Lucky raffle winner: he won a bicycle worth 120,000 pesos after completing a race with his 11,000-peso mountain bike.
Jelwin Tabuan learned to ride a bicycle from his dad when he was young. He recalled that his father would assist him while pedaling and eventually let go, forcing the little kid to balance until he can bike on his own.
He looked up to his dad so much, thanking him not just with his biking skills but also with many aspects in life, that he eventually decided to become a seaman too like his late father.
“Bumalik ‘yung hilig ko sa pagba-bike, wala na siya. Sabi ko, what if kung buhay pa si daddy baka nakakasama ko siya everyday sa pagra-ride,” he said. “Naisip ko na dahil nauso ito ulit, baka maisipan niyang bumili at mag-set up ng bike.”
With his French road bike Lapierre, Jelwin mostly rides every time he’s here in the Philippines to relieve his stress after months of being on board, working in a bulk carrier.
His bicycle is light and fast, the things that this seaman loves about his ride. But the story behind how he got his bike is probably the reason why he’s keeping it as a treasure. He won it from a raffle when he joined the 7-Eleven Tour Series 2019 in Clark, Pampanga.
He went there to finish the 60-kilometer mountain bike race because he just wanted to get the finisher medal.
“Sabi ko, ‘ay hindi, malas ako sa mga ganitong raffle.’ Matapos ko lang yung race at makuha ko lang ‘yung medal, masaya na ‘yung feeling,” he said. “Nung ina-announce na ‘yung winning ticket, nakaupo lang ako mag-isa doon at kumakain ng free food na bigay nila kasi wala naman akong kasama.”
“Noong ina-announce na ‘yung first four digits, nagulat ako kasi same sa ticket ko. Sabi ko ‘pucha, ayos ito ha,’” he added. “Kinakabahan na ako, tahimik pa ako at ayoko mag-react. Tapos noong sinabi na ‘yung last number, dinouble check ko kasi baka mamaya tumakbo ako tapos mapahiya ako.”
Before going on stage to claim the raffled 120,000-peso Lapierre, Jelwin got worried because he had no friend around and he didn’t know how to leave his 11,000-peso mountain bike. “Baka mawala,” he said.
It’s cool that the other cyclists around were so supportive that they agreed to look after his bike so he can claim his prize.
Winning a raffle is so amazing but Jelwin had another goal that day that he wasn’t able to do: to take a photo with Franzia Cycling and awesome cyclist Eloiza Regaliza, his orgmate back in his hometown.
“Actually noong 7-eleven tour series, nandoon ‘yung team Franzia. Gusto ko magpa-picture sa kanila pero nahihiya ako tapos natawag ‘yung name ko tapos hindi ko na sila nakita ulit,” he said.
We asked him what his cycling goals were because he just came from a morning bike and run when we met him.
“Dati ko pa talaga gusto noong nakikita ko si ate Eloi, na-amaze ako mag-bike and run so goal ko rin sana makasali sa duathlon, kahit finisher lang,” he said.
Good luck, Jelwin. In your future duathlon competition, who knows, you might win another raffle.
He still keeps his mountain bike and uses it whenever he wants to ride on trails.
