Pangasinan’s national Tour champs

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I WAS swamped with queries from our avid cycling fans here and abroad (including millennials and non-Pangasinenses) regarding my article weeks ago. I was asked to name the 21 Pangasinan cyclists that had already won a Philippine national cycling Tour (multi-stage) crown since cycling’s birth in 1955.  So, here are the 21 local cyclists as requested:

(1) Rufino Gabot of Manaoag ,1957 Tour of Luzon (2) Mamerto Eden of Mapandan, 1958 Tour of Luzon (3) Edmundo de Guzman of Lingayen, 1962 Tour of Luzon (4) Gonzalo Recodos of Manaoag, 1963 Tour of Luzon (5) Jesus Garcia, Jr. of Mangaldan, 1973 Tour of Luzon, 1977 Tour of PICCA, 1977 Marlboro Tour of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (6) Teodorico Rimarim of Basista, 1974 Tour of Luzon (7) Samson Cariño of Mangaldan, 1975 Tour of PICCA  (8) Samson Etrata of Binalonan, 1975 Tour of Luzon-Visayas

(9)  Modesto Bonzo of Sual, 1976 Tour of Luzon  (10) Jacinto Sicam of San Manuel,1981 and 1982 Marlboro Tour (11) Romeo Bonzo of Sual, 1983 Marlboro Tour (12) Ruben Cariño of Mangaldan, 1984 Marlboro Tour (13) Pepito Calip of Binalonan, 1985 Marlboro Tour (14) Bernardo Llentada of San Nicolas, 1991 Marlboro Tour (15) Reynaldo Navarro of San Jacinto, 2000 MAD Pilipinas Bikathon (16) Wilfredo Calosa of San Jacinto, 2001 Rexona Tour (17) Santy Barnachea of Umingan, 2002 Tour of Calabarzon, 2009 Padyak Pinoy, 2011 Ronda Pilipinas and 2015 Ronda Pilipinas (18) Arnel Quirimit of Pozorrubio,  2003 Tour Pilipinas (19) Baler Ravina of Asingan, 2012 Le Tour de Filipinas  (20) Joshua Cariño of Mangaldan, 2018 Le Tour de Filipinas  and (21) Ronald Oranza of Villasis, 2018 Ronda Pilipinas.

These 21 (not 22 as I first mentioned) national Tour champions from Pangasinan brought 27 national individual crowns from Barnachea (four titles), Garcia, this writer, (three) and Sicam (two). Yes, I have no doubt that more titles will be conquered by our local riders in the years to come. This is our sport and we should be proud of it.

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I felt no ill feelings towards the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) for its decision to finally and officially close the two ABS-CBN channels for violating some essential and critical rules of NTC. But the closure affected me knowing that the annual Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) under the organization of Sen. Manny Pacquiao will also be off the air.

I’m a die-hard follower of basketball games especially the NBA and PBA in the professional rank, and NCAA, UAAP and MPBL in the amateur category, that are shown on different channels especially Sports and Actions of ABS-CBN’s channel 23. Basketball is my third favorite sport after cycling and boxing.

But like most, I am still hopeful that someday soon (maybe weeks or months ahead) the brouhaha between the managements of ABS-CBN and NTC will be settled eventually. Siya nawa. Remember, the avid fans of the most popular television series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano was terminated without an ending. Yes, what a mess.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, taking the form of bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. PHILIPPIANS 2: 6-9

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