Sunday, April 1, 2012

My Top 5 Mountain Bike Routes in Cebu


My blog is about to turn a year now so I thought I’d come up with a list of the best bike trails in Cebu. Note that this is not a “how-to-get-there” guide because the location of trails, being trails, are not easy to point to. If you ever happen to visit Cebu, these are the places you ought to rip. You can ride with local riders, we are all friendly here :)

Panas Downhill Trail - Panas, Consolacion, Cebu. This downhill mountain bike route literally left a mark on me. One time I nearly blinded my left eye when I went over the handlebar and landed on my face. There was a sharp root sticking out of the ground and it stabbed through right under my left eye. At the trailhead is a jump that leads right into a bamboo so you have to whip your bike so you don’t end up where you don’t want to. The whole route is a single track that carves at the side of a hill. It’s probably the steepest trail I’ve ever ridden. You’ll have to put a lot of work maintaining the grip of your tires on the loose red soil. There are small drops and a three-foot drop that lands into ruts, roots, and rocks. Of course, I didn’t do any of the drops and jumps. But I know someone who did, check out this Youtube video to watch how he ripped the trail.

Gaas Trail - Gaas Balamban to Casuy, Toledo. This is an all-mountain bike route that crosses from Gaas, Balamban in central Cebu to Toledo City in the western part of the province. You start your ride through a foggy single track and end it in rock garden with boulder-sized rocks. It is one of the most scenic places to ride at, the whole journey concluded with an awe-inspiring view of Lake Casuy.

Sibugay-Taptap-Kanirag - Central Cebu. Also called the 3-in-1 because it all three trails are usually ridden in one day. Sibugay starts with a series of single tracks which lead you to steep descents and a ride along a river. There are also multiple river crossings until you reach Barangay Bonbon, a low-lying barangay where at the end of a muddy ride you can eat to your belly’s content from any of their three or four foodhouses. Mind you, they serve big and cheap. Next stop from Sibugay is Taptap.

It is actually quite faaar from the first trail but you can stil go there anyway because you are already in the area. You can take a habal-habal from Brgy. Bonbon to the junction to Brgy. Taptap. From there, it is a fast downhill ride through a network of barangay roads then through a single track that leads to a rock garden. You’ll have to pedal a bit to reach the highway. From the highway you’ll need to break some sweat to reach Kan-irag. Ride through a scenic pasture and into the old golf course until you reach a barangay road. This is where all the scary action starts, as riders usually go all out on their bikes here. Blind curves, rain ruts, loose traction--they are all there but none of the boys seem to mind.

Vegetable Highway - Carcar to Sibonga, Cebu. A route both for road and mountain bikes, the vegetable highway forms a spine that runs from Carcar southwards to Sibonga. There is also an option to go to Dumanjug. When you reach Carcar rotunda, turn right on the road that leads to Barili. From the rotunda the junction is 7.5kms away. Enjoy heart-breaking climbs and fast descents through this roller-coaster route. 

Carmen - Danao Mountain Route. This route is like a beautiful love story: it takes your breath away (although at a more heart-breaking sense). It’s not really that high, with only 1,200ft of maximum elevation. But it’s the steepness that you have to contend with. But the whole experience is a sight to remember, probably the most stunning but least known scenic views in the Province of Cebu.

17 comments:

Kriska Ylagan said...

So you're a biker (tama ba?)! I don't know how to ride a bike without its training wheels. I'm 25. Just saying. ;)

Bal Marsius said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bal Marsius said...

Hi Kris :)

I'm just a guy who rides his bike. I don't know what to call myself. My girl friend learned how to bike at 25. I taught her how to. You can learn to balance in a minute (60 seconds, swear). You're not way beyond the track :P

-Bal

Anonymous said...

i think ive ridden all except pana trail...

oh youve included our route in our BB wet muddy and succulent ride...

lets go there again in cebuGay-topTop-kan-eYrAG bitch when its all wet and muddy...

carmen-danao, is this the danao backdoor, you mean???it is indeed a ride that take ur breath and sight(tunnel vision) away...
it even our first ride together, right? you and your orange long sleeves and black leggings with dokie and ramil of TBR...

thats where where i truly found my gay self...nyahahahaha

miss yah gayBro...

Bal Marsius said...

panas is not rideable anymore gay bro. ruined by flood... did you check the vid? it's scarier than aling dionisia

carmen-danao is from carmen to danao as the name says..don't be a stupid fag..nindot kaayo betch but lots of heart-breaking climbs...it's not the climb where i first saw your "egay egat" jersey..i thought it's a joke..it's true diay..nyahaha

IMY too, my bottom bracket..

lakbay philippines said...

wow, di man pang downhill akong mtb uy. nindot unta i downhill! lami i setup og downhill pero mahal!!!

Anonymous said...

hi! i'm a lady rider. been to a few trails in negros. but your rides... wow!! murag vegetable highway ra kaya nko :-(

Bal Marsius said...

the thing with trail riding, you'll never know you can do it until you've tried. sometimes you'll end up still on your bike, sometimes you'll end up in the hospital. either way, it's worth telling a story about :)

Unknown said...

Bai,migo,kawan,sadik ug uban pa...
kaning mga trail sa imong blog pwedi kaha ni sa mga newie pareha nako nga mo ride lang two times a month??ug unsa man sab name sa inyong grupo? pwedi mo apil? ganahan man gud ko mo ride naay kauban...

Bal Marsius said...

pwede ra basta willing ka magdala og bawn ug sunscreen. iadd ko sa fb, melquiades buryal estrada

Andrea said...

Hi. Asa diay agion ang carmen-danao bike trail? :)

Bal Marsius said...

hi Andrea! thanks for dropping by. mao ni ang entry point sa carmen-danao route https://www.google.com/maps/place/Carmen,+Cebu,+Philippines/@10.5935522,124.009433,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x33a9b3d5b980744d:0x934cbb8bd330be37

just follow the main road and it will take you right back to danao

cheers!

Unknown said...

Sir Bal, may mga tindahan bang madadaanan sa vegetable highway? Baka mabitin sa tubig...

Anonymous said...

Hi, this is very important. How many hours did it take to bike the Gaas-Casuy trail? How many kilometers? And where sa Gaas mag start ang trail? Please.

Anonymous said...

Bai, unsa ka lisod ang Danao trail? so far wala koy makita na blogs/posts about this trail. Im a girl btw, nangandoy lang mag trail biking. salamat :)

Josephine said...

Nice bike trails in Cebu, hoping to visit here soon! Thanks for sharing

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bal Marsius