Riders brace for tough grind ahead

MALOLOS, Bulacan , Philippines – LPGMA-American Vinyl’s Irish Valenzuela braces for the tough grind ahead coming off a one-day breather as the 16-stage, 2,200 km Ronda Pilipinas 2013 heads to the Luzon stretch starting today with the 128.3-km Stage Six that will be flagged off at the Malolos City Hall here and end at the Tarlac Central Market in Tarlac City.

Valenzuela, 25, promises to thwart and parry every challenge that his equally determined pursuers will put up as he aims to keep the symbolic LBC red jersey he snatched from Navy-Standard’s Santy Barnachea by coming through with a strong second place finish in the Lapu Lapu-Busay Stage Five Friday behind PLDT-Spyder’s El Joshua Carino.

And Valenzuela, still searching for the big one after finishing a close second behind eventual champion Mark Galedo of Roadbike Phl in last year’s race, sets out with renewed vigor after snaring the overall lead with an aggregate time of 18 hours, 21 minutes, 12 seconds.

“I’ve been dreaming of becoming a Ronda champion for so long that I vow to do everything to protect my lead,” said Valenzuela.

Valenzuela, a proud son of Tabaco, Albay, had been making the right moves in the earlier stages but it’s only in Stage 5 that he sprung the biggest surprise by coming through with a ride to remember, zooming from No. 7 to the top.

But he knows all eyes are on him.

“I know I’ll be a marked man since I seized the solo lead, and I’m ready for everything they will try to give me,” said Valenzuela.

Two of the fiercest challenges may come from Carino and Ronald Oranza of PLDT-Spyder – first and fourth placers in Stage Five that catapulted the pair to No. 2 and 3 with times of 18:22.48 and 18:23.10.

“I’ll try my best,” vowed Carino, barely out of his teens at 19 years old.

“Our long and hard training is paying off, hopefully I’ll get that chance,” the 20-year-old Oranza said.

Interestingly, Carino and Oranza, who are both from Pangasinan with the former hailing from Mangaldan where Stage Nine will start and the latter from Villasis, are part of the under-23 team coached by American Chris Allison and bankrolled by LBC Express, Inc. president Fernando Araneta.

“We’re proud of them but the work has not been done yet,” said Allison, who mentored the team when it trained and competed in local and international competitions the last six months.

VMobile-Tarlac’s Joel Calderon, LPGMA-American Vinyl’s Cris Joven and Roadbike Phls’ Rondal Gorantes are also marked men as they are currently at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 with clockings of 18:24.41, 18:25.52 and 18:26.03.

Santy Barnachea of Navy-Standard, the erstwhile pacesetter, is expected to bounce back strong and claw his way back to the top after skidding to No. 7 following a busted tire and mechanical problems he encountered in Stage Five. His time now is 18:26.19, or over five minutes off the pace.

Y101 FM-Cebu’s Marvin Tapic, a podium finisher in Stage Five to the delight of fellow Cebuanos, Team Tarlac’s Merculio Ramos and VMobile-Smart’s Marcelo Felipe are also cyclists to look out for with clockings of 18:29.42, 18:30.47 and 18:30.50.

But Valenzuela knows the battle will be waged in the dreaded mountain passes of Baguio, including the Bayombong-Baguio Stage 14, considered the toughest stage in the Ronda just above the Lapu Lapu-Busay Stage Five.

“That’s where I’m pinning my hopes for, to keep the lead going into the Baguio stages,” said Valenzuela, a known mountain climber having ruled the LPGMA 2008 Manila-Baguio race and being the back-to-back King of the Mountain winner of the Ronda.

A heated battle is also expected to be waged in the team race as PLDT-Spyder will seek to keep its lofty perch after snatching it in Stage 5 with total time of 55:20.19, exactly three minutes ahead of No. 2 VMobile-Smart (55:23.19) and less than six minutes above former pace-setter Navy-Standard (55:26.06).

Leading the Total sprint race is Oranza, the Jinbei King of the Mountain Valenzuela and MVP Sports Foundation best Young Rider (U-23) Carino.