Pagnanawon tops 1st q’fying leg

SIPALAY CITY — A son of a former Tour champion made a name for himself in this city yesterday.

Jaybop Pagnanawon of Team Negros gamely took the challenge of the top guns before outkicking veterans Irish Valenzuela of Army and Baler Ravina of 7-Eleven in a mad rush to the finish line to rule the first stage of 2015 LBC Ronda Pilipinas Visayas qualifying stage.

Pedaling like a mad man in the last 200 meters, Pagnanawon, whose father is 1986 Marlboro Tour winner Rolando, e edged out Valenzuela by half-a-length to w win the 172.7 kilometer Dumaguete - Sip palay stage.

In clinching his first Ronda stage h honors, the 26-year-old Pagnanawon put y years of frustrations behind him, saying: ““Sa wakas nanalo rin.”

He negotiated the race in four hours, 25 minutes and 10 seconds to beat the 2013 champion by a second. Ravina was two seconds off Pagnanawon.

Alvin Benosa finished fourth with a time of 4:25:39, Boots Cayubit finished at fifth with a time of 4:26:43. 40-year old Rey Navarro is at sixth (4:26:38), Kenneth Solis (4:26:43) at seventh, Leonel Dimaano and Cris Joven (4:26:44) at eighth and ninth and Denver Casuyaran (4:26:45).

Things got interesting when the 19-man group broke up into three with about 20 kilometers left in the race.

That left Pagnanawon and Valenzuela alongside Ravina and Benosa up front.

Behind them was a three-man chase group in Dominic Perez, Navarro and Nelson Martin.

The chase group tried their best to close in on the frontrunners but the pace put up by Pagananawon, Ravina and Valenzuela proved too much for them.