November 26 - Inspiration to go further

We left Capas with smiles, and an inspiration to bring with us on this journey.

Our fore-fathers, walked a 100kms under the scorching heat during the Deathmarch. We shall do the same, but on our bicycles and an even greater mileage... but with one other thing to inspire us... Bike Lanes Now.


Now hungry... and stomachs growling fast... we pedaled through the noon sun. But since I was at the middle of the pack I was unaware where the lead will bring us... next on the list would be Luisita, Tarlac... Chowking! Jollibee! Max!



Nakow! Tigil-kabayo! Wait! Wait!

Hindi kami tumigil sa Plaza Luisita... we passed it a few 500 meters away. And stopped at this odd looking carinderia along the road. Na maraming sasakyan ang nakaparada sa labas.




The Place was called Victor's and they served the best tasting Roasted Chicken I ever tasted. Maslalo na yung mouthwatering spicy sisig nila. And for 21 people we only paid 100 per person. Ang mura pare!

128.69km. was the total distance traveled at this point.

It was recharge time for everyone...



kahit si pacer/lead, Dan... kailangan din ng much needed rest... hindi lahat ng mamaw ay mamaw. Tao rin sila~

Our magnificent waitress, Ara... she can stack up to 8 plates of rice. 4 on each arm.

by 1:30pm we left Luisita and headed to what's in store for us @ Paniqui

November 26 - Endless Bike Lane and a Tribute to the Veterans

And then we rolled for the next stop... Capas, Tarlac
Rolling past through the desert sand dunes... este lahar.
Dan endorsing his favorite drink: Pocari Sweat



And there we go...

===
Provincial roads are very peaceful, locals who live beside the main rode would even give you a push or a simple good morning. That even gave us some morale boost. But for us seeing that we get to share the road... is already a big morale booster.



And alas! We reached Capas, Tarlac's Deathmarch Monument... marking our 110.8km.


A tribute to our fore-fathers!

Ageless Warriors @ Capas, Tarlac's Deathmarch Monument

Wearing our Team Veloce Long-Sleeved Jerseys & Enduro MTB Shorts~

November 26 - Of Flat tires and low traffic... Hello Tarlac!

But a few kilometers later... Mang Bay's tire went *poof* it became coco crunch... oops! Anyway Mang Bay's low tread-life tire became a victim of bottle shards scattered all-over the road along MacArthur Hway within Angeles City. His tube was beyond repairable as it sported holes, lotsa holes.

Off course, it pays off when a member brings spares. Not just tubes, but also spare tires. Ronnie offered his spare tire to Mang Bay. Everyone helped in speeding up the repairs. That's what I would call true camaraderie.



Mister pure energy on the other hand needed some good ole' rest... hindi rin habang buhay naka AC/DC si Erwin... minsan may times na brownout o lowbatt din sya.


===
Fixing a flat was enjoyable than stressful as it gave everyone a chance to get to know each other faster than normal.

And so we left... pedal speed averaged from 18-25kph... Passing Mabalacat we entered Bamban, Tarlac and stopped over before the beautiful bridge @ Shell... @ 9:40am there we spent 45 minutes of rest to shield ourselves from the scorching heat of the sun.

by this time we have covered around 104kms. of road.




 

The sun was up high, and the road was scorching hot. That staying on the dust-filled road would be considered torture. It will only result on the riders experiencing sunburn, discomfort and dehydration. With Carmen 70kms away from us... we had to take more time off the saddle to rest, recover, sleep, chill and relax.










Wala ng Pocari... so Papa Rocks went to buy a Gatorade (Sorry Otsuka).

Check-out Mang Bay's face mask. Galing anu~ he can see through anything.

November 26 - Pampanga... hungry for breakfast

at 70kms something... we were looking forward for our next rest place...



And as it seemed may parada sa San Fernando ng mga oras na iyon.

Sabi nga ni Mang Bay eh, oks lang yan. Bitin daw yung paspasan naming takbo.

Still unable to find a Jollibee or a Mcdo near the area... *poof* we had another casualty... this time Decroix's tire suffered a flat from a nail-sized glass shard.




Thanks to Ching for bringing his compressor pump, pumping air to tubes was never a hassle.

And then we were off again... tires installed perfectly~

at around 7:12am we were welcomed by Jollibee at Sindalan, San Fernando. And there we had our 2nd breakfast... more likely brunch.




by this time we had covered already over 81.26kms.

And after a few minutes we were off again... this time headed for Angeles City and Mabalacat.

Side by side we rode together, Pairs by Pairs we went... we occupied half of one lane. As we shared the half of the road with motorcyclists as well as automobiles. They honked their horns to show their support... some even chanted: "Huwag Matakot, Walang aayaw!"




And after a few more... there it was Angeles City