6th Le Tour puts accent on speed

MANILA, Philippines - Defending individual titlist Mark Galedo expressed belief the sixth Le Tour de Filipinas that fires off Feb. 1-4 will be more of a battle of speed among the competitors considering the fact that the route features fewer climbs than previous editions.

“I think premium will be on speed in this year’s race,” Galedo, who will now ride under the Philippine team banner, said during the press launch of the UCI-sanctioned tour at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

The four-day road spectacle covering a total distance of 530.09 km will start with the 126-km “Balanga Circuit Race” in Balanga, Bataan.  From Balanga, the riders will take a 153.75-km ride to Iba, Zambales, then they will pedal 149.34 km to Lingayen, Pangasinan before taking the 101-km climb to Baguio via Kennon Road.

“Last year, masyadong technical ang labanan (It was a highly technical race last year),” said Galedo, referring to the 2014 rout that culminated in a roller-coaster ride on the Cordilleras from Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya to Baguio.

 “Pero ngayon, hindi gaano kataas ang ahunan kaya maraming atake at banatan na mangyayari sa patag pa lamang (The ascent won’t be as steep and difficult as last year’s so we can expect everyone to make their move and attack especially on the flats),” he added.

Galedo and fellow national riders  Ronald Oranza, Junrey Navara, Ronald Lomotos and Jerry Aquino and the defending team champion 7-Eleven/Roadbike Philippines crew of Chris Joven, Ryan Cayubit and Felipe Marcelo and their reinforcements, Spanish Edgar Nieto and Dutch Kenny Nijssen, will have their hands full against a tough cast from overseas led by 2011 Iranian champion Rahim Emami of Pishgaman Yzad Pro Cycling Team and his countryman, Ghader Mizbani, the 2013 edition winner, Petrochemical Team.?“Malalakas ang mga kalaban pero hindi naman papatalo ang mga Pinoy. Gagawin natin ang lahat para mapanatili ang korona dito sa Pilipinas (The foreign cast is strong but we Filipinos will do everything to beat them and keep the crown here),” he said.

Roadbike team manager Rick Rodriguez described the opening stage as the “most important part” of the competition.?“Kapag ganito kaiksi ang karera, dapat sa unang stage pa lang, bumomba na. Kaya napaka-importante na magawa na agad sa unang stage ‘yung plano. Kailangan ma-break na agad ‘yung peloton (With a race this short, it’s important to attack as the first stage, break from the peloton as quickly as possible),” said Rodriguez.

Also vying for glory are newcomers US-based Team Novo Nordisk, Taiwan’s RTS Santic Racing Team and Attaque Team Gusto, Thailand’s Singha Infinite Cycling Team and the Kazakhstan national team, and returnees Navitas Satalyst Racing Team (Australia), CCN Cycling Team (Brunei), Pegasus Continental Cycling Team (Indonesia), Bridgestone Anchor Cycling Team (Japan), TPT Cycling Team (Iran), Terengganu Cycling Team (Malaysia), and the Uzbekistan national team.

The Le Tour  is presented by Air21, organized by UBE Media, and co-presented by the MVP Sports Foundation, Meralco, and Smart.

Road partners are are NLEX, Victory Liner, Isuzu, and MAN, with sponsors such as San Mig Zero, PLDT Alpha Enterprise, TriLink Technologies, Inc., ViKing, FERN-C, 7-Eleven, 188 Import & Export, Advanced Solutions, Inc., Manila Hotel, Maynilad, Prudential Guarantee, UFL, Cargohaus, 2100 Customs Brokers, Inc., Nague Malic Magnawa & Associates Customs Brokers, Waste and Resources Management, Integrated Waste Management, Inc., One Pharma, Pharma 3, Karihome, Globe, and Zalora. ?Media partners include the Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Business Mirror, MultiSport Magazine, Sports Digest, Hola! Magazine, Panahon TV, PTV Sports, DZ Sports Radio, OrangeFix, and GMA-7.