End of the road for ailing tour champ?

LUCENA CITY–It’s a big day for mountain bikers, surging to prominence in the mountain passes of Atimonan and a sad one for the ailing champion, kissing his title repeat bid goodbye.

Frederick Feliciano, Eusebio Quinones and Alvin Benosa basked in the glory of a triumphant ride in Stage Three while reigning titlist Arnel Quirimit struggled in the agony of defeat so early in the Air21 Tour Pilipinas 2004 yesterday.

Feliciano, Quinones and Benosa conquered the dreaded Tatlong Eme and defied danger in breakneck speed downhill, to pull off a 1-2-3 finish in the lung-busting ride to this Southern Luzon city from Daet, Camarines Norte.

Quirimit could only finish 12th and virtually gave up the crown as he admitted running a temperature for days now since he fell ill after the Asian Cycling Championship in Japan.

"Hindi ko kagustuhan ito. Kaya lang napwersa na ako masyado. Hindi ko na hahangarin na mag-champion at susubukan ko na lang tumulong sa team," said Quirimit, falling 26 minutes and 18 seconds off the pace at 63rd.

"Masyadong malamig doon at biglang init naman dito sa atin," he rued.

Feliciano and Quinones, who won the bronze and gold respectively in last year’s Vietnam SEA Games in mountain bike cross country race, found themselves taking stellar roles as the former gained stage top honors while the latter grabbed the overall leadership.

"Ang plano ko talaga sana makuha lang ang KOM (King of the Mountain points). Nagkataon nakuha ko pati ang stage," said Feliciano, the unassuming 26-year-old Patrol 117 assistant skipper.

The Aliaga, Nueva Ecija native did top the two Summit KOM stages in the race as he put into good use riding techniques usually applied in mountain bike races. At one point, Feliciano "bunny hopped" to avoid a big dent in between the railways entering the Plaridel town–something which the others in the breakaway group overlooked, causing a massed spill.

"Nakita ko agad kaya napatalon ko yong bisikleta ko at naiwasan ko yung spill," said Feliciano, winner of the Laoag-San Fernando, La Union stage last year.

Quinones, getting good luck messages from his family and friends at the starting line in his native town earlier, figured in that spill but picked himself up and chased his RP team buddies.

Riding in a 21-man group that peeled away from the peleton in a downhill ride in the border of Camarines Norte and Quezon, Feliciano, Quinones and Benosa staged another attack right in the first ascent in the Quezon National Park and kept the pace all the way to the finish.

Clocking five hours, 11 minutes and 10 seconds, Quinones, the 30-year-old Purefoods team assistant captain, grabbed the yellow jersey from Samsung lead man Merculio "Elmo" Ramos before Stage Four which also features a stiff climb to Tagaytay today.

"Bantayan kasi sila (the Tour top guns) ng bantayan, nakaatake tuloy kami," said Quinones, who had a strong start last year only to slow down with a bum stomach as the Tour went north. He finished third in the 2003 first stage from Legaspi to Sorsogon and back.

Feliciano leapfrogged from 52nd to fifth while Benosa, a rookie representing Metro Drug, jumped from 17th to second, 46.9 seconds behind Quinones.

Little-known Gary Apolinar, former two-time champion Renato Dolosa and long-time national mainstay and Star carrier Enrique Domingo were among those who hit the summit of Tatlong Eme a few seconds behind the eventual stage winners, making significant moves in the leaderboard.

Apolinar is now at third, two minutes and 36 seconds behind Quinones, followed by Dolosa, Feliciano then Domingo.

"Sinubukan ko lang," said Dolosa.

Domingo, among the old Turks in the tour at 34 who is more known for his sprinting prowess, was the 10th to hit the mountaintop, drawing cheers from the veteran members of the tour entourage. "Kayang-kaya pa ng matanda," a motorcycle unit member yelled.

Air21 chairman and PhilCycling president Bert Lina was ecstatic on the showing of the RP riders in the day.

"I’m glad that the members of our RP squad are also making their mark in the tour. That, coupled with our decent showing in (the recent Asian Cycling Championship) Japan, makes me optimistic that we can contend for the overall cycling crown in next year’s SEA Games," said Lina, also the chairman of the current Tour sponsored by Red Bull as the official energy drink, Lactovitale, Isuzu, Summit, Pharex multivitamins and Gatorade.