DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – After a tough opening stage, a 156.7 kilometer race highlighted with three punishing ascents, and a combined 11-hour travel by land and sea from Malaybalay, Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro to this city, the 96 riders took a one-day rest yesterday as they brace for a longer stage 2 of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas.
The frantic chase for the P1 million individual and P1 million team prizes and the total pot of P7 million continues today with the Dumaguete-to-Silay City leg, which at 214 kms, is the second longest behind the 215.5km Iloilo-Aklan Stage Three on Tuesday.
“I must admit that by winning the first stage, I would be a marked man,” said Ronald Gorantes, Negros Occidental team captain who came from behind in the final four kms to win Stage One in four hours, 22 minutes, 49.8 seconds and pocket the P50,000 purse.
Gorantes, who had a 10-second advantage over Stage One second placer American Vinyl’s Ronnel Hualda and a 14-second edge over Jay Bop Pagnanawon of Cebu, could extend the lead with his familiarity with the terrain as he tows the field along Kabankalan right after the last Negros Oriental town to Silay City.
Hualda, who is now based in Riverside, California, wound up second in 4:22:56.8 while Pagnanawon, a 23-year-old rider whose father is 1986 Tour champ Rolando, who is now his coach, was third in 4:22.57.3.
Gorantes, whose last stage win came in the 2003 Eagle of the Mountain leg, will be met by his parents, including his father, former Southeast Asian and Asian Games veteran Ernesto, at the finish line in Silay.
“I would have loved that the event would pass my hometown in Victorias but it won’t,” he said. “But I’m still happy because Negros Occidental is still my province and it feels good to race in a familiar place.”
All eyes, however, is expected to fall heavily on Lucien Lloyd Reynante and his 7-Eleven teammates, which include King of the Mountain leader Irish Valenzuela, Sherwin Carrera and Mark John Lexer Galedo, who were off to a flying start in the team race with a combined 13:09:13, almost five minutes ahead of the Renato Dolosa-mentored American Vinyl.
Carrera came up with the best effort at eighth in 4:23:01.2, while Valenzuela, Reynante and Galedo finished 10th, 11th and 16th in the individual race in 4:23:04.0, 4:23:10.4 and 4:25:40.3, respectively, in the three-to-count team event.
“We know we have the edge because we have more international exposure than the rest,” said Reynante, who has finished second in 2006 behind Ryan Tanguilig and 2009 behind David McKann but hasn’t hit the big one yet.
“Our goal really is to build enough lead in the team event before we could make our move in the individual event,” he added.
But 7-Eleven’s ploy to jump the gun on everyone could backfire.
“Its too early to say if 7-Eleven will win this. They’re the favorites, yes, but the race isn’t over, we have 11 stages to go and anything could happen,” said the 45-year-old Renato Dolosa, who coaches the second-running American Vinyl captained by a seasoned Cris Joven.
And coming from someone who won two Tour titles (1992 and 1995) and being coach of Cosack Vodka and American Vinyl that won the team crowns in 2006 and 2009, 7-Eleven should watch its back.