Chill and ride. This is Bogs, the most relaxed biker that we have ever met.
We arrived in the parking lot of Circulo Verde and saw Bogs Amarra setting up his portable chair. He was wearing a Nike shirt, sunglasses, an Umbro cap, Trek cycling shorts, a shoe on his right foot and a slide on his left.
“I need a chair whenever I hangout with my bike and friends, this is easy to set up,” he told us. “Gusto ko lang maka-chill kahit saan, mag-relax wherever I go. Enjoy the place, enjoy with people.”
We want that chair too, especially after more than an hour of cycling to Quezon City. Bogs got it from Decathlon. It only weighs a kilo and it fits perfectly on his handlebar when it’s packed into a bag.
This cool dude from Paranaque never thought that he’d love cycling. He recalled getting too inconvenienced using a bicycle before. His mom used to always tell him to ride a bike whenever he visits friends.
“I always thought of it as a hassle because I would bike to my friends in Alabang or Makati and iniisip ko the whole time na pwede naman ako mag-drive,” he admitted. “Pero now, nagugulat ako na I can reach places like Antipolo or Manila on a bike without even getting tired.”
Bogs got a bike because he wanted to discover himself through sports. He tried weightlifting, yoga and bowling, among others, but none of these activities fancied him.
He then borrowed his brother’s bicycle and loved it. It also helped that Bogs enjoyed spinning in the gym but he said that riding a bike is way better because he can reach places. Last July, he finally bought his own ride.
“I got a mountain bike because I think it’s perfect for Philippine roads. I wanted a bike that is best suited for different kinds of terrains,” he told us.
Now that he’s cycling for five months, he said that he usually doesn’t track his performance anymore because he’s purely enjoying the rides.
We asked him about to his foot. He casually said that he got into an accident like it’s no big deal. In the middle of our conversation, he politely asked if we could talk under the shade because the sun started to become painful. We transferred with Bogs bringing his chair with him.
