From basketball to cycling — former Rain or Shine and Ginebra forward Jervy Cruz is shifting gears as he brings the Solid North Larga Pilipinas race to his hometown of Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija on November 29 and 30.
Now serving as a councilor, Cruz shared how deeply rooted cycling is in his small town.
“Grabe ang cycling dito sa amin. Maya’t maya may mga laro. Sanay na nga mga tao dito na biglang may dadaang karera sa min,” said Cruz, noting that nearby towns like Cuyapo and Guimba regularly hold races too.
After seeing the success of Larga Pilipinas’ earlier legs in Guimba and Palayan City, Cruz quickly reached out to the organizers to bring the race closer to home — an idea fully supported by Mayor Mario Lacurom.
As part of his advocacy in sports and youth development, Cruz hopes to inspire the next generation of athletes from Nampicuan.
“Ayaw ko naman na ako na ang last na athlete from our province na magrerepresent ng Nampicuan,” he said. “Gumagawa kami ng paraan para makadiscover ng mga batang atleta who will one day give pride to our town.”
The two-day event will feature 13 race categories, highlighted by the pro/elite division and the grassroots-focused People’s Race. Adding excitement to the festivities, Yamaha Motor Philippines will also give away several Yamaha PG-1 units to lucky participants.
👉 Read the full story at Philstar.com