The Road Less Traveled (Liloan to Danao, Cebu)

Early in the Morning:

For my first long ride on the Superfly 8, we were invited by an old friend, Ralph John “RJ” Noval, to ride from his home to somewhere in Danao. So, I woke up early in the morning and drove our SUV with my bike to Liloan. Traffic was heavy for a weekend morning since there was a road detour due to a fun run and there were lots of roads under construction. Along the way, I then convoyed with Ramon “Bogs” Calderon towards our meet-up point.

After getting the bike out of the SUV, we official started our ride outside RJ’s house. RJ, as the local in this part of Cebu, was our official guide and ride leader. Since I was new to the route, I decided to go next. Lastly, since Bogs was testing his latest bike and clipless pedals, he went last.

Treacherous:

The route was mostly treacherous since there were a lot fast moving vehicles running along the narrow road. In the Philippines, majority of the motorists, especially the public vehicles such as jeepneys and buses, couldn't care any less about the safety of cyclists. You can be sideswept anytime along the public roads here.

Three Kinds:

Fortunately, we arrived at our destination (Danao Fish Port and Park) safely. RJ, with his Cannondale Caad 10, rode fast and left us behind. I, with my Trek Superfly 8, waited for Bogs since I lost track of both of them during a stretch of and since I was really unfamiliar with our route. Bogs, with his Cervelo P2, was really taking his time since he was still getting used to his clipless pedals. Come to think of it, each of us rode 3 different kinds of bikes: a road bike, a mountain bike and a tri bike.

Free Buko Juice + Breakfast:

On our way back to Liloan, we stopped at RJ’s favorite buko juice joint where he generously bought us our refreshments. The juice was good like he promised and this got us fueled up for the remaining kilometers ahead. 

Finally, we arrived at his home where we rested a bit. He showed us some of his other bikes. He then invited us to eat breakfast at a nearby Jollibee. RJ once again generously bought us our meals (Bogs only asked for coffee though). What’s better than Jollibee? Free Jollibee. :)

All in all, the day was really fun. Not only was I able to use my new bike, I also got to hang out with my good friends. Hopefully next time, we can get out of the road and on the trail so that I can fully test out my bike’s off-road capabilities. Until we ride again guys. Thanks.