North Luzon 1300LRM: Brevet of happiness

 Day 1

I was only lightly asleep when my alarm sounded at 2.15am. I’d given myself 45minutes to pack my room and be ready for the 3am start, I was still on Australia time (3hrs in front) so this felt easy.

The first checkpoint lurked a polite 45 kilometers down the road, and a small phalanx of Japanese riders set the pace, once they eased up so did the whole bunch! I had tried to be conscientious with my tapering and was feeling fresh and decided to do a 5km turn, only to then have the peloton easy up again… another 5km turn. As we approached the first checkpoint, which was 100mt off to the left I pulled over to the right (left-hand drive rules) to let oncoming traffic pass. Then from nowhere five Filipino riders launched across the asphalt like swallows, raced to the checkpoint and slammed their brevet cards down the table, apparently there is an underground championship of who can be the first to have their card stamped! 

The road to Bassang Pass

The course returned to the hotel start/finish checkpoint then pushed to Libtong, where it turned off of the busy coastal highway and headed for the hills and Segada the mountain top overnight Check Point.

Bessang Pass rose first, gradually presenting itself as the road wound through the valley and rose through switchback and spur, the primary climb of 1200mt over 18km it easily rivals Falls Creek. Bessang pass is home to a monument of a famous WW2 siege where 20,000 Filipino and Allied forces fought a 6 month battle to recapture the pass. The ride organizer had stationed an informal checkpoint halfway up the climb providing a water stop oasis. Over the entire course the level of support provided at every checkpoint was amazing to experience, with helpful vollies ready to fill bidons and feed hungry riders. Each support team having their own special character this was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the ride. As the elevation rose the temperature dropped to a very pleasant 23ish degrees and stopping at the summit I actually started to feel cold with the wind cutting through my soaked jersey. Team Masaya provided expert support, Masaya I learned means happiness, a term which for me became my motto for the ride - ride happy.

Team Happiness

Descending into a central valley the temp quickly climbed to 35 + and the going became tuff, I saw some road workers sprawled out on a make shift platform in the shade; obviously this is the best way to manage the heat in the middle of the day. At the next opportunity I stopped under some shade, refueled and rehydrated, and watched a few riders go past but felt a lot better for the break. I ended crossing paths with these riders down the road; one rider was Russian whose hometown was currently -25 degrees, (a 60 degree temp differential). 2 more climbs and several short stops later I arrived at Sagada in the Mountain Province and home to the famous hanging coffins. A bag drop here allowed for a kit change and a good rest. 

Day 2.

Early morning, Sagada’s dogs announced my descent, mostly bravado and bark — until a Japanese rider received a bite and earned a rabies vaccination shot as a souvenir.

Climb back up Bessang Pass fatigue arrived like an unwanted bill in the mail; I folded at a roadside stall halfway up, elevated my legs, sipped instant coffee, ate boiled eggs like tiny morning suns and began to feel more awake. I arrived at the Bessang Summit half an hour outside of the checkpoint cutoff. 

The descent back to the coastal road as the sun rose was magic and the highlight of the day. In the valley it started to warm up a lot. turning north onto the coastal highway again I encountered a block headwind which would gradually build all day. 

I made the Vigan around lunchtime, the checkpoint was in an old Spanish style villa and I rested flat on the cool tiled floor before being treated to a local pasty style dish. (Vigan would also be the second last checkpoint and rest location on the return).

Leaving Vigan and now pushing into a fan-forced headwind I focused on hydration and keeping a steady rhythm.

Next was Paoay, where the checkpoint was sheltered under the veranda of a municipal building facing the amazing Saint Agustin's Church with trees growing out of the roof like a scene in a Mobius drawing . Although the vollies offered to shout for a meal at an eatery close by my goal Pagapud was still 120km up the road, so I opted for a quick stop here and planned grab a meal at the next town Laoag. Laoag the provincial capital, pulsed with evening traffic and I found a MacDonald’s for dinner, one of the few places to accept electronic payments.

The last 80 kilometers to Pagudpud unfolded like a Jacobs’s ladder and were some of the tuffest miles I’ve ever ridden. The heat of the day persisted well into the evening, the constant northerly head wind became a belligerent onshore gust, batting me with mountain-spawned tantrums and rolling hills required another 300+meters of climb from tired legs. However the day’s effort was rewarded by the Pannzian resort, literally a tropical paradise retreat and the warm masaya reception; food, shower and bed was an experience to savor.

Day 3. 

I woke at 5.30AM, initial disorientated to my location, I had set my alarm for 4... PM by mistake. The course for the day started with a 400mt climb away from the coast, before a long out-and-back to Santa Ana. Misty fog and a gentle northwesterly turned into a warm, nourishing rain, rice paddies lay flat as a page; traffic was coy and thin. I rode with Oleg the Russian for a bit and later with Neil, a Filipino whose legs knew the road’s dialect.

Sta. Ana is located inside of 'Special economic zone' and 'Free Port' and required a manned border crossing. The ride organiser had stations a vollie here to help translate and explained that I needed to show photo ID. I had been carrying my passport with my brevet card which I showed but this was rejected. After I bit more explaining I understood that they wanted me to handover my driver's license while I went out to the checkpoint and to be collect it on the way back. The border guards however were more bark than bite and on return I disarmed them up with some Aussie charm and we were soon posing for a selfie.

The evening roll back to Pannizan was a haiku: 25 degrees, wind, a kindly accomplice. Day folds into rest.

Day 4. 

After breakfast and a ceremonial packing, I started the journey south, hoarding photos and sunlit country as if they were rare stamps. Despite vigilance with fluids and sunscreen, the heat was beginning to take a toll, I rang my wife for a pep talk, accepted the volunteers’ food offer at Paoay, and took breaks 7/11’s industrial air-conditioning. The Vigan checkpoint came midafternoon; still inside PBP cutoff and with a time cushion I planned a rest and finish on day 5. However not being able to grab more than a wink and planning to avoid riding in sun and traffic again I instead decided to push through that night. 

Tiklop (folding bike) Society vollies 

Day 4.5 (Night shift)

Refreshed enough to be dangerous, I rejoined the road. Filipino traffic pulses and flows; there were virtually no traffic lights, only a continuous, breathing current. Flow never stops, it merely changes its mood. Large transport vehicles grew greedy with miles as Manila’s working day exhaled. My brain slid into autopilot, cadence becoming mantra.

At the stroke of midnight it became my birthday — a temporal milestone that invited both introspection and ridiculousness: here I was, riding down a Philippine highway at the witching hour. I tapped it out, stroke by stroke, and arrived back at Hotel Awesome at 4:10 a.m., having collected stamps, suns, dogs, border guards, and the peculiar conviction that bicycles are the most amazing way to explore the world. 

After handing over my brevet card I tried to check into my hotel but the concierge informed check-in was not until 2pm. (ヽ´ω`)

Post ride dinner.