Ronda Stage 3 also rained out

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  – Typhoon Pedring didn’t spare Panay Island forcing the postponement of Stage Three of the 2011 LBC Ronda Pilipinas yesterday.

The Iloilo to Caticlan, Aklan will be run instead today.

Cancelled entirely also due to the bad weather was LBC Ronda’s cleanup drive “Linis Dagat” set in Boracay Island today and tomorrow.

Organizers arrived at that decision with the typhoon delaying the delegation’s sea travel to Iloilo.

“The primary concern is the safety of the riders, race organizers and staff,” said Jocel de Guzman, one of the top officials of the organizing LBC Ronda group.

“The succeeding race dates after tomorrow will proceed as scheduled. Only the Boracay Linis Dagat is being cancelled,” De Guzman added.

LBC employees and some volunteers will be the only ones pushing through with the cleanup drive instead. Assembly time is 7 a.m. at the White House in Boracay.

It was the first time in memory that a tour stage was washed out by typhoon.

“As far as I can remember, it’s the first time,” said Renato Dolosa, a former two-time Tour champion who is now coaching the American Vinyl team, the current team event leader.

“Heavy rains or storms do happen during races but it hardly affect the race. If ever, minimal,” Dolosa added.

The 45-year-old Dolosa has been a fixture in the Tour for more than two decades now – as a rider then a coach.

Dolosa won the Marlboro Tour in 1992 and 1995, retired in 2004 then shifted to coaching the next year. He steered Cosack Vodka to the 2006 championship and 2007 runner-up finish and American Vinyl to a first-place effort in 2009 and a second-place performance last year.

East Pangasinan’s Santy Barnachea, who snatched the red jersey from Negros’ Ronald Gorantes with a runner-up finish in the Dumaguete-Silay Stage Two Monday, and Dolosa’s American Vinyl chargers are the riders to watch in the 215.5-kilometer Stage Three – the longest in this 12-leg, 20-day journey.

“I guess it’s the right decision to postpone the race to allow everyone to rest,” said Dolosa.

For Barnachea, the strategy stays the same.

“I will try to pace myself more. If I can hang on to the lead, why not?” said the 35-year-old Navy man.

“I’m doing this because I don’t want my 2009 experience to happen again,” said Barnachea, referring to the event where he held the overall leadership for five stages only to falter in the closing stages in 2009.

Joel Calderon grabbed the championship then.

Barnachea, the 2002 Calabarzon and 2006 Padyak Pinoy Tour ng Pilipinas champion, showed he has still got what it takes to win in topping the Second Stage.

Barnachea negotiated Stage 2 in five hours, 15 minutes and 3.8 seconds, making him the new leader with an aggregate clocking of 9:37:55, barely ahead of second running and old nemesis Calderon at 9:38:03 and another former Tour titlist Arnel Quirimit of PJS with a 9:38:23.

Joven, a 25-year-old rider from Iriga, Bicol, topped that leg at 5:15:03.8 and wheeled into contentionin that leg to wheel back with an overall clocking of 9:42:13 at sixth, behind George Oconer of the Phl U-23 team at 9:38:38 and another American Vinyl rider Rudy Roque at 9:39:23.

Rounding up the Top 10 in the overall individual race were Cebu’s Jay Bop Pagnanawon (9:43:34), 7-Eleven’s Irish Valenzuela (9:43:46), former two-time Tour winner Warren Davadilla (9:43:51) and Bicol’s Alvin Benosa (9:45:36).

Typhoon Pedring hit the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental as early as Monday, giving cyclists, officials and the rest of the tour delegation nightmare aboard two 200-seater fast crafts going to Iloilo.