Daanbantayan MTB XC Featured Rider: Paul “Baguio” Perez of Paul DP Graphics Racing Team

By owrange on 8 August, 2013 in Biking Philippines, Featured Biker, MTB XC 1

Thanks to Daanbantayan MTB XC Race Sponsors together with LGU from RD!

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Paul Baguio is one of the names you will first know when you get into the MTB scene in Cebu. If you’re a biker’s wife / partner, at one point, hearing his name will make your blood boil as it means time away in the mountains. =) Let’s get to know more about this LEGEND, read on this Q&A with Baguio. (Paul Baguio is his common nick as he came from Baguio.)

Name: Paul Gabriel D. Perez
Profession / Business: Registered Mechanical Engineer (16 years Profession)
Paul DP Graphics and Designs (Proprietor – 2 years), contact numbers: 0916 659 5804, (032) 239 1982 more details here >>
Rank (age): 38

Photo by Gary Aparis

Serial number (kind of bike):

(1) Mountain bike 26er, (2) Mountain biker 29er, (3) Roadbike

Name of your team? Brief history?

I’m an individual competitor.

But I plan to create a team, (if my business will prove to be more successful) I’m going to call it “Paul DP Graphics Racing Team,” and sponsor them for races.

How long have you been biking? How did you get into biking?

I was already into mountainbiking and racing when I was working in Baguio from 1999 to 2004. I honed my skills in the mountains of Baguio City and nearby cordillera areas when I was working for Texas Instruments together with officemates.

After transferring to Cebu to work for Lexmark, I sort of focused on work from 2004 to 2007 so my biking got sidelined. But then I felt I’m getting “unhealthily” big, and so the reason I got back to the saddle again.

Photo from Gregor A. Pausanos

We also joined MTB races back then, even going down to San Fernando La Union to join their annual MTB race or to Clark to join Duathlons. I can also remember we went to Laiya, Batangas just to join an MTB race. Then I got back riding while in Cebu from 2007-2008 until 2012.

I am getting back this year again to getting active in riding. Also I’m a mountaineer so outdoor activities are not new to me. The mountainbiking part just made it more complete for me, and it helps me to get fit for climbing way back my early climbing years.

Hike and bike, camp Osmena Peak (Photo from Jason Dorado)

Will the Daanbantayan MTB XC Race be your first mountain bike race? If not, how long have you been doing mountain bike racing?

The Daanbantayan MTB XC race is probably my major comeback race as a mountainbiker, and using my latest set up which is the 29er.

It will also be my first time to race on a 29er; as years back, it was not yet popular. It was still flourishing. Now 29er is used by most top professional UCI MTBikers.

It’s also sort of my way to get a feel of the racing ambiance since I’m targeting to join TLBF (Terry Larazabal Bike Fest, details here >>) this October.

I’ve been into MTB racing in Cebu since I got back to riding around 2007-2008. I got to a point that we even travel to other islands in Visayas area to join races: like Sandurot in Dumaguete, TLBF in Ormoc, etc.

I also raced back in Baguio even though I was already in Cebu during holidays when I go home to our parent-in-laws for the Christmas, and coincidentally there was a bike race of which I also bring with my my bike. It was a killer race since the starting parts was climbing from Lion’s head to Loakan road.

How do you train for it?

I’m in a situation right now that I’m shifting my career from being a corporate minion for 16 years to being a full time businessman.

Since, I’m just starting to go back to mtbiking and racing after a year of hibernation, I’m expecting not to fair with the other riders in my age group. But I will do the best to train in such a short span of time, and aim to have a not so bad time or place. hehehe.

I will go back to the training plans I had before, and also important to have consistency. It’s also important to train my mind for endurance and strength, not only the physical structure of my body.

I will also need to lose weight. hehehe.

I have this formula that I follow: “Work, Business, and Bike. Choose two.” When I only had to work in the corporate, I can easily train: bike and work. But when I started putting up my business while still tied in the corporate world, the bike part deteriorated, which explains my hiatus from the bike scene.

I’ll be full-time soon in my business, I’m going to try Business and Bike. I think I can make a way to Bike as I’ve done this with the Work and Bike combination. Plus, I think I can do better as I have more extra personal time as I only now need to focus on business.

Blooper moments in biking? The worst incident to happen in biking?

I don’t recall any worst incident, as either I’m too cautious or I’m not into DH biking.

La Trinidad, Benguet

For bloopers, it’s hard for me to remember as there are so many of them. But one thing I will never forget in biking is that I cannot fathom the fact that I can ride 90kms to 100kms in a single day and up along the mountains of Cebu or Benguet. And, I never regretted to have done it, and am always wishing to do it over and over again.

Nothing beats happiness in riding a bike. It produces freedom, satisfaction, good, environmental appreciation and its good for the health too.

Where are your playgrounds? The most challenging trail in Cebu you can recommend? Your favorite?

Mostly XC routes and trails (Cebu Island, Benguet and Cordilleras, Negros Island). They can all be found from my wikiloc account here >>.

Challenging XC trail is probably this in Cebu: 94kms Red Rock-Lusaran-Manggabon-Tagbao-Cantipla-Sudlon-Manipis >>.

My favorite XC route/trail in Cebu is Kalunasan loop, details from my wikiloc account here >>. Because you can get all the training you need in the least amount of time, just need to loop it again. Its also near our place. You can extend until Pamutan as well.

Challenging XC trail in Benguet is probably this: Destination Ambuklao Dam via Labey Road >>.

Now, to that all important bike porn question – what’s your bike setup?

For my latest Bike which is the 29er, here is my set-up:

– unbranded FL bikes carbon 29er frame
– Rock Shox SID XX orange dual air 29er Fork
– FL carbon cage with normal steel bolts
– sram xx1 groupset, 32 singlecrank BB30, 10-42 sprocket
– token BB30
– 2012 xtr brakeset, fin pads
– ashima rotors
– Cinelli -25 deg, 100mm stem
– flat carbon niner hbar and seatpost, 31.8mm
– ordinary seatclamp (temp)
– quartz pedal (exustar in pix kay naka spd pa akong shoes)
– amclass 29 race wheelset
– circus monkey skewers, Ti -maxxis 29er tubes (did not go tubeless)
– specialized fasttrack tire front, renegade tire rear
– fizik arionne braided carbon rails -ESI foam grips

If there’d be an apocalypse, and you can only save one bike, which among your bikes will you save?

I’ll save my latest fun-filled rig that is in between: 29er mtb

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You can join Paul Baguio another comeback race at DAANBANTAYAN MTB XC RACE ’13, details here >>. We’ll soon be updating you with more stories for this race, keep posted with us here or at aktib.ph.

(Note: The entire set of interview questions were copied from ten10.ph Rider of the Week column.)

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Posted by:

Rose Buenconsejo. A runner who runs after runners, and their stories, and her dream to become a NEDBANK.
Promo Girl, runroo.com
View her aktib race calendar >>