Bike with Mother Mary, Bike for Peace

Bike with Mother Mary, Bike for Peace

 Perigrinatio religiosa

“Buddy, how much longer is this climb? My hands are already numb, legs close to cramps, thirsty, every part of my body ache and I’m too tired to spin my chain wheel,” said a Big Brother to his bike partner.  “Don’t know Buddy, but I guess we’re nearing the summit, the air is so cool. Just concentrate on spinning, don’t look up because the road is unceasingly steeper and psychologically it would wear us out more so that we don’t have enough practice.” “Come on, I’ll give a little push, but try to spin your wheel, I’m tired as you are.” “Come on Buddy, spin, spin this is our pilgrimage – Bike with Mary, Bike for Peace.”

Indeed these are the usual agonies bikers faced during longer and punitive rides. But thirty bikers were on the road on October 31, 2017 trying to country-cross Claveria to Gingoog along the challenging mountain road passes between Mt. Lumot and Sumagaya via Lanise, Mat-i, Pambugas, Aposkahoy, and Lunotan among others. Why bikers were there? They responded to a penitential call which was conceptualized by Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro (ACDO) Bikers in culmination of the Month of the Holy Rosary, to ride the 52-kilometer stretch of open road sculpted by nature to have lung-busting steep ascends and breath-taking descends.

Thirteen were priests from the different parishes of ACDO joined while the rest were from Cagayan de Oro City and Balingasaag. They started at 7:30 in the morning at the parish grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Claveria after having been served of breakfast, which the parishioners tendered at the convent. There was a short briefing by Fr. Reno and Fr. Joel. The opening Rosary Prayers: the Apostle Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary’s and Glory be to the Father were recited at the starting line. Clad in colorful jerseys, with head gears, gloves, cycling shoes, bottle of water plus a bucketful of courage and commitment, they dare to finish the pilgrimage. The peloton moved after finishing the opening Rosary Prayers.

It was somehow a solemn procession as it traveled on to the first rosary station, towing a caravan of more or less sixteen vehicles which generally were the back-up teams or carriers of the devotees of Mama Mary, who neither could bike nor have been privileged to become bikers.

    

There were four designated chapel stops for each rosary mystery at Barangay Luna, Lanise, and Mat-i in Claveria areas and Samay in Gingoog. The last rosary station was in Anakan. Out of generosity of the faithful, the rosary stations were likewise turned into carbo-loading and rehydration stations. They served puto, suman, kamote, saging, native or corn coffee, softdrinks and of course, water. The rest of the stretch especially the steeper areas were certainly bike stops too though undesignated, for bikers to take a deeper breath to relax for a while and commune with nature. Closer to the boundaries of Gingoog-Claveria, somewhere between the areas of Aposkahoy and Doalnarra, there was a mandatory bike stop preparatory for the next climb, which was the hardest. They regrouped below it to assault the mountain.

In cycling races, the technical sections are usually the appropriate areas of attacks for break-away from the peloton. But in this “Bike with Mother Mary” odyssey, the difficult sections were places of camaraderie. It’s here where compassion had been clearly demonstrated by bike veterans to the less able beginners. A little push, few technical coaching and inspiring words from them really created that great difference because the beginners felt motivated and assured that after all they’re not all alone in the most difficult sections. They had cycling buddies nearby. So, a short stop to breathe relaxingly was a logical way to survive the ordeal. Panting yet spinning, bikers tried much to move their wheels inch by inch in grimace until they reached the imaginary road summit in jubilation thereby eroding completely the traces of anguish and grimaces in their faces during the busting climbs. Recovering from exhaustion, they again made a faster cadence and stopped to regroup at Doalnarra. There’s an ice cream shop and ice cream could rehydrate one well.
   

From Doalnarra, Flight’s 387 Shrine is about seven or eight kilometers away yet and before reaching it, a sprinter’s hill has to be tackled. They moved in a big group for the 387 Shrine at first, but they arrived in foursome, threesome or in pairs; and they had a longer break to take pictures in celebration perhaps of their completed major climb below Doalnarras’s areas. At Flight 387 shrine, bikers from Gingoog were there ahead waiting for their arrival and they joined.

  

It was close to 12:00 o’clock noon, about twenty minutes the most; the bikes regrouped and ready to leave. Precautionary instruction was given that right after Barangay Civoleg-Gingoog area, the route would be all in steep descend and therefore dangerous. The downhill route to Gingoog City is 23 kilometers, but a little bit after the mid-point, they have to stop for lunch at Samay - Christ the King Shrine. Twenty minutes later the lead group arrived and the rest of the bikers check-in some five or more minutes after. Sumptuous meal followed, Fr. Ruth made it a point to fill much the bikers’ bellies as well as ours. The back-up teams brought baons and no one was starved.  

Resting for an hour, the bikes were ready again for the remaining descends of about ten or twelve kilometers to reach the suburbs of the city. At last they were on the flatlands. It implies that all four or five major climbs along the country-passes were conquered including the initial first category climb at Barangay Luna to Lanise, which was rather easier, but sweat drawer. From the end of the downhill course to Anakan, the ride would be some ten or twelve kilometers more. Nevertheless, along the national highway before reaching the Finish Line, two more sprinter’s hill await them. This would again make their faces grimace. From end of the downhill to Anakan, there’s

In pairs, in a small group or even in lonesome, bikers arrived at the Parish grounds of Anakan closer to 1:35 in the afternoon. Everyone was accounted in, so the Fifth Mystery of Sorrows was prayed at the church. Bikers, devotees of Mama Mary and the back-up teams joined the prayer. It was a prayer of thanksgiving that no harm ever happened to us and likewise a prayer of petition.

A solemn closing ceremony took place at the church and followed by picture taking. Thereafter, a call for merienda was given and this notice was rightly responded. Everybody went to the convent and tried to replenish their burn-out calories. Not much longer, we heard the roar of the engines, some drivers had warmed them up after the lashings were secured or when the bikes had been properly placed at the bike rack of the light truck or inside the vans.  We left Anakan for home and this time I was carrying four passengers and three bikes. Earlier that morning, four bikes and five passengers boarded the aging van. It feels better now that we’re no longer cramped than what we had been before during the first two hours of travel to Claveria. Our other buddies were in the second vehicle. They may be comfortable by now as we are.  

Though how weary and sleepy our friends were in the van, they couldn’t help but started to narrate their adventures among themselves. I was just listening, but yet focused on the road. But apparently I was somehow envious for I haven’t felt much what they experienced being no longer young and incapable to endure the difficulties. They cherish all the memories they had in the ride and consider the cause so worthy in spirit of perigrinatio religiosa pro Christo.

“Hopefully next year, the biker priests would organize similar ride on such route, I’ll join again despite I have the most number of stops”, said our Big Brother. “By then I won’t push you anymore and you would no longer propose that we change bikes so you’ll have an excuse to quit because mine is not that good,” said someone at the backseat. We burst into laughter. But the truth is, a biker would never leave a buddy. It’s a tradition and it always would be.

If it wouldn’t be much burden for them, we hope ACDO Bikers would organize again the next pilgrimage extensively so biking communities would be unified not only for the love of cycling, but as bikers for peace with Mother Mary.

ooo

The bikers from ACDO are Fr. Reno Alima, Fr. Neil Limbaco, Fr. Elvin Cimene, Fr. Cacards Pagatpatan, Fr. Joel Oga, Fr. Joel Lusat, Fr. Dondon Olango, Fr. Allen Nocete, Fr. Rimargen Ubalde, Fr. Harrien Salon, Fr. Richard Deloso Fr. Jessie Namocot and Fr. Bogs Valmores. From the Haguros, Myx and Bullets Teams, we have Napy, Foxbo, Thunax, Carlo, Cesar, Bomrams, Ike, Rico, Wally, Aldren, Warrior, Dongdong, Mackoy and Gogong. Ed, the brother of Fr. Dondon who’s a biker too was there. Two young bikers from the Parish of Mt. Carmel, Carmen, CDO likewise joined. For Gingoog Bikers, I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get their names, but I knew one, she’s the daughter of our late partner, George Sumunod.