Oranza revs up for Ronda breakthrough

MANILA, Philippines - Ronald Oranza hopes to ride the momentum of his impressive sweep of the Ronda Pilipinas Luzon qualifier as he shifts his focus to the much awaited duel with the best in the Championship round firing off Sunday in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

“I’ve been trying year after year but I always fall short,” said Oranza, a consistent top 10 finisher but never a winner, in Pilipino a day after he nearly swept all the titles disputed in the two-stage Luzon elims.

“Hopefully, this could be my year,” added Oranza, who also emerged the King of the Mountain and Sprint King after from topping the last of two qualifiers.

The 22-year-old Villasis, Pangasinan native, also a member of the Chris Allison-mentored national team, put up a strong performance to dominate the field and earn respect from his peers and veteran campaigners.

“He (Oranza) has the potential,” said ageless Santy Barnachea, Ronda’s inaugural champion in 2011 and team captain of the Navy-Standard Insurance team which also includes Oranza.

George Oconer, Jr., also a member of the national squad, actually had a chance to take Stage Two after storming upfront going into the final 200-meter stretch. But Oranza came charging back to snatch the win and the Luzon honors.

But Oranza will have his hands full in the tournament proper as he will face a slew of fancied riders, including the 38-year-old Barnachea, and former Ronda champions Reimon Lapaza of Butuan City, Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven and Irish Valenzuela of Army.

“I know it’s going to be tough but if all things work out fine, I’ll be okay,” said Oranza.

Over 80 qualifiers, including under-23 and under-18 riders, made it to the Championship round where Lapaza, Galedo and the national team and a composite European squad have been seeded.

The main event starts on Sunday with a 60-km criterium that will go around Greenfield City in Sta. Rosa, Laguna in the morning and a 120.5-km lap from Calamba to the Quezon National Park or Tatlong Eme (Three Ms) or Bitukang Manok (Chicken Intestine) in Atimonan, Quezon in the afternoon.

From Atimonan, Ronda will pass from Lucena, Antipolo, Malolos, Tarlac, Dagupan and then Baguio where the final two stages will be held.

The race is presented by LBC and supported by major sponsors the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, Petron and Mitsubishi and minor sponors Cannondale, Standard Insurance, Tech1 Corp., Maynilad and NLEX and sanctioned by PhilCycling under Cavite Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino with TV5 and Sports Radio as media partners.

For updates, check Ronda Pilipinas’ official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RondaPilipinas, and Twitter account, @rondapilipinas