In case you missed it, the President has just officially signed Proclamation No. 1052 which declares the fourth Sunday of November as National Bicycle Day.
The proclamation aims to promote the benefits of shifting to non-motorized vehicles, to raise awareness on environmental sustainability, and push for eco-friendly technologies, systems, and practices.
And as if the timing couldn’t be better, the holiday is this Sunday! So gear up, and get to peddling through the best biking trails and spots here in and near Metro Manila.
For the southies out there, find the Filinvest MTB Trail beside Palms Pointe along FIlinvest Avenue in Alabang. Perfect for trail runners as well, the trail networks are divided into sections marked by steep and sudden uphills, joint pump tracks, drop sections, and looping berms underneath verdant trees. Or just bike on the roads — no traffic spotted!
You might as well make your bike route longer to soak the bright sunrise better. You can start off from Seaside Boulevard behind the MOA Complex, right towards the Marina Bay, then left onto J.W. Diokno Boulevard before taking on the slope and turns of the roads inside the CCP Complex for that much-needed morning workout.
For a straightforward city trail, peddle towards the Circuit Grounds in Makati. You can bike leisurely around the Santiago and Libertad Cua Park and the Skate Park, or take a lap around the mall complex, through Symphony Drive, Theater Drive, then ending at Riverfront Drive.
Salute to business districts for being bike-friendly! While BGC has incorporated bike lanes into its traffic roads, they also have dedicated biking spots along 28th Street, 30th Street, 31st Street, 2nd Avenue, 11th Avenue, and Rizal Drive. These are also where you can take up bike lessons from National Bicycle Organization to boost your biking know-hows.
A short distance from BGC is another ideal bike trail in Taguig known for its quiet, cross-country bike tracks: the Heroes Bike Trail along Bayani Road inside the Libingan ng mga Bayani compound. For a measly fee of PhP50, you get to follow its 3.7-km length full of short slopes and rapid downhills, perfect for bikers of any skill level.
Sure, you might have gone to The Walled City before, probably on a field trip or for a passing errand, but you only get to relish its Spanish-era beauty aboard your own bike. If you don’t have one, Intramuros offers bike rentals and eco-tours care of Bambike. Peddle through the cobblestone streets while appreciating the beauty of Manila Cathedral, Plaza Rama, and Fort Santiago.
Metro Manila’s easterners are also embracing the biking trend through their own biking trail around the Marikina River Park. The 11-km urban bike path is mostly flat, with only slight slopes and subtle bends surrounded by greeneries. It also has the “Animal Trail” with several animal sculptures, as well as a few cottages where you can cool down.
Just like the one in Filinvest, this 1-km pentagonal loop inside the Neopolitan Business Park is a wide asphalt road that’s closed off to traffic, offering Fairview folks the ideal place for practicing laps around the oval.
This one’s a little bit unique — The Bike Playground in Circulo Verde has both an indoor biking track and an outdoor trail. It also boasts the first-ever “Velosolutions Pump Park” in the metro where you can practice and perform BMX moves.
If you’re walking in, their Playground Pass sells at PhP95 per head, and you can rent one of their bikes too.
This is one of the best kind of challenge you’d ever tackle: bike through the 52-kilometer track beneath the thick forests of La Mesa Watershed Nature Reserve. It’s quite the feat that could take up half of your day, but hey, cycling through single tracks while looking at evergreen trees, a vast fishing pond, and a butterfly garden is always worth the sweat.
Okay, we know we said “ten,” but we couldn’t help to include an honorable mention.
A classic route for QC residents, UP Diliman’s famed Academic Oval is a sanctuary not only for cyclists but for skaters, joggers, casual brisk walkers — really, just anyone wanting to break a sweat. The 2.2-km smooth oval road has a designated bikers’ and runners’ lane, and it’s perfectly covered by lush narra trees, or beautiful fire trees if you bike around midyear.
Which bike trails are you taking on today?
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