“Spend on experiences, not things.”

When indulging in a hobby, it can be too easy to get caught up in the gear rather than the enjoyment. This is especially true for biking.

After my eventful adventure up in Baguio, I was highly reluctant to go bike-camping again. This changed when I saw a post by Gabay Cycling. The tour group organizes biking adventures, both locally and abroad.

Its upcoming event—in collaboration with Oh Yeah Cycling Club—was an overnight trip to Enkantierra Nature Park in Santo Tomas, Batangas. The package worth P3,950 included a support-and-gear (SAG) vehicle, accommodations, dinner and breakfast, a solo tent, and a shuttle going back to Metro Manila.

I signed up for the ride with peace of mind, knowing I wouldn’t end up stranded by the road or homeless for the night.

I decided to take my Seaboard GR02. The gravel bike was built earlier this year as a sporty adventure bicycle for crunching miles on long rides. Yet, I hadn’t actually taken it outside Metro Manila.

Gabay Cycling would provide the camping gear, so I only had to worry about packing my personal belongings. Cargo space was no problem thanks to my Sack It bags. My clothes and bath towel were stored in the handlebar bag. Meanwhile, the frame bag held my EDC (wallet, keys, power bank), toiletries, rain jacket, and repair kit.

My phone and my camera were stored in stem bags for easy access, while my water bottle was held by a fork-mounted cage. I learned from my Laguna Loop that charging lights mid-ride is a hassle, so I brought spares in case they ran out of battery life.

The meetup time at Magdamag Market Café was 5am, so I woke up at 3:30am. One of the participants came from Makati, and we rode together after meeting up on Shaw Boulevard. Because of his Dutch accent, I felt like I was having a friendly chat with Max Verstappen on a bicycle.

Upon arriving at the café, I was greeted by familiar faces from my circle. Eventually, Pau, Keina, and Neil of Gabay Cycling arrived, and they held the pre-ride briefing. Participants had the option of loading their luggage in the SAG vehicle. I didn’t, partly because I wanted to be as self-supported as possible, and unloading my stuff off the bike would be a hassle.

The group consisted of 13 bikers and one driver. We left at 5:40am, passing through Kamuning, Kamias, and Katipunan before turning left to Marcos Highway, and making a right to Amang Rodriguez, which led to East Bank Road in Pasig.

From there, the group exited Metro Manila and went through the ABC of Rizal—Angono, Binangonan, and Cardona. The heavy meal at Kanto Freestyle Breakfast in Angono gave me the energy I needed to tackle the rolling hills in the area.

The next stretch were the flats of Morong, Baras, and Tanay. By that point, my body knew I was on a long ride. I had to change my hand position and subtly shift my butt on the saddle to avoid getting sore. We regrouped and rested near the Mabitac-Jala-Jala crossroads, before tackling the first major climb.

I thought Pililla wouldn’t be a sweat given that I’d been there before with a much heavier bike. I was mistaken as the incline was worse coming from the other side. How I wished I had Larry’s Neowise FX20 electric gravel bike.

Upon reaching the top, I explored the different view decks to see the windmills before regrouping with the others to rest. What goes up must come down. The descent to Mabitac wasn’t too steep but it was bumpy, so I had to moderate my speed.

The next stopover was at Manay’s Eatery 2 in Famy. The hills were over, yet the 5km stretch felt like an eternity due to the strong headwinds in the area. Lunch was late at around 2pm, and although the group took a while, I didn’t mind passing the time to avoid the afternoon heat.

I had to be conscious of my pace because it mattered on rides like this. Marginal differences can go a long way. Not wanting to get left behind, I tucked behind the slipstream of my friends.

The next stopover was the Lumban Town Marker, where a scenic view awaited after some climbing. I hastily made my way up because I got claustrophobic from all the close passes on the narrow two-lane road.

One of my concerns when traveling this far was that the most random events could cause unnecessary trouble. A cat approached me and took a bite (or scratch) at my heel while I was minding my business. Not only was I a long way from the campsite, but I now had to get a rabies shot as soon as possible.

How comforting.

Despite that, the next portion was my favorite part of the ride. Golden hour was approaching, and the air became cool as I descended Lumban on the way to Pagsanjan. A coffee break was held at Elo’s Café where the group discussed contingency plans in case the ride would drag on for too long.

We were now south of Laguna Lake with 17km of national highway to cover before diverging at Itik Park. The pace was much faster at around 25km/h, slowing down only when traffic got congested at town centers.

It’s normal for groups to get separated during scenarios like this. Thankfully, we weren’t spread out too far. The same can’t be said for the support vehicle, which arrived last because it got stuck in traffic.

We proceeded to the Calauan-San Pablo Highway where the final boss awaited. Compared to Pililla, this climb felt more treacherous. The road was wider, but dimly lit. I thought traffic volume would be low given the location and the time of the day. Yet, there was no end to the cars, the motorcycles, and the trucks speeding up the 9% incline.

After passing through some quiet residential streets in San Pablo City, we stopped near the boundary between San Pablo and Alaminos. The worst was over. But the group was still a long way from Enkantierra, and it was already past dinner time.

The ride had to be cut short because the last stretch was too risky in the dark. So we loaded our bicycles into the minibus and went to the campsite.

We reached Enkantierra after 9pm. Normally, I’d spend a brief moment appreciating the ambience when arriving at a resort or hotel. But not this time.

I just wanted to have dinner and shower as soon as possible—so I’d be ready to drop dead in my tent and get a good night’s sleep.

Instead, the cold shower woke me up enough to drink beer with friends until midnight. Thankfully, the tents were already pitched and ready for occupancy. All that was left was to enter it, zip up the covers so bugs didn’t go inside, and then sleep.

As someone used to air-conditioning every night in Metro Manila, I wasn’t sure if I’d get a good night’s rest at the campsite. The air was cold but not freezing, so I didn’t need a blanket inside my tent. I had no problems falling asleep.

Lying down inside my cozy tent, I thought I heard rain pouring or waves by the beach. The sound was actually the rustling of the bamboo leaves. It wasn’t quiet, but the ambient noise was tranquil and soothing.

I originally thought of taking landscape shots by Taal Lake, or exploring the gravel trails at Enkantierra in the morning. But my sore body had other plans. I ended up staying in the café the whole time, needing two orders of coffee to gradually wake myself up. After packing our bags and loading our bikes in the minibus, we departed for Metro Manila.

When I hear the term “bike-camping,” I’d normally imagine loading up my bicycle with camping gear to ride out into the woods. However, that requires much commitment and preparation. Things could easily go wrong if you didn’t know what you were doing.

Thanks to the logistical support of Gabay Cycling, I didn’t have to worry about the barriers that would hinder me from going on a trip like this. Sure, I can’t brag about being completely self-sufficient. But that didn’t matter since the point was to have fun riding my bicycle with friends.

Brief yet action-packed—that’s how I’d describe the trip overall. At the end of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking how tired I was. And that’s a good thing because it meant that I got to focus on the cycling more than anything else.

To learn more about Gabay Cycling and its exciting adventures, you can visit its page on Facebook.