Who will win this year’s Tour?

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

THE COUNTRY’S annual multi-stage bicycle road race dubbed for the last two years as “Padyak Pinoy” reeled off last Thursday with Nueva Ecijano sturdy rider and last year’s first runner-up Eric Feliciano winning the initial stage.

At presstime, Ericson Obosa from barangay Licsi in Manaoag town, considered as Pangasinan’s best sprinter and 2007 Pista’y Dayat Cycling Classic winner, captured the second leg, a flat and well-paved 119-kilometer route from Quezon City to Cabanatuan City.

Tomorrow’s stage will be hosted by Alaminos City from Cabanatuan and I believe our boys, led by defending champion Santy Barnachea of Umingan, will strive hard to win the day’s glory. They don’t want to be humiliated in their own turf. Let’s cross our fingers.

Being an expert in this two-wheeled event, cycling friends like Johnny Valencia from my town Mangaldan kept asking me whom I predict will win this year’s Tour. I honestly tell them I have seven in my mind out of the 96 (not 80 which I previously wrote) participants. Who are they? Fans eagerly asked me.

Don’t be shocked but I have to be honest with myself.

Every year in the past, I have always predicted a Pangasinense to win, but this time I’m picking a non-Pangasinense rider to seize the crown.

My first three are the rejuvenated 1996 Marlboro Tour king Victor Espiritu of Malabon City, 2004 Tour Pilipinas first runner-up Lucien Llyod Reynante of Mandaluyong City and 2005 Tour de Hundred Islands champion Eric Feliciano of Allaga, Nueva Ecija.

My fourth to seventh are Barnachea, 2003 Tour Pilipinas titlist Arnel Quirimit of Pozorrubio, 2003 Tour Pilipinas first runner-up Merculio Ramos, Jr. of Binalonan and last year’s second runner-up Ericson Obosa.

These friends asked me why I did not pick Obosa first since he almost succeeded in winning the Tour last year.

I told them I like Obosa to win being a Pangasinense. But my observation about Obosa is, he doesn’t have the exceptional mountain climbing prowess to make him the overall winner, unlike Feliciano, Espiritu and Reynante.

I say this because in a multi-stage racing like what I experienced during my era, you must have a sterling mountain climbing capability to win the Tour. If you don’t have it, you will never achieve your goal. The records speak. No cyclist ever won the Tour without his mountain climbing efficacy.

Every year, the two Baguio City climbs count a lot. It will be the decisive laps. If you hold on to the ‘yellow jersey’ after the Baguio climbs, then you are the virtual champ. That is what the Tour’s history shows.

Despite picking the first three who are non-Pangasinenses to win the Tour, I still hope I’m wrong.

In my heart, I want a Pangasinense to win again. This is our sport. But my mind says, it’s a non-Pangasinense this year.

Let’s wait and see.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/)

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