Champs brace for Tour glory

SANTY Barnachea and Albert Primero were not as confident as they were during the days leading to the Tour Pilipinas last year.

It’s understandable why.

After figuring prominently in the 2002 FedEx Tour of Calabarzon, Barnachea and Primero failed to carry their teams to a respectable finish in the last edition of the fabled cycling odyssey.

Barnachea, Tour of Calabarzon champion, and Primero, the top finisher during the final day of the four-day race, will try to redeem themselves with their respective squads in tow when the Tour Pilipinas 2004 kicks off on April 15 in Sorsogon.

Barnachea will be the pointman for Mail and More while Dole Pineapple will rely chiefly on Primero as they fight for supremacy with 10 other teams in the 21-day, 17-stage Tour presented by Air21.

"Medyo bumaba ang kumpiyansa ko pagkatapos ng Tour last year. Pero ngayon dahan-dahan nang bumabalik sa ensayo,’’ said Barnachea, who skippered Bowling Gold to an eighth-place finish last year.

Barnachea, who was then backstopped by national rider Alfie Catalan, will now have Lito Atilano as his deputy, someone who could take Barnachea’s lead and effectively dispatch it to their other teammates.

Atilano’s brother, Elmer, together with veteran riders Arnold Marcelo, Rayson Galdones, Oscar Fronda and Jason Garillo will also form part of the Mail and More squad.

As for Dole, Primero will have his brother Michael, Fernando Alagano, Jay Tolentino, Orly Villanueva, Michael Ramos and rookie Dante Cagas as subordinates.

Cagas had a taste of international competition when he saw action for the RP team in the recent Asian Cycling Championships in Japan.

"Mahirap ang karera noong isang taon pero mas mahirap ngayon. Sana makabawi ako ngayon para matulungan ko ng husto ang team ko,’’ said Primero, who captured the Tour of Puerto Princesa a few months back.

Although he feels excited, Primero couldn’t hide his grief over the absence of Bernard Luzon, a close friend who shares a big dream of entering the national team. Luzon accidentally broke his arm during one of the races he joined prior to the Tour.

"Nakakalungkot isipin na hindi ko siya makakasama sa Tour. Halos sabay kami nag-eensayo araw-araw para paghandaan ang karera,’’ said Primero.