Sports Eye
Better luck next year
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
AFTER four years of famine in cycling title, one of our elite Pangasinan riders, 2006 Padyak Pinoy king Santy Barnachea, emerged supreme anew in Philippine multi-stage racing by winning the 12-day first edition of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas last year in a convincing fashion. But unfortunately, the feisty rider from Umingan fared badly this year and landed only in the 18th position in the individual overall general classification after 13 days of racing of this year’s Ronda. In fact after the 13th stage, only two of our local bets, namely Le Tour de Filipinas titlist and erstwhile race leader Baler Ravina from Asingan and San Manuel son Harvey Sicam were on the top ten, landing sixth and eighth, respectively.
Our other hopes like 2003 Tour Pilipinas champion Arnel Quirimit of Pozorrubio and former PHL nationals Reynaldo Navarro and Renato Sambrano from San Jacinto and Mangaldan, respectively, were nowhere to be found. But what was shocking to me as a cycling aficionado was the disqualification of San Fabian son Tour veteran and internationally-experienced Sherwin Carrera, and Pangasinan best sprinter Ericson Obosa of Manaoag. The two, according to the race officials, were not able to beat the time limit in the previous stages and thus were disqualified based on the rule. Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s really bad news. I see their disqualification as a sign of an early slowdown in their chosen career. Siguro napabayaan ang kanilang sarili, as my son Jazy said. Hopefully the duo can still recover and manage to reassert themselves in next year’s tours, the Ronda and Le Tour.
As of this writing, Friday, June 8, DZSR Sports Radio reported that it’s the Tabaco, Albay-born Irish Valenzuela winning the short but crucial 13th stage, the 19-kilometer race-against-the-clock leg that started at Kennon Road and finished at Burnham Park, Baguio City. But the best effort of Valenzuela just trimmed down the 51 seconds lead of the ‘red jersey’ wearer Mark Galedo to just 33 ticks with two more flat stages remaining. It was enough to dislodge Galedo. It may be premature to say but as a veteran of this kind of sport and despite his slim edge over Mapandan son-in-law Valenzuela, the 2009 Tour of Luzon champion Galedo is now the virtual champion of this year’s Ronda. As far as I’m concerned, only physical or major mechanical breakdown could stop Galedo from winning the tiara. As for the 22 Pangasinenses who joined the 15-day road saga, better luck next year. As the saying goes, Tuesday is not Monday, just as 2013 is not 2012. Meaning next year’s race could prove to be a very different story.
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My big congrats to the Lyceum Northwestern University Dukes for winning their exhibition game on June 6 against the dreaded La Union Dads, 99-76, held at Barangay Inmalog, San Fabian in conjunction with the celebration of the Inmalog fiesta. (I was invited to watch the skirmish but was not able to make it due to my important trip to Manila). According to Dukes head coach Angel Gumarang and echoed by Department of Education Referees Association (DEBRA) member Reynante Hufana, the chief organizer, the Dukes first five, namely, Michael Indoy, Jay-R Andrade, Lennel Manalo, Jorge Alipio and Romulo Guarin did most of the damage in clobbering the visitors, all scoring in double digits. On the La Union side, Mark Aduba, Simon Velasco, Reynaldo Hufana and Denver Maure were the top scorers. Hufana said the goodwill match held in the evening was organized by the village chair Rogelio Hufana and SK chairperson Agnes Hufana and officiated by the DEBRA group of referees, Pangasinan chapter.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” MATTHEW 21: 18-22
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