All photos by ECR Fotograpika unless stated otherwise.
What a wonderful year it’s been.
No BS, no “cap” — as the kids say, it was a great year for all of us here at Sendr and of course, the whole local MTB community. Milestones were hit, goals were reached, dreams came true, and we all did a lot of riding, racing, falling, and getting back up. All in all, it was a full year back from the dreaded pandemic of the 2020s. Life was definitely being lived again: we rode, we traveled to ride, we smiled.
It wouldn’t be the end of the year without a WRAP-UP right? Spotify did it, Strava has its own version, even GCash had a wrap-up too (we didn’t look)! So here where we SMILE WHILE SENDING, we put together the best things about the past year AND we asked your favorite riders and personalities: what MORE could we all hope for?
HARVEY’S DOWNHILL SERIES
If you’re a mountain biker reading this (like we all are) you can’t NOT put the Harvey’s series at the top of your 2023 list— a national downhill series done right. You can say whatever you want about the series but hey, they did it, they pulled off the near-impossible. Everyone got together, worked together, and put together an historic event across multiple locations, bringing together thousands of people from all around.
Renax Lim of BikeLab PH (in CDO), who led the Bukidnon leg in Mangima told us that he wishes for a “Philippine National Championships, once a year. No biases, no favorites, just pure racing once a year, every year to declare the Philippine National DH Champ, holding that position and championship jersey until the following year. BIG cash prize, trophy, the works. Just like how they do it globally: world-class, world champ.”
The plans for the 2024 series are even bigger and we’re excited to be a part of it and will continue to support the series as much as we can. We can’t confirm anything yet, but we’re currently in talks with their team for a role in the whole thing. All we can say is that we’re excited to serve the scene as always.
Harvey Arcos, the man whose name is on the boards, said it best— “like what I always just tell my friends, it’s all about unity among all bikers.” The series was made possible by people and teams passionate about pushing the local MTB scene, leaders in our book.
RED BULL BUYS IN
One of the biggest relationships we nurture and protect is one with the world’s #1 stoke fuel: RED BULL. To have them with us and to have their support, guidance, and hell even just their attention is something we don’t ever take for granted. Continuously working with them for ideas and having access to the vision needed to look at the big picture without seeing past the sharp details, we are more excited than ever for 2024. Seeing them come in and support the riding and the races more and more was definitely the high part of our year.
FLY RACING PH
When I think of what Bans and Tena have built with Fly Racing as a business AND as a team in the past year, two words come into my mind: unstoppable and undeniable. Unstoppable growth — they showed us all how to take a brand and build it the right way, relying not only on the momentum of hype but also on the strength of community and good ol’ fashioned word of mouth backed by world-class people and products.
Undeniable because few, if any brands, kept up with the juggernaut that was Fly Racing in 2023. They won at every race, had fun at every track and trail, and showed us all how it is and what it means to be a mountain bike athlete. Bans Mendoza, who leads the riders, is of course a fixture and a legend in the local MTB scene, personally trains and rides with their racers, giving them an almost unmatched edge when it comes to seeing things out there differently. Bans himself continues to race, but outside the country, and he hopes to one day see “a pro line race track or maybe even a FEST-sized trail for a series,” right here in our country.
Nammi G, this year’s National DH champ AND Harvey’s National Downhill Series OVERALL champ, dreams of “a world-class bike camp for women.” Now that’s definitely something we can 100% support. It’s actually close to what Coach Ely Zapanta of GT hopes for as well, “more women riders racing in 2024.”
BIGGER TRAILS, BIGGER BIKES
2023 also saw everyone’s progression level go WAY UP. It was the year of the send. Everyone just went for it, and not just the riders: trail-builders upped their game as well, adding features on features, testing all of our ride guts and giving birth to bigger (and better?) upgrades from the biggest brands. SRAM wowed everyone with their Eagle Transmission, everyone’s cranks got shorter (well, not everyone), and some of us even got on E-bikes.
THE PIVOT FIRE RISES
With Gab Amigo III leading the way for the local team and winning almost every race he joined, Pivot Cycles made its mark into the local zeitgeist, with the 2023 Firebird being one of the most recognizable bikes out there. Combining tried and tested technology with an innovative approach, Pivot’s flagship enduro steed and EWS’ fastest bike has been cleaning house.
YEAR OF THE TURBO
One of the biggest brands in the world, Specialized, threw down with their Turbo Levo — a powerful AND light e-bike that just blew everyone’s expectations away, testament to the brands’ commitment to the changing times. Specialized Philippines’ Ritchie Santayana, who shred with the Turbo Levo with us at their launch in Epic Bike Park, holds hope for “more gold-standard bike trails here in the country.” While Vic Narciso of Specialized Pasig echoes that, pining for “more accessible trails for more riding!”
TIMBERLAND MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK
Speaking of accessible trails, Timberland is on the verge of re-opening to the public and we got to try it out ourselves, shoot a few videos, and ride with some of the best riders in the country. Timberland Mountain Bike Park is opening VERY SOON to the general public and we’re excited to move forward with our partnership with them. It’s a mix of XC and a bit of Enduro riding in there, exactly what national enduro rider Raul Tabil is hoping for, “more training grounds for riders and racers across the country.” Hopefully when they do open, more locations follow suit and add mountain bike tracks to their must-have in every development.
All in all, 2023 definitely was a GOAT year for mountain biking. We showed up, we got out. Let’s make 2024 even better together.
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