David Charlton and the birth of Audax Randonneurs Philippines in 2010

11/06/2024 | Carmela Pearson

In 2009, I did my first Audax ride in Singapore. I got hooked. I talked to David Charlton as I wanted to properly tell him that I want to quit racing triathlons and duathlons and perhaps quit the team. I wanted to just focus on Audax riding to qualify for my first Paris Brest Paris in 2011. He said that Audax is big in the UK and if I am able to get the authorization to run it in the Philippines, he would support it 100%. I was ecstatic but I also had my apprehensions... Audax is quite unheard of in the Philippines and his company will NOT get any marketing mileage from supporting the audax. I doubt if people would actually join such a crazy sport. Back then, I also had zero experience in organizing any sports event, much more an internationally-recognized cycling event that has a long and rich history in the west. Luckily, Audax Singapore vouched for me and I managed to get the authority from Audax Club Parisien to run these rides in the Philippines.



David Charlton believed in what we are trying to do and I remember him saying that when you do something sincerely and passionately, it will all be worth it in the end. I personally believe that I won't ever see the first Filipino in the Tour de France or in any of the grand tours in my lifetime. But David believed in something unheard of at that time. He believed that the FILIPINO CYCLIST CAN perform in the world stage of randonneuring. And so, Audax Randonneurs Philippines was established with his unconditional support in 2009. We held our first Audax ride in Subic in December 2010. It was 300km. Only 22 cyclists joined and 22 cyclists finished within cut-off including David Charlton himself.


David passed away last October 25 and we mourn such a big loss in the community. There are so many stories to share about David, a pioneer of Philippine triathlon, women's cycling and Audax. His legacy lives on as we continue to see the ORGANIC growth of the sport in the country since 2010. Since then, we have seen a lot of Filipino amateur cyclists finish the grand brevets in France, Japan, the UK, Italy, Australia, the US, Thailand and many more.
He was never just a sponsor. He was a friend to many. Thank you, David.