Navy sets sights on team crown, too

PILI, Camarines Sur, Philippines – Navy-Standard Insurance skipper Lloyd Reynante considers topping the team event  equally important as claiming the overall individual title worth P1 million in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017.

So when the 14-stage race resumes today with the 46.6-km Pili-San Jose Stage Six team time trial, the 38-year-old Reynante expects his members to give it their best shot.

“We’re not thinking of the prize but the prestige of winning the team event because we want to dedicate it to Navy and our sponsor Standard Insurance,” said Reynante.

“We consider the team title as important as the individual crown,” he added.

After five stages, the fancied Navymen, a mix of seasoned cyclists and promising young riders, are on top with a total time of 72 hours, 48 minutes, 47 seconds, over 20 minutes ahead of Go for Gold.

Go for Gold, a squad skippered by Ronnel Hualda and coached by his wife Eds, has an aggregate clocking of 73:09:42 while the Cris Joven-led Kinetix Lab-Army is at No. 3 (73:21:41).

Bike Extrme, a team headed by Stage Five winner Jaybop Pagnanawon, is at No. 4 (73:58:12) while RC Cola-NCR is at No. 5 (74:14:56).

Completing the top 10 are Ilocos Sur (74:21:48), Zambales (75:31:29), Neopolitan (75:31:29), Mindanao-Sultan Kudarat (77:40:03) and South Luzon (77:53:18).