MANILA -- PhilCycling's national championships for road will be staged at an earlier schedule in 2024.

The event will now be held on February 5 to 9 with Tagaytay City as the main hub anew, PhilCycling and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino announced on Monday.

The qualifiers for the nationals will be based on major domestic and sanctioned races in 2023.

"The early schedule is to provide our national coaches more window to prepare for the 2025 Southeast Asian Games and the 2026 Asian Games, which, for the first time, will be setting up qualifying events not only for cycling but all sports," Tolentino explained.

The federation has resolved to strengthen the national track team for men and women, with PhilCycling looking forward to an indoor 250-meter velodrome that would soon rise in Tagaytay City.

The results of the Philippine National Games (PNG) and Batang Pinoy next month also in Tagaytay City are part of the criteria for qualification for the National Championships.

Competitions will again be in Criterium, Individual Time Trial and Individual Road Race for Men and Women in Youth (under 16), Juniors (17-18), Under 23 and Elite categories.

The top 10 finishers in each of the events in the 2023 Nationals are seeded to next year’s Road championships as well as the top 25 in December’s PNG-Batang Pinoy races.

The top 25 riders in the sanctioned races in 2023 will also be accorded ranking points for consideration for the National Championships which will set a maximum of 90 riders in the Individual Road Race and 60 cyclists each in ITT and Criterium for all categories.

The list of qualifiers will be announced immediately after the PNG and Batang Pinoy.