Pampanga is the home of this site. Pedalan means pedaling in Kapampangan, the language of the province. It is a kind place to ride, because most of the land is flat, and it rewards riders who like to stop for an old church or a good meal.
Where it is
Pampanga is a province in Central Luzon, north of Manila. It covers 2,180.68 square kilometers and has 19 municipalities and 3 cities, according to the provincial government. The capital is the City of San Fernando.
Clark Freeport Zone, the former air base where many riders train, is 80 km north of Manila.
The lie of the land
The terrain is mostly flat, the provincial government says. That makes Pampanga friendly to new and returning riders. Flat land also means open sky and little shade, so heat is the thing to plan for, not hills. Our guide to riding in the heat will help.
One large peak stands on the plain. That is Mount Arayat, which Wikipedia gives as 1,026 m high. To the west, the land rises toward Mount Pinatubo. Lahar that followed its 1991 eruption half-buried the church at Bacolor in 1995.
Getting there from Manila
The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is 84 km long. Its Pampanga exits include San Simon, San Fernando, Mexico, Angeles and Dau. The expressway is for arriving by car or bus with the bike on board, not for riding.
If you take a bus, ask the operator before you travel whether it carries bicycles and how they must be packed. We could not find published bike rules for buses to Pampanga. See taking your bike on trains, ferries and ships for what we do know.
Where to ride
- Clark Freeport Zone and the Parade Grounds: easy laps on wide roads. The gentlest place to start.
- Mount Arayat loop: a short, mostly flat loop around the mountain, for the dry season.
- Candaba Swamp: flat riding to a wetland known for migratory birds.
- FVR Megadike: a long, open ride on the lahar dike between Bacolor and Porac.
- Porac and Sapang Bato: hard off-road riding for experienced mountain bikers.
The first event listed on Pedalan is a ride in Angeles City on December 27, 2026. The details are on the events page. For why that time of year is a good one, see when to ride in the Philippines.
Heritage churches
Pampanga’s old churches make good goals for a ride. These five have well-recorded histories.
| Church | Town | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Betis Church (Santiago Apostol) | Guagua | Parish established in 1607. Church built around 1660. A National Cultural Treasure. |
| San Guillermo | Bacolor | Built in 1576. Half-buried by lahar in 1995. |
| San Agustin | Lubao | Parish founded in 1572. Church built from 1614 to 1630. |
| Santa Monica | Minalin | Begun in 1764 and completed in 1834. Declared a National Cultural Treasure on August 27, 2011. |
| Holy Rosary | Angeles City | Built from 1877 to 1896. An Important Cultural Property. |
Santa Monica in Minalin is noted for a facade that looks like a retablo, or altarpiece, and for its four capilla posas, the small chapels in its churchyard.
Betis is about 9 km from Lubao, by one heritage writer’s account, so those two can be joined in a short ride. We do not have measured riding distances between the other churches. Plan those on a map before you go.
These are working parish churches. Dress modestly, walk your bike in the churchyard and keep quiet if a Mass is under way. Lock the bike, or leave someone with it.
Food
Pampanga is called the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, a label that one academic study attributes to the Department of Tourism. The same study lists the dishes the province is known for.
- Sisig
- Tocino
- Halo-halo
- Pancit palabok
- Tibok-tibok, a pudding made with carabao milk
- Biringhe, a local paella
- Pastillas
In Angeles City, the tourism office promotes sisig and credits Aling Lucing with the dish. It also promotes Everybody’s Café.
For a sense of prices, the menu of Razon’s of Guagua lists halo-halo at P215 for a regular and P165 for a junior, and Sisig Kapampangan at P465. We read those prices in November 2026, and branches may differ.
A practical note: eat lightly before and during a ride, and save the big meal for afterward.