Veterans shine in Ronda Pilipinas kickoff

SORSOGON CITY, Philippines — Experience prevailed over youth as former two-time champions Jan Paul Morales and Santy Barnachea of Excellent Noodles came through with vintage performances at the start of the 11th LBC Ronda Pilipinas on Rampeolas Boulevard here yesterday.

Morales, 36, outclassed his younger rivals and topped the relatively flat 12.3-kilometer Individual Time Trial Stage One marred by occasional rains and powerful tail winds with a clocking of 16 minutes and two seconds.

Barnachea, 46, for his part, was fourth in 16:40 in a throwback effort reminiscent of his feats when he ruled the race’s inaugural stage in 2011 and repeated four years later.

The efforts of Morales, the 2016 and 2017 titlist, and Barnachea underscored Excellent Noodles’ serious title intention.

“We prepared hard and trained for a year to try to win this Ronda,” said Barnachea.

Navy’s newly-installed team captain Ronald Oranza, 29, the 2018 winner and one of the favorites to win this year, tried but failed to snatch the stage win as he was hampered by the strong winds brought by the rainy weather that’s prevailing in the Bicol region for two weeks now. He ended up second in 16:16.

Go for Gold’s Ronnilan Quita, 27, likewise gave it all but wound up third in 16.16.

“I’m determined to win,” said Morales, the former Navy Standard Insurance team captain.

The impressive opening stage efforts of the two grizzled veterans highlighted a spectacular day for Excellent Noodles riders, who are bankrolled by Alex Billian, with their two other bets – Ryan Tugawin and Joshua Mari Bonifacio – ending up eighth and ninth with identical 16.51s.

Completing the top 10 were Go for Gold’s Jonel Carcueva and Marc Lago, who clocked identical 16:48s, Team Nueva Ecija’s Rustom Lim (16:51) and Drey’s Arjay Peralta (16:54).

Navy’s George Oconer, the last Ronda winner two years ago, failed to live up to his top billing and sank to 19th in 17:18.

In the afternoon Team Time Trial Stage Two, Excellent Noodles made it a double celebration as it beat Go for Gold and defending champion Navy Standard Insurance for stage honors.

The Excellent Noodles riders clocked 1:15:33 as against Go for Gold’s 1:16:54 and Navy’s 1:17:28.

Morales wore the LBC red jersey symbolizing the individual general classification leadership in the TTT Stage 2 and will wear it again in today’s 156.8km Sorsogon-Legazpi Stage 3.

This annual sports spectacle stakes a P3.5-million pot including P1 million to the champion courtesy of LBC Express, Inc., MVP Sports Foundation, Quad X, Smart, Twin Cycle Gear, Standard Insurance, Print2Go, Elves Bicycles, Elitewheels, Orome, Maynilad, PhilHydro, Garmin, Petron, Boy Kanin, Green Planet Bikeshop, Prolite, Fujiwara, Black Mamba Energy Drink, Lightwater, LBC Foundation, PhilCycling and the Games and Amusements Board.