For a coffee-lover like me, riding to the coffee capital of the Philippines, Amadeo, Cavite was more than just a trivial endeavor. Just being at one of the country’s largest coffee producer and tasting it’s famous “pahimis” blend was enough to pedal my way to Amadeo. Besides, it’s just short of 30km from Biñan where I’m staying. For this ride, I took the Davilan road to Silang, Cavite to Amadeo then a sidetrip to Tagaytay on my way back.
Davilan to Amadeo Ride
My ride officially starts in Carmona, Cavite. Passing through Lantic to take the Davilan Road to Silang. At Aguinaldo highway, I turn right to Banaybanay heading up to Amadeo. I decided to climb up to Tagaytay which is 9km away but a continuous uphill ride. Going back to Biñan, I took the Sta Rosa road to Nuvali. Left to Nuvali boulevard for the CALAX service road. Mamplasan roundabout to Biñan.
Here are some notable segments on this route:
- Davilan Ahon. This is always a fun and challenging climb coming from Davilan Park. There are actually three main climbs here. Beyond the three uphills is a scenic road heading to Mallorca Villas in Silang.
- Silang Ride. The road along GMA Silang is narrow with a lot of rough parts but there’s a nice deep valley that I like that’s exciting for downhill and uphill.
- Banaybanay to the 20+ Gradient Curve. This is a nice hilly ride. Immediately an uphill climb coming from Aguinaldo then a series of hills until the steep uphill curve with a gradient up to 20%. Try not to loose momentum here (I made a mistake of stopping for photo) to help with the climb. Hard to pedal up once you loose momentum.
Amadeo Coffee Culture and Heritage Mural
Coming from the steep curve, it’s a gradual and easy 3.5km ride along Crisanto M. De Los Reyes Ave. The large signage “Welcome to Amadeo” greeted me and just across it is the Amadeo Coffee Culture and Heritage Mural.
The mural was recently unveiled last April 23, 2021. A few days ahead of the town’s 111th town fiesta. The 238-square meter wall became the canvass for the street art group, Ang Gerilya. The vibrant mural showcases the rich coffee culture and heritage of Amadeo.
Tagaytay Murals Sidetrip
I decided to continue to Tagaytay via Crisanto M. De Los Reyes Ave which is a 10km stretch. The road here is much wider with less traffic and vehicles making the ride much more pleasant than Aguinaldo or Sta Rosa. The gradation here though is gradual until it got closer to Tagaytay-Nasugbu road where it gets higher. Honestly it felt long and tiring because of the heat. I was pedaling mid day.
Tagaytay was gloomy when I arrived with a little cool breeze in the air. Taal was quite active when I came with reported tremors but it didn’t stop a few visitors from coming. I already found the place too developed with commercial establishments hugging the ridges for the best views. Nowadays, you have to pay to enjoy the best view of Taal Lake and volcano.
I was delighted to find a transport stop and overpass with vibrant murals though. It’s across Ayala Serin. I thought its a nice added attraction in the area.
There were scattered rains throughout my ride home while on Sta Rosa. CALAX service road ride was a breeze. The whole loop took a bit longer than I expected but I did enjoy it. Good coffee, art and some cool breeze during the ride.
Tagaytay Sky Ranch 
One of the viewdecks in Tagaytay
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
