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Sunday, May 23, 2004
The great equalizer
By Noy and Amale Jopson
Play to win
The guard at the Forbes Park gate looked at me in astonishment, “Saan kayo papunta?” he asked. “Kina Mr. Uytengsu, kina Fred!” I answered, handing him my driver’s license. “Anong gagawin nyo dun?” he quizzes me again. “ Kukunin ko lang ang labada ko!” I say with a smile, and the guard reluctantly waved us through in disbelief.
On our last trip to Manila, Amale and I were invited to join our friends in the Manila Polo Triathlon Club for their inaugural Aquathlon (750m swim followed by a 5k run) event. The event was low-key and the competition was very fun-spirited as most of the club members were just looking to get some good training, having just recently raced in a very hot and tough Asian Championships two weeks before. Fred Uytengsu led all 20 or so of us out in the swim and it took me the entire first kilometer of the run to finally take the lead for good. We all finished with a big smile on our faces and proceeded to the highlight of the event - a well-deserved picnic breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fresh orange juice right in the middle of the polo field.
After breakfast, I left my tri-shorts at the poolside in a rush to bring Amale to the airport in time for her 9 a.m. flight. On the road, I got a text from Fred that it was with him, but realizing that I needed the shorts for another Mountain Bike Duathlon race the following day in Nasugbu, we now come to the beginning of my story. Upon picking up the newly washed and dried shorts, my cousin Gus took a sniff at the soft, Downy-smelling garment and exclaimed, “Dapat pala iniwan ko na rin lahat ng damit ko!”
Apart from being terrific launderers, The Manila Polo Triathlon Club people are a group of fit, fun-loving and dedicated triathletes who live in the Dasmarinas, Forbes, Urdaneta and Alabang areas. They get together at the insane time of 5:30 a.m. (because they all work) every Wednesday, Thursday and most weekends to train and support each other in the sport they love.
Their ranks include the Ocampo Brothers - Larry and Raffy, their cousin - ABS-CBN’s Ernie Lopez, Maiqui Dayrit, David Charlton, ADB Banker Rune Stroem and son Marki, siblings Nona and Joey Torres and of course, “swimming Jedi”, Fred Uytengsu.
They are not much unlike the supremely fit, much darker and equally dedicated guys I ride with back here in Cebu. In our customary Saturday criterium at Recla last weekend, I found myself once again surrounded by riders of a very different social class. Riders with names like Ishoot, Xerox, Bungi and Ompong ride together with my group, taking pulls out in front, pushing the pace, and with their overweight puthaw bikes, squeeze every bit of performance out of our Titanium and Carbon rigs, which cost 10 times as much. Together every Saturday, we sweat, put the hammer down our pedals and enjoy the camaraderie of the sport we love. You see, in the peloton, it doesn’t matter what you ride, it only matters that you ride with honor. That means taking your turn, being mindful of others when you’re rounding up a bend and not attacking when someone is down without first making sure that everyone’s alright.
I’m certain that if the opportunity presents itself, we will welcome the Manila Polo Triathlon Club members into our Saturday ride with open arms. After more than a few minutes of lustily staring at their bikes, I’m sure we will eventually forget about any social delineations and get on with the serious business of racing. We are, after all, all brothers and sisters in the sport. If only our entire country can get together the way we do on our group rides, the world would be a much better place.
(May 23, 2004 issue)
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