Congratulations to the SMART Cycling Team! Overall Team Champion Le Tour de Filipinas 2010
April 30, 2010
The SMART Cycling team was formed last year through the efforts and supervision of SMART SPORTS led by its Head Pato Gregorio and team manager Carlos Leviste. The team first competed in the 2009 Pdyak Pinoy tour of Luzon, the most prestigious road bike race in the Philippines and Joel Calderon (Team Captain) emerged as the overall champion and Team SMART placed 5th overall in the team standings. This year is a totally different story, learning form the mistakes of the past, Mr. Gregorio provided a training program to groom and prepare for this year’s Le Tour de Filipinas which will be the 1st International race in the Philippines since 1998. With a stronger cast composed of six new riders, a hard working coach and team behind the program the SMART Cycling emerge victorious in the four day sixteen team ( 6 foreign, 10 local) summer Cycling spectacle. From Tagaytay to Roxas Blvd to Quezon City to Subic, 1 Champion SMART can be proud of.
“ In everything that we do in SMART SPORTS, we focus, we work hard and we strive to be number 1. We are so proud to emerge as the overall team champion of the 1st Le Tour de Filipinas – Padyak Pinoy 2010. 16 teams – 10 Philippine Teams, 6 Tough foreign teams, 1 Champion. PINOY. SMART. Indeed, the Filipino can excel in cycling. If only if we give our Filipino cyclist a fighting chance… MAGTATAGUMPAY!”
– Pato Gregorio
Blog
Marites Bitbit's Letter of Thanks
by marites bitbit
August 12, 2010
First and foremost I wanna extend my heartfelt thanks to Sir Pato;Sir Art;Sir Ed also to Coach Roel and all who have contributed their efforts for SMART SPORTS,particulary in Cycling. I have been a National Cyclist for more than 11 years already...doing multi events and I am so glad to hone medals in every discipline I engaged into,locally and internationally. Cycling, my chosen sport became my career and I really want to do more and better to achieve my dreams and aspirations. Yes, were experiencing leadership problems in our National Sports Assotiation,nevertheless, It is now packed up after the UNIFICATION TRY OUTS and hoping that it cannot affect our participation with the upcoming ASIANGAMES, to which this will now be my 3rd ASIAD,and precisely, I wanted to improve my 4th place finish in the POINTS RACE, a track event. I am racing all alone by myself and it is really very hard to compete with all of them having two or more entries,thus, I do not think of a hindrance, I am taking it as an inspiration after all. And for now, I am again racing alone. Hoping ang praying that I can do enough to prove my worth as an athlete, this is not a word for myself only but to all athletes in our country.
This is my first international training and I am really looking forward on positive results, of course with all your support & morale, most importantly financial support. A very big aspect here having training oversea. For all we know very well that it is not just as easy preparing for a big event like were looking into. This is a higher level and would be a good stepping stone on having more higher level of competitions as well. Training here will not prepare me just for the ASIANGAMES alone, i am also preparing for other local races here, the ACC-ASIAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS in Thailand early feb of next year and the SEAGAMES also of same year.
I am not looking backward on what had happened last SEAG at Laos...I am trying to have positive outlooks that will help me focus intensely basically as a soldier-athlete...It served a lesson for me to count on either.This is now my chosen career and I wanna make it good as much as possible. I am more challenged to do good competing with other Asian Riders...I am not doiong this alone on my behalf but this is for my family,my loved one and all filipino individuals as well. I sacrificed a lot, worked hard a lot and will owe a lot who all people who haved extended their support to me.
To my sponsors, RUDY PROJECT my sponsor for almost eight years now, providing my helmet,eyewears and other cycling gears,NORTHFACE who became to be my sponsor recently in Adventure Racing and also willing to give me stuffs for my training and competitions particularly my running shoes,POLAR my heart rate monitor ( knows when i am happy or not hahaha just kidding ) and now the SMART A BIG BIG NAME IN THE PHILIPPINES. For now on, I am inspired on how SMART-Sir Pato and Sir Art wanted to help me. I am now coping up with the weather and the training i am having now and it is a good thing to train on a 250m track,similar to China.Food is good enough because I am eating rice...One more thing I like in here is the courtesy and discpline on the road and of course having a good cycling etiquette towards others.dito pag red light stop ka talaga unlike sa atin na beating the red light palagi hehehe. Winter soon will be over and will have warm weather here now. What important here is I was able to train on specific track and experiencing different way of training programs.
Thank you so much and God bless us all! Cheers!
