Thousands of bike lovers have been biking to the UP Diliman Campus' Sunken Garden for the past two days to participate in one of the country's largest cycling festivals.
Pedal UP: The Philippine Bicycle Demo 2023 has assembled some of the top companies in sports cycling as well as bespoke brands that cater to lifestyle bikers who have taken up cycling as a mode of transportation, travel, and instrument for urban rejuvenation.
The "bike demo day" was a once-a-year event hosted at locations such as Arcovia City in Pasig and Filinvest Trails in Alabang. The event provided an opportunity for bike dealers to display their wares and for bike aficionados to test drive their dream bikes.
However, the pandemic canceled large gatherings, including bike festivals. While the pandemic caused much pain for millions of people worldwide, there was a silver lining here in the Philippines and in many other nations in the surge in cycling.
Millions of people around the world began riding not as a sport but as a mode of transportation and travel, and it eventually blossomed into a separate lifestyle.
As the world celebrates Earth Day and the government braces for another likely El Nio in the coming months, we can only hope that this new cycling tribe grows and that they can battle climate change with every pedal stroke.
The Up Diliman Sunken Garden hosted Pedal UP on April 21 and will continue until April 23. The gates will open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.
