Tolentino taps young riders for nat’l team

MANILA, Philippines - PhilCycling president Bambol Tolentino yesterday disbanded the national team and formed a new one with hopes of rebuilding for future international competitions like the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games.

Tolentino said the new team will be handled by LBC-MVP Sports Foundation mentor Chris Allison and will be led by Incheon Asian Games-bounded Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven Roadbike and Ronald Oranza of LBC-MVPSF.

“We want a younger team composed of 23-and-under riders because we’re looking at the future,” said Tolentino.

Another LBC-MVPSF cyclist Rustom Lim and Navy’s George Oconer also made it to the squad along with LBC-MVPSF’s Ronald Lomotos, 7-Eleven-Roadbike’s Mark Bordeos and LBC-MVPSF’s Junrey Navarra.

The 19-year-old Lomotos, who finished second in a stage in last year’s Tour de Borneo and fourth in Europe’s Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic last April, clocked four hours, 54 minutes and 55 seconds to top the 130-kilometer Tagaytay-Tagaytay trials that passed through Batulao, Nasugbu, Pico de Loro, Kaybiang Tunnel and Tarnate, Cavite.

Bordeos, also 19, wound up second 59 seconds behind Lomotos while Navarra came in two minutes off the pace.

Rounding up the top finishers were John Mark Camingao, Rudy Roque and Dominic Perez.