LUCENA CITY--Santy Barnachea of Navy-Standard Insurance and Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven will be marked men when the Ronda Pilipinas International 2014 continues with a 153-kilometer Lucena-Antipolo City Stage Six on Friday.
Barnachea and Galedo, the first winners of this annual race now on its fourth year, launched their attack in the Lucena-Lucena Stage Five Wednesday to zoom to first and second places and five seconds away from each other.
The 37-year-old Barnachea finished ninth in Stage Four to jump from No. 4 to No. 1 with a total clocking of 17:40.00 while the 27-year-old Galedo checked in with PLDT-Maynilad's Ronald Oranza, Navy-Standard's George Oconer, 7-Eleven's Mark Julius Bordeos and CCN's Yin Chih Wang at third to leap from No. 7 to No. 2 in 17:14.05.
And both riders know they will be keenly watched.
"It's always tough wearing the red jersey," said Barnachea, who held the symbolic leader's jersey in the early stages of last year's edition but lost in Stage Five in Busay to reigning champion Irish Valenzuela, now with Army, in Filipino.
"But since I'm already wearing it, I might as well try to keep it as long as I can," said Barnachea.
Galedo, for his part, hopes to make his move in Stage Six, the same route he seized the solo lead during Ronda's second edition.
"The last time we passed through this route, I finished second and I grabbed the overall lead and eventually my first Ronda title," said Galedo, who dedicates his performance here to his wife Grace and three-year-old daughter Paris.
"If I will have the chance, I will try to make my move," he added.
Cycline-Butuan Mindanao's Reimon Lapaza has remained impressive and is currently at No. 3 in 17:14.19, 19 seconds behind Barnachea and 14 off Galedo.
Lapaza, 27, said the key will be the two King of the Mountain climbs in Pilillia--both Category 3 ascents.
"It will be decided in the mountains and how you get there in proper pace," said Lapaza, a native of Butuan who has never finished higher than sixth place in a lap during his first three years in Ronda.
Oranza and 7-Eleven's Julius Mark Bordeos are the only other riders who were just less than a minute behind Barnachea with the former owning a time of 17:14:44 and the latter 17:14:57.
Stage Six will ride through Sariaya, Candelaria and Tiaong in Quezon and San Pablo, Los Banos, Victoria, Santa Cruz, Pagsanjan, Paete, Lumban, Kalayaan, Siniloan, Famy, Santa Maria and Mabitac in Laguna before racing through the mountains of Pilillia and then Tanay, Morong, Teresa and finally Antipolo City in Rizal.
Rey Navarro, Navy-Standard’s George Oconer and Matrix Powertag’s Daiki Yasuhara with times of 17:18:01, 17:18:09, 17:18:34, 17:18:40 and 17:18:49, respectively.
Expect also some movement in the team race as teams are hoping to close in on current leader 7-Eleven, who zoomed to the top after Stage Five in 51:43:32, or over seven minutes ahead of Navy-Standard's 51:50.34 and Stage Four leader Cycleline-Butuan Mindanao's 51:51.03.
This 14-stage event is presented by LBC, the largest courier and cargo company, sponsored MVP Sports Foundation, Petron, NLEX, Maynilad, PLDT and Mitsubishi, Versa 2 Way Radio and Standard Insurance and minor sponsor Air Asia Zest and C! Magazine, sanctioned by PhilCycling and backed by Shimano Cannondale bikes, the Department of Tourism and Phl National Police chief Allan Purisima.