Ronda qualifiers offer 88 berths for final run

MANILA, Philippines - Ronda Pilipinas 2015 presented by LBC will stake a total of 88 slots, including eight for junior riders, when it holds two qualifying legs in the Visayas on Feb. 11 to 13 and in Luzon on Feb. 16 and 17.

Jack Yabut, Ronda’s administration director, yesterday said 54 spots will be up for grabs in the three-stage Visayas qualifier while another 34 will be disputed in the two-stage Luzon eliminations.

“Since we didn’t push through with our Mindanao qualifying leg, we decided to add the slots at stake from 30 to 50 plus the top four junior riders,” said Yabut. “In Luzon, we will get 30 elite riders and four juniors.”

Visayas’ Stage One will start at the Negros Oriental Prov’l Capitol and end in Sipalay City Plaza (172.7 kilometers for elite, 120.2 kms for juniors); Stage Two will start at the Bacolod City Plaza and end at the Bacolod Government Center via Don Salvador Benedicto and San Carlos (158 kms for elite, 110.5 kms for juniors) on Feb. 12; and Stage Three will fire off at the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol and end in Cadiz City (123 kms for elite and juniors).

Ronda goes up North for the Luzon qualifier on Feb. 16 for the 138.9-km Tarlac-Tarlac Stage One and the 102.5-km Anipolo-Antipolo Stage Two the following day.

Cyclists who will survive the qualifying stages will join last year’s champion Reimon Lapaza of Butuan, the nine-man national team headed by 2013 winner Mark Galedo and a composite European squad in the Championship round set Feb. 22-27 in Luzon.

The Nationals will start with the 60-km Stage One criterium starting and ending in Paseo Greenfield City and the 120.5-km Stage Two from Calamba and concluding on top of the Quezon Mountain Park in Atimonan, or more popularly known as “Tatlong Eme (Three Ms) and Bitukang Manok) both on Feb. 22.

It will proceed with the 171.1-km Lucena-Antipolo Stage Three on Feb. 23, 199-km Malolos-Tarlac Stage Four on Feb. 24, 151.8-km Tarlac-Dagupan Stage Five on Feb. 25, 152.5-km Dagupan-Baguio Stage Six on Feb. 26 and 8.8-km Stage Seven Individual Time Trial ending on Mount Sto. Tomas and 90-km Stage Eight criterium both in Baguio and on Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, Ronda executive project director Moe Chulani said they will ferry riders from Mindanao to Dumaguete for the Visayas qualifier for free.

“We will ferry aspiring Mindanao riders with their bikes from Dipolog to Dumaguete for free,” said Chulani. “There will be a 4 a.m., 5 a.m. and sometimes 10 a.m. trip and a Ronda Pilipinas and LBC representative will be there to assist them.”

Chulani said participants can go straight to Bethel Guesthouse Hotel along the baywalk in Rizal Avenue, or just near the Dumaguete port for registration and payment, which includes a one-night accommodation and meals per stage plus race kits.

The race is sponsored by Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, Maynilad, NLEX, Standard Insurance, Petron, Greenfield City and Radio1 Solutions and sanctioned by PhilCycling headed by Cavite Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

Listup can be online at Ronda Pilipinas’ official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RondaPilipinas, and Twitter account, @rondapilipinas, or aspirants may register a day or two hours before Qualifying Race Day. Fee is pegged at P1,000 per entry per stage.