PTB hosts first group meet and greet biking fiesta
By Ron Cantiveros
It only took a couple years for the Pinoy Trail Bikers – Winnipeg to host their first official Get Together and Meet & Greet at Birds Hill Park on Sunday, September 7. The Pinoy Trail Bikers was originally featured in a previous edition of the Filipino Journal as a growing Facebook group that brings Filipino biking enthusiasts together. There are now over 200 members in the Pinoy Trail Bikers – Winnipeg Facebook Group. The Meet & Greet was organized by Richie Flores and part of the agenda included a bike clinic by Gerry Salenga with Woodcock Cycle.
The Meet & Greet was an opportunity for many PTB members to finally meet some other members in real life and included the distribution of the much anticipated inaugural PTB trail jerseys. The Meet & Greet was a full-on family affair as many PTB members brought along their families to enjoy the outdoors and fellowship that accompanies many Filipino fiestas and celebrations.
The Pinoy Trail Bikers inspired Jovil Valeros to compete in his first cross country mountain bike race at the Back 40 Race in Morden. He hopes to explore more trails in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.
Sam Fuentes is the resident GoPro ‘chesty’ videophile of the Pinoy Trail Bikers with his entertaining trail ride videos posted from his YouTube account. He had little experience with trail biking before joining the group and the frequent group rides helped him improve his riding skills. Just like Jovil Valeros, he’s hopeful to see more members join the group rides. Next year’s goal for the group is heading west to ride the Canadian Rockies.
Gerry Salenga is a bike technician with Woodcock Cycle and hosted a bike clinic during the meet & greet. Part of the bike clinic covered basic bike maintenance and routine checklist such as checking tire pressure, brakes, lubing all moving parts and brake & shifting cable adjustments. Salenga also touched on biking etiquette on the trails which include giving way to hikers, greeting other riders and trail users, and no littering on the trails.
One of the action items for the group is to register the group as a member of the Manitoba Cycling Association (MCA). As a MCA member, the group would enjoy a full list of value added services and benefits including member insurance, event sanctioning for PTB directed races, and access to development funding of up to $500 annually per approved club application.
On behalf of the PTB organizers and administrators, Richie Flores would like to thank everyone that participated in the success of their first annual meet & greet. Without the support of the PTB members, sponsors and most importantly the PTB families, he’s thankful for the new camaraderie. Mabuhay PTB!
Photos by Ron Cantiveros | Filipino Journal
