Catalan dusts off rust, finds gold

MANILA, Philippines - Alfie Catalan overcame rust from inactivity and discomfort in riding a smaller track bike in capturing the men’s individual pursuit gold medal yesterday in the National Open Cycling Championships at the Amoranto Velodrome.

Competing in the track event for the first time since 2007 and using a borrowed steel-framed bike that did not fit his 6’0 frame, Catalan finished the 10-lap, 4,000-meter race in a lowly five hours, 22 minutes, 44 seconds but enough to beat Alvin Benosa (5:28:44) for the mint.

It was actually Catalan’s personal worst time in the event, far off his gold-winning 4:59 and 4:48 in the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 and 2007 but the 28-year-old would gladly take it under the circumstances.

“I wasn’t really comfortable with the bike, which was small and so I couldn’t go full throttle with it. But it’s okay; at least I was able to test my time because it’s been three years since I last competed in track,” said Catalan in Filipino.

Without a track bike, the San Manuel, Pangasinan ace made do with a small-sized bike borrowed from Nilo Estayo. Ideally, the tall Catalan should use a large-sized bike.

Benosa, meanwhile, had his revenge when he and Roosevelt Cycling Club pals Arnold Marcelo, Reynaldo Navarro and Paulo Manapul edged Catalan and Pio Chua Sibuyan La Loma mates Ernesto Medina, Warren Davadilla and Lito Atilano for the team pursuit title.

Roosevelt logged 5:16:57, beating Sibuyan by four-tenths of a second.

Kaye Lopez copped the women’s individual pursuit plum with 4:54.54, overhauling a seven-second deficit halfway through the seven-lap race to check in six minutes ahead of Anna Maria Remigio (5:00.54).

“My strategy was to pick up speed as the laps went on so as not to lose steam in the end,” Lopez, 28, said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, the bikefest organized by Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines and backed by Shangri-La Finest Chinese Cuisine, Pepsi, Gatorade, Magnolia Water and New San Jose Builders hits the road today with the individual time trial in Jala-jala, Rizal.