Sports Eye
Pangasinan’s formidable three?
By Jesus A. Garcia
WHILE I’m making this piece (Friday, Feb. 7), the sixth stage of the 2014 Ronda Pilipinas was just finished. The 153-kilometer flat and mountain trek from Lucena City to Antipolo City in Rizal province was won by a foreigner named Peter Pouly of France. And the bad news is our very own province mate, the aging Santy Barnachea who wrested the overall leadership from Iriga City’s son Cris Joven after the fifth stage was dislodged by his archrival, 2012 Ronda champ John Mark Galedo. Like in the past, because of the torturous mountain terrain, the men were separated from the boys. But cycling fans need not worry. The big race is just at the halfway mark and anything could still happen.
The Umingan-born Barnachea, winner of three national Tours (2002 Tour of Calabarzon, 2006 Padyak Pinoy and 2011 Ronda Pilipinas), is now in the fourth spot overall after six days of pedalling, now 3:01 minutes behind. If Galedo luckily wins, the 27 year-old cyclist will become the fourth Filipino rider to win three Tour titles after Manuel Reynante, this writer and Barnachea, and that makes the 14-day road saga more interesting to watch and follow. Galedo’s closest pursuers are Riemon Lapaza from Mindanao, 14 seconds behind; and new Pangasinan discovery Mark Julius Bordeos at third, 2:19 adrift. Rounding up the top ten are last year’s third placer and rising star Ronald Oranza of Villasis, 4:45; Felipe Marcelo, 3:56; George Oconner, 4:59; Vicente Vicmar, 6:56; and Novo Ecijano Oscar Rendole, 7:31. Gone from the top ten were Reynaldo Navarro of San Jacinto and Japanese Daiki Yasuhara. The defending champion Irish Valenzuela of Daraga, Albay is not in the Magic Ten, so far. I don’t know why. I guess he’s off this year. But let’s wait and see, especially in the Baguio climbs where he was superior last year. But if he wants to be a back-to-back champ, he has to move now to lessen his deficit and to pour it on in the mountains.
We all know that the 14 seconds lead by Galedo is very precarious. But being a veteran in this kind of road racing, Barnachea knows how to handle his enemies to protect his position unless some misfortune strikes him. “Sa ipinakikita nyang lakas at sa gulangan ay lamang na lamang siya kontra sa mga bata na nakabuntot sa kanya,” said Rolando de Guzman, a cycling fanatic from Mangaldan. Let’s just wait and see, meet and cheer them when they come to Dagupan City on February 9. Unfortunately I will not be able to watch the finish for I will be in Cebu City on February 8 and scheduled to return the following day. But I’ll try to catch the Dagupan-Baguio run on Feb. 10. Barnachea is my godson in his wedding with wife Michel and I think he needs some pointers for this kind of multi-stage road battle. Let us remember that any win by our local bets is also always our victory. Please pray for our kabaleyans that they may win back the crown, I think they are our formidable three. Who knows, my town mate Joshua Carino will show up later to be in the top ten when the big (Baguio) mountains come.
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There’s a ‘good luck’ tarpaulin sign up in my town Mangaldan, with the picture of our mayor being displayed, along the main thoroughfare mistakenly saying that two Mangaldan cyclists are participating in this year’s Ronda namely, Joshua Carino and Renato (not Renante as printed) Sembrano. It’s wrong. Sembrano is not a contestant in the Ronda this year. I got text messages insinuating I was to be blamed me for the blunder surmising. I had nothing to do with it since the person who orchestrated it never consulted me. “They should have asked you first before doing so being a virtuoso of the two-wheeled event,” said one of the many text senders. I simply replied with “pasensya na po kau sa mlaking pagka2mali at hindi na po mauulit.” The one who did it pretended to know all when he didn’t.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: And Jesus said “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” JOHN 6: 38-39
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