By Jesus A. Garcia, Jr.

SHOWING their superiority in cycling, the professional cyclists wrested the initiative in the early stage of the race and dominated all the eight summit line prizes at stake up to the half-way mark, only to collapse in the homestretch and yielded the road battle to the relatively unknown amateur riders.

Pangasinan’s youthful Ariel Flores of Mangaldan stayed with the main pack that trailed the professionals then later accelerated and caught up with the professionals’ midway and never looked back as he out-sprinted his breakaway amateur partner Eduardo Nardo to the finish, to score his first biggest victory in the province.

Flores pocketed the P15,000 top prize and went home with the  trophy of the “Pangasinan All-Stars Cycling Classic” last September 15.

Nardo, from the cycling-crazy town of San Manuel, won P12,000 while townmate Edgardo Bolle-zer, who crossed the line by his lonesome  for  the third prize, earned  P9,000.

Flores, 20, and Nardo, 26, clocked the 200 kilometers flat and partly wet trek in 5 hours, 5 minutes and 52 seconds. Bollezer was 57 ticks off the pace.

The road battle, exclusively for Pangasinan cyclists, started at barangay San Vicente, Sta. Maria town and finished at Tayug. Sixth district Congressman Conrado Estrella III, the main sponsor, flagged off the 75 participants.

The bikefest, considered as one of the biggest this year, was supported  by the 5th district Rep. Mark Cojuangco,  DPWH Region 1 Director Fidel Ginez, board members Danny Uy and  Robert Estrella of the 5th and 6th districts, respectively; Panelco 1 Director Nestor Revita, Villasis former mayorRamon Morden and Engr. Rosendo So.

The summit donors  were San Jacinto Police Chief Ferdinand de Asis, San Fabian Coun. Rolando Villegas, Mangaldan Vice Mayor Berex Abalos, Hawaii resident Rey Corpuz, 2nd Engineering District czar Rodolfo Dion, Texas-based Blandino Caguioa, Bayambang Mayor Leocadio de Vera and Dir. Ginez. Gran Matador, Coca-Cola and Digitel supported the event.

Rounding up the top 10 are: Jesus Garcia (Sta. Maria) 4th, P7,000; Jayson Duran (San Manuel) 5th, P5,000; sixth to tenth placers Danny Ganigan (Binalonan), Sherwin Carrera (San Fabian), Norman Pablo (Tayug) and Benson   Merlin  (Rosales) earned P3,000 each.

The bikathon was aired live over Aksyon Radyo Pangasinan.

Carrera, Garcia top
Romero’s cycling

 AFTER two local amateur cyclists stunned the province’s veteran professional pedal-pushers by winning the grueling 200-kilometer “Pangasinan All-Stars Cycling Classic” last September 15, the professionals rebounded the following day by ruling the Mangaldan Mayor’s Cup bikefest, topping the first four positions and landing nine out of ten spots in the elite division’.

Led by San Fabian international rider Sherwin Carrera who displayed his mettle in a convincing fashion with San Jacinto standouts Reynaldo Navarro and Pepito Calosa coming in close second and third, respectively. San Carlean Enrique Domingo checked in fourth.

Carrera pocketed P5,000, Navarro bagged P4,000, Calosa earned P3,000, and Domingo netted P2,000 and received a medal each. The four are all members of the dreaded Pangasinan cycling squad called Pitaki Boyz.        

Apparently stung by the embarrassment they suffered in the hands of the amateurs a day before, they fought cautiously from the start up to the finish. They knew that a ‘back-to-back’ triumph by the amateurs would be so devastating and humiliating for them.

“Enough is enough,” the experts triumphantly said after the race.

Best finish for an amateur rider was fifth led by Mangaldanon Ariel Flores who earned P1,500. Flores was the winner of the September 15 race and the skipper of the Pitaki Boyz in the amateur category.

The ‘open’  road battle was organized and sponsored by Mayor Herminio Romero in conjunction with the celebration of his natal day on September 16, and was run into two categories, the 108 kilometers  for elite and the 54 kilometers for master divisions, aged 36 years old and above.

Mayor Romero flagged off the 60 elite participants as well as the 63 master division contestants who   traversed the towns of Mangaldan, San Jacinto and San Fabian six times for the elite and thrice for the masters.

Barcelona and Sydney Olympic veteran Jazy Garcia edged his kumpadre and former RP national rider San Fabianian Esteban Dacayo and Jovy Jovellanos of Manaoag in a close mad dash to the finish in the master category.

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