I was right

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

PREDICTING the final outcome of any sporting competition is petrifying, and the hardest thing to do for any sports writer. Only few do it because their name is at stake. That’s what world reknown sports columnist Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times once said in his article. You are hugely gambling your reputation. If you blunder, that could pave the way for your readers to disfavor you.

But  that’s what I did. I made a fearless forecast on the outcome of the Padyak Pinoy, the country’s only annual multi-stage bicycle road racing.

And I proved to be right.

In my columns the past two weeks, I said that the internationally-skilled and rejuvenated Malabon-born rider Victor Espiritu was my first choice – out of the 96 participants – to win this year’s Tour. I hit the nail right on the head.

Maybe you’ll ask me, why?

Ok, it needs some big and long explanations.

Although Victor’s name was in the limelight during the mid 90’s by winning the 1996 Marlboro Tour and placing second the following year, he was not visible in the papers during the last two years of the Tour because he and seven other cyclists had affiliated with the PAGCOR cycling team, a group that’s in conflict with PhilCycling, the only national governing body of this two-wheeled event that is duly recognized by the world’s governing entity called Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Due to this infraction by Victor and company, they were barred to participate in the Tour’s annual qualifying races in the last two years.

When the PAGCOR team was dissolved last year and the gaffe was resolved, Victor and his group rejoined the eliminations last February 12-13 and luckily all of them passed the test with teammate Lucien Llyod Reynante topping the event and Victor landing a close second. Their victories also put them back into RP’s national squad.

Of course, during the absence of Victor and the seven in the annual Tour, they traveled abroad and joined the annual ten-day “Tour de Langkawi,” financed by the government-owned PAGCOR. They won some honors but lost some in the Asian category.

The Tour de Langkawi, to many who might not be familiar, is a road battle of some of the best cyclists in the world being held in Malaysia and now considered the fourth most prestigious bicycle road race on earth and the biggest in Asia.

It’s a long and sad story but I would like to leave it at that.

Of all the races that I directed this year wherein Victor and company participated, it was the February 25 Mangaldan race called Werweran Katorse where Victor showed an exceptional efficiency and won the event convincingly, arriving at the finish line ‘all by his lonesome’ and with plenty to spare to the delight of  thousands of spectators. He was so impressive that it this international cycling veteran, winner of a bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games, will be the victor in this year’s Tour.

And I was right.

Not only that, this year he added to his laurels — for the fourth time — the “King of the Mountain” plum which he earlier won in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Victor’s feet can still pump vigorously until he reaches age 35, which means he still has four more years to be at the helm of his chosen career.

Victor, now 31, serves with the Philippine Army Special Services with the rank of a sergeant. He’s married to the former Christine Cruz and they have a four-year old son named Victor Cristi.

Let’s watch him again next year if he can defend his title and conquer anew our national highways. As usual, there will be a lot of stiff competition, particularly from our local boys. That’s for sure.

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

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