the use of CSCR for sporting events due to the traffic issue. Organizers of outdoor sporting events, not just Ironman, have had to adjust. (RSC)