THE PhilCycling will honor a young champion rider from Pangasinan who died recently when it stages its National Championships for Road 2026 unfurling on Sunday in Tagaytay City.
The race’s men’s juniors category will be named after Mark Arvin España Armendez, a two-time Batang Pinoy gold winner and a former national juniors champion who passed away while fishing back home in Urdaneta last Jan. 22.
He was 18.
The competition, presented by Standard Insurance and the MVP Sports Foundation and backed by Tagaytay City under Mayor Brent Tolentino, will have men and women’s criterium, individual time trial and individual road race in the youth and junior (12-13, 14-15 and 16-17-18), Under-23 and elite.
It will also have a masters’ section for the first time in the event that is expected to draw around 300 cyclists.
“This is grassroots development at work,” said PhilCycling chief and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino. — Joey Villar

