RP riders gird for big battle in Langkawi

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia — Calm before the storm.

The leaderboard hardly changed after the Tour de Langkawi’s Stage 9, which yielded another massive finish for the fourth straight day heading into a dreaded monster called Genting Highlands.

The Philippines’ Team Pagcor, reserving its strength for the next stage, just went through the motion of finishing the short 96.4 km breeze from Port Dickson to this city, Malaysia’s showcase of rich cultural heritage.

Alfie Catalan, the team’s top sprinter, paced the Filipino riders who stuck to the long train of the 99-man pack, led by stage winner Luciano Pagliarini, coming home just one minute and 46 seconds ahead of the tail-ender.

For four straight days, Catalan, bronze medal winner of the criterium race in Vietnam SEA Games, towed the Filipinos in the flat courses of this multi-stage bicycle race regarded as the fourth toughest in the world.

All the Asian teams submitted similar clockings of 6 hours, 3 minutes and 9 seconds.

And for all those sprint stages, the overall standings hardly moved. Colombia’s Marlon Perez held on to the overall leadership. Ghader Mizbani of Iran remained the pacesetter in the Asian Individual Classification, Ryan Tanguilig and Victor Espiritu running eighth and ninth, respectively. Japan still shows the way in the Asian team’s battle, followed by Iran, Japan, China, Team Pagcor, Malaysia and Indonesia’s Wismilak.

One thing going for the Filipinos is that they are flagging off with the seven-man team still intact in the crucial stage where the battle, as in the past, is won and lost. Team Pagcor is just 34 seconds off third-running China which will start with five riders. The Filipinos also remain a big threat to second-running Iran, which is ahead by only 7 minutes and 51 seconds.

"Dito magkakatalo sa Genting. I believe our climbers will do the job," said coach Cezar Lobramonte who is banking on team captain Victor Espiritu, Lloyd Reynante, Ryan Tanguilig and rookie Roland Gorrantes, the Tour ng Pilipinas winner of the time trial stage to Baguio City. Merculio Ramos and Albert Primero spring up some surprises.

Catalan will take the backseat and provide much-needed lift for the climbers. "Natapos na iyung role ko sa patag, support ako ngayon at dadalhin ko sila kung hanggang saan ko kaya, pagkatapos ay bahala na silang tumapos sa trabaho, " said Catalan.

Espiritu will set out nursing a bruised and grazed leg after a nasty fall two days ago.