Nicanor Nicdao is the first name on the poster for Pedalan with the Tour Legends. The event honors him as the November 1967 “Matira ang Matibay” champion.
He is an Angeles City rider. In March 2024 The Voice Newsweekly listed him first among the professional cyclists honored at the city’s Mayor Pogi Lazatin Bikefest, a tribute to the Siklistang Angeleño, the cyclists of Angeles.
Second in the 1st Tour of Pampanga
The fullest report we have of him racing is from the 1st Tour of Pampanga on October 18, 1975. The race covered 155.06 kilometers and finished in Magalang. Nicdao rode for Max Shoes and placed second, behind 16-year-old Efren Castañeda of Rizal Drug.
Sports Weekly Magazine described him in that report as a “Tour of Luzon veteran” and gave his age as 33. His prize was 75 pesos and a trophy. His teammate Ernesto Carlos was third.
The 1967 title
The title on the poster comes from the event’s organizers. We have not yet been able to read a report of “Matira ang Matibay” from 1967, so this page does not give its route, its distance or its results.
The Sunday Times Magazine of November 26, 1967 did carry a feature on an endurance cycling event, headlined “The Bikathon: A Classic Test of Endurance”. Only images of its pages survive online, and we have not been able to read the text.
We also do not yet know which editions of the Tour of Luzon he rode, or where he placed. That race ran from 1956 to 1976, and our short history of the Philippine tours tells its story.
If you rode with Nicanor Nicdao, or have photos or clippings from 1967 or from his Tours, please get in touch. We would like this page to say more.