Cycling the Roof of Luzon - Part 1, 2019

This ride is a field test of our cold-weather trekking gears and newly-installed bike parts and accessories. Gearing up and testing for that planned high-altitude Indian Himalaya ride, and Benguet in February is the coldest and the highest you can get in the Philippines. Four mountain bikers from Irosin, Sorsogon (me, Kareen my wife, Tyrone and Paulo) once again took leave from day jobs and rode two long bus rides to revisit the roof of Luzon. This ride is a 5-day loop of Baguio City – Bokod – Kabayan – Atok – Baguio City (with a side trip to Mt. Pulag).

Day 1, Baguio City to BSU-Bokod Campus

The ride out of Baguio City started at 7 AM, with an uphill ride in the Benguet-Nueva Viscaya Road which tops out after about 5 km and followed by a long mostly downhill ride to Agno River. Then up to Ambuklao Dam, up to a restaurant with a good view deck (6 km from the dam), then down to the Bokod-Kayapa road junction.

My "new" bike with second-hand Scott frame and Shimano Deore parts, first time on panniers. Wife's bike with handle bar and saddle bags. Rack vs. rack-less system.

Agno River

Ambuklao Dam

Climb after Ambuklao

Panoramic Ambuklao Lake, at Lolo Dencio's Restaurant

Steep climb from Poblacion Bokod to BSU-Bokod

From Poblacion Bokod, the road incline goes wild up to Ambangeg junction. In 2013, we pushed our bike in this rough road segment. Nowadays, the road is concreted so we biked all the way up. Slow going until we reached BSU-Bokod Campus by 4:30 PM. If staying in Bokod, you can sleep in a transient house maintained by BSU-Bokod for P 200 per person. We were lucky to have the whole house by ourselves.

Stava ride data here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2138501393. 

Day 2, DENR-PASU, Bokod to Babadak, Kabayan

All climbers must register and get permits to climb Mt. Pulag – and bring medical certificates! After signing-up at DENR-PASU office, we biked down to the junction to have a “habal-habal” motorcycle driver haul our bike bags up to the ranger station (for P 250). And up to Babadak we biked – this time biked all the way up, with no walking. The road is 99% concreted and in good condition, but of course the incline was punishing. It took 5.5 hours to cover 11.5 km with an elevation gain of 1,224 meters. Strava data of the ride is here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2148147547.

Forest fire in Bokod

The "tahi" technique for steep climbs, zigzag the road 

Steep climbs all the way up to Babadak

Approaching Babadak

Cold Camp 2 of Mt. Pulag

At Babadak, we were reunited with our gears and transitioned to hiking mode. The permits, DENR and LGU fees, a guide, a porter (carrying 17.5 kg) costs around P 800 per person. Cyclists can safely “park” their bikes inside the new DENR sub-office at Babadak, just ask nicely. We hiked up and reached Camp 2 just in time for the sunset.

And as the sun went down so did the temperature. My wife and I wore everything we had (thermal underwear, fleece jacket, down jacket, technical jacket, trekking pants, technical pants) as we intentionally did not bring the bulky sleeping bags. Should have brought more socks and that ski gloves.

Day 3, Mt. Pulag Camp 2 to Summit to Babadak

We were awake at 4 AM, with clouds are rolling in, “amihan” winds blowing and it is freezing cold at Mt. Pulag. Agnes the guide advised us to wait for a break in the weather. But with the weather still uncooperative by 6 AM, we decided to do a windy, rainy and misty summit assault. No sea of clouds at the summit this time.

Cold, windy, rainy and misty Mt. Pulag grasslands

Mt. Pulag summit, sans the sea of clouds

The cold, cloudy, windy, rainy weather continued until we were back down to Babadak ranger station at 2 PM. Many of our gears are wet (and heavy), the road pavement is treacherously slippery, and it is a long downhill ride to Kabayan (our planned stop). So we decided to find a homestay in Babadak to rest and dry our gears.

Day 4, Babadak to Poblacion Kabayan (via Bashoy)

It was a shiny but cold start at 9 AM from Babadak at 2,448 meters above sea level. Fleece and down jackets were needed for that downhill ride to Kabayan via Bashoy. About 2 km segment of Bashoy-Babadak Road is still rocky road. Insane downhill ride and thanking Shimano Deore for that smooth hydraulic disc brake system. The road met up with Bokod-Kabayan-Buguias Road, and northwards we went up to Kabayan which we reached at 2 PM for a late lunch.

Paulo, me (Noel), Kareen and Tyrone

Cold start in Babadak

Rock garden in a steep downhill

Approaching Kabayan

Kabayan Poblacion

Let’s clean up, dry our gears and do laundry! Everything was washed up by 4 PM at Pine Cone Lodge and after that is a visit to Kabayan Museum. This small museum (operated by National Museum) is worth visiting for that unique perspective on local history and culture.

Strava data: https://www.strava.com/activities/2148147560.    

Day 5, Poblacion Kabayan to Baguio City

Started out from Pine Cone Lodge at 5:30 AM after a longsilog breakfast. Cold, pitch black and barking dogs into Kabayan Barrio. Dawn is breaking as we started the monstrous ascent from the bridge over Agno River to Mt. Timbak – 1,521 meters of elevation gain in one long 12 km climb with a total time of 9 hours. Some road sections have 20% incline! It was a slow push-bike ascent, stopping every few meters to catch breathe, long rests after every kilometer. No water source nor sari-sari store along the climb – so stock up on water and food.

The insanely steep Kabayan-Timbak road

Outline of Mt. Pulag

No more stove fuel! No problem, the kaldero can take the soot from pine leaves and branches, and have that coffee outside. 

Hirap ng daan na ito!

Reward at the top of Kabayan-Timbak Road

The Philippine Pali, highest point of the highway system.

Halsema Highway

It was past 3 PM when we topped the Mt. Timbak saddle. We decided to forego a summit assault to Mt. Timbak as the team decided to ride all the way to Baguio City that day. From Mt. Timbak is a downhill to the Halsema Highway, to the the highway highest point, to Atok, to guerilla saddle with plenty of restaurant, to Tublay, then La Trinidad and to Baguio City which we reached by past 10 PM.

Biggest climb in a day so far of my cycling career at 3,450 meters elevation gain! Strava data is here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2150671332.

Great ride! More pictures here. 

Part 2 of this ride would be a summit assault to Mt. Timbak, a visit to Lake Tabeo and a climb to Mt. Tabayoc – as originally planned. Plus to the "new" highway highest point in Buguias-Tinoc Road. May babalikan, later.

By Noel Mercado