5 ex-champ, babangon sa 10th LBC Ronda
SORSOGON – Walang urungan, laban kung laban para sa limang dating kampeon.
Nakatuon ang atensyon sa tiyak na bantayan sa pagitan nina two-time winners
Jan Paul Morales ng Standard InsuranceNavy at Santy Barnachea ng Scratch sa pagsikad ng 10-stage LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race bukas sa provincial capitol dito.
Target nina Morales, back-to-back winner (2016 at 2017), at Barnachea, 2011 at 2015 champion, na muling mangibabaw sa grupo nang mga tinaguriang ‘Road Warriors’ para sa panibagong korona at sa naghihintay na P1 milyong premyo.
“I always aim to win in all the race I join and I’m confident of my chances this year,” pahayag ng 34-anyos na si Morales.
Iginiit naman ng 43-anyos na si Barnachea na handa siya at gagawin ang lahat upang malagay sa kasaysayan ng karera na inorganisa ng LBC sa pagtataguyod ng Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy
Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation at PhilCycling.
“We’ll know when the race starts but for me, anything can happen in this kind of race,” sambit ni Barnachea.
Ngunit, may tatlo pang challenger na pawang dekalidad na nakaabang sa dalawa – sina Ronald Oranza ng Standard Insurance-Navy (2018), Mark Galedo ng 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines (2012), at Reimon Lapaza ng Celeste Cycles PHDevel Project Pro Team (2014).
Tanging ang dating kampeon na sina Irish Valenzuela (2013) at Francisco Mancebo (2019) ang hindi nagbalik aksiyon ngayong taon.
Nakalinya rin bilang contenders ang mga batikang sina dating Le Tour champion El Joshua Carino, Junrey
Navarra at George Oconer ng Standard Insurance, Marcelo Felipe, best Filipino finisher in last year’s staging, at 7Eleven teammate Rustom Lopez, Ronnel Hualda, Daniel Ven Carino, Ismael Grospe, Jr. at Jonel Carcueva ng Go for Gold, Cris Joven, Marvin Tapic and Dominic Perez of BicycologyArmy, gayundin sina Michael Angelo Ochoa at Warren Bordeos ng Bike Xtreme.
“It’s a wide open race,” pahayag ni Morales.
Samantala, sinabi ni LBC Ronda Pilipinas chairman Moe Chulani na ang Stage Six ay may ruta nang Tarlac to Tarlac sa Feb. 29 at ang Stage Seven Tarlac to Palayan City, Nueva Ecija sa March 1 mula sa dating linya na Lingayen-Lingayen at Lingayen-Palayan.
Walang pagbabago sa 37-km Sorsogon-Sorsogon Stage One, 163km Sorsogon-Legazpi Stage Two on Feb. 24, 126.9km Legazpi-Naga Stage Three on Feb. 25, 212.5km Daet-Lucena Stage Four on Feb. 26, 155.4km Lucena-Antipolo Stage Five on Feb. 27, 177.1km Nueva Ecija-Baguio Stage Eight on March 2, 176.4km Pugo, La Union-Vigan Stage Nine on March 3 and Vigan Stage 10 on March 4.
“We’re expecting an exciting race because most practically all the country’s top cyclists including most of our past LBC Ronda Pilipinas champions are joining,” paniniguro ni Chulani.