Why Pitaki cyclists can’t win a Tour

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

THIS piece was supposed to be written right after the 2009 Padyak Pinoy held May 8-15. But due to some constraints owing to my trip to America, I had to defer writing this – what really happened to the bid of the dreaded Pangasinan cycling squad called “Pitaki Boyz” (owned and managed by my only cycling son, Jazy).

I watched the full eight-day road saga because I was hired by the organizers to observe closely how the bikefest would be run and to report the negative and positive aspects of every stage of the race to the chief organizer. And I did.

That gave me a chance to observe how the supposedly internationally-experienced Pitaki cyclists, fresh from two international races (Tour of Malaysia last April 19-26 and in Indonesia last April 30-May 6) where they competed against some of the best in the world, ended up humiliated and stunned the nation’s cycling aficionados, including this writer.

Yes. I saw how my son’s cocky riders won three of the flat stages only to fade away one-by-one in the last two legs, the crucial mountain treks that ended in the city of Pines. Many cycling buffs and I were dismayed by their below par performances and were even more disappointed that not even one of them landed in the top five in the overall individual classifications. The best that they could do was to place third in the overall standing in the team battles.

From what I saw, the disappointing finish of the 15 riders from our province was largely due to their lack in mountain climbing prowess and endurance. They were badly beaten in the mountains and that’s because they did not work out heavily in the mountains during their training. I knew that for a fact because they lived in my son’s house adjacent to mine. And being their neighbor, I saw how they trained and it was certainly very different from mine during my cycling era.

Of course, I tried, on many occasions, to give them some tips, even teaching the boys some aspects of my own training program. But my attempts were met with contempt by my own son. He described my training methods for a big race as “obsolete”. He considered my program that I copied from two five-time Tour de France champions Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx, as ineffective. He belittled my technique despite my having been a Tour champion thrice, four times first runner-up and beat two-time Asian road race gold medalist Sutiyono (I forgot his first name) of Indonesia.

It was like saying he doesn’t believe in Anquetil’s and especially Merckx’s methods (whom international scribes consider to this day as the best cyclist that the universe has ever produced). It certainly is not 7-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Jazy’s idol.

So I quit teaching his boys. Anyway, it’s his money, not mine, being spent on his boys. My standing advice to them is to keep on training up the mountain routes because locally and internationally, no cyclist in the world ever won a big race without outstanding skills for mountain climbing.

There’s no doubt Jazy’s boys are very good in single-day events and have the cohesiveness as a team. They have proven that many times. But they must remember that a Tour is very different from a one-day race; a Tour has many mountains to cross. It’s a strenuous road battle. If you win a one-day race, you’re little known. But if you win the Tour, you win the respect of the people, particularly your peers.

Dominating the flat stages means nothing if you’re poor in the run through the mountains. That happened to San Carlean Enrique Domingo on three occasions, and once to Manaoag son Ericson Obosa. They led in the flat stages but eventually bowed out in the Baguio City stages, and that cost them the championship. They should be kings, too, if only they have the skills to conquer the mountains.

So, I maintain that the Pitakis will never become champs until they become exceptional in the mountain stages. Period.

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