Pinoy riders bag bronze in Asia Cup

BANGKOK — Team Cycling Philippines added another bronze medal - the men’s team pursuit — to its Asia Cup Round 2 campaign Wednesday to brighten up hopes for more Filipino participation in the cycling competitions of the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

Alfie Catalan, Arnold Marcelo, Carlo Jasul and Paterno Curtan Jr. beat a vaunted Japanese quartet in the bronze medal race, a finish that made them the third best in Asia in the event considered one of the most difficult in track (velodrome) cycling.

That bronze was the third for the Filipinos, who are seeing action in Round 2 of the prestigious race organized by the Asian Cycling Confederation and the Thai Cycling Association through the direct funding of the Philippine Sports Commission and support from Air21, Mail and More, Dos-1, Elixir Sports and Trifemme Sports.

Baby Marites Bitbit already clinched two bronze medals in Round 1 in Ipoh, Malaysia, over the weekend — the women’s individual pursuit and the 500-meter time trial.

The Filipino quartet, all personnel of the Philippine Army, also improved on their time. The team won silver in the 23rd SEA Games with a time of four minutes and 45 seconds. In claiming bronze in Bangkok, they clocked 4:43.046.

China won gold in the men’s team pursuit in 4:30.325, while Malaysia, which has significantly improved under an Australian coach and with the finest state-of-the-art bikes and equipment, gained silver in 4:32.057. The Japanese, who couldn’t ride as a group and were actually lapped by the Filipinos, clocked 4:55.638.

The other Filipino campaigners on Wednesday, however, could not make the podium although they were in the thick of the fight in their respective events.

Bitbit was fourth in the women’s 500 meters ITT in 39.768 but she continued to amaze the field who learned that she is competing in her first major international track competition. Bitbit won gold in mountain bike and silver in road’s ITT in the last Sea Games.

Jan Paul Morales was fifth in the men’s 1-km ITT, while Catalan, who was already spent for the afternoon program, did not qualify for the finals of the men’s individual pursuit, the event that gave him the gold medal in the last Sea Games.

China’s Zheng Lu Lu (37.358), Thailand’s Jutatip Maneephan (37.758) and Indonesia’s Muzizah Uyun (37.958) were 1-2-3 in the women’s 500-meter ITT. In the men’s 1-km ITT, China’s Han Tao (1:07.866) was first, followed by Hongkong’s Wong Kin Chung (1:08.673) and Malaysia’s Mohd Jasmin Ruslan (1:09.355).

The weather surprisingly cleared but at mid-afternoon Wednesday, it suddenly rained hard, compelling the panel of commissaires to suspend the remaining races, including the women’s individual pursuit where Bitbit was entered and the men’s points race where Curtan and Paulo Manapul are competing.

The Asia Cup serves as a preparation and a qualifying event for Filipino cyclists on Team Philippines to the Doha Asian Games. The road racers will have their chance to make the Doha squad in the Asian Cycling Championships in Kuala Lumpur in September.