A five-member Philippine cycling team is in Jakarta to compete in the 2010 Speedy Tour de Indonesia, an International Cycling Union (Union Cycliste Internationa, UCI)-sanctioned event that offers Olympics and World Championships qualifying points.

The Philippine team, which left on Friday, is represented by 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines led by 2009 Tour of Luzon champion John Mark Lexer Guevarra Galedo.

The Filipinos are hoping to earn UCI points that could earn for them slots in bigger international tournaments in the eight-day race, which starts on Tuesday. They will be up against squads which regularly compete in the Tour de Langkawi and Tour de France.

Sherwin Carrera, Joel Calderon, Baler Ravina and new recruit Tots Tonido Oledan, a former Liquigaz team member, are the other members of the team.

The team aims to surpass the eighth-place finish by an RP squad led by Victor Espiritu last year where the former Tour ng Pilipinas three-time champion became the top Filipino finisher in the individual standings at 11th place.

Joining Espiritu in last year’s RP team are Lloyd Lucien Reynante, Sherwin Diamsay, Tomas Martinez and Galedo.

The race starts with a 60-kilometer team time trial in Jakarta to be followed by a 155k massed start from Bandung to Cirebon on Day 2. The third day is another massed start lap, a 135k distance from Cirebon to Pekalongan.

The other stages are from Pekalongan to Semarang (104k), from Semarang to Yogyakarta (143.8k), Yogyakarta to Madiun-Sarangan (195.3k), Madiun to Sarabaya (182k), Gilimanuk to Denpasar (147k). The bikefest ends with a 50k criterium race in Renon. - JVP, GMANews.TV