Morales wins Subic stage, cuts deficit
SUBIC BAY, Olongapo City--Defending champion Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance won the 137-km Stage Three in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017 that took off in Angeles City, Pampanga. Morales, 31, showed an impressive mix of sprint and climbing skills as he dominated the stage in 3 hours, 25 minutes and 46 seconds, nearly three minutes ahead of a three-man chase pack of Ilocos Sur's Jemico Brioso, RC Cola NCR's Leonel Dimaano and Kinetix Lab-Army's Cris Joven. Brioso, Dimaano and Joven wound up second to fourth spots, respectively, with identical time of 3:28:32. The strong showing catapulted Morales, who is seeking to become the first back-to-back champion of this annual event considered the biggest cycling race in the country, from 16th the day before to third overall with an aggregate time of 8:33:44. It was hise second stage win in the race.
Rudy Roque, wearer of the LBC red jersey, symbolic of the overall lead, and No. 2 Ronald Lomotos also of Navy, got stuck inside the peloton that checked in at seventh to 40th places with identical times of 3:29:07.
Roque kept the lead with a total clocking of 8:32:10 but his once mighty fiveminute lead was chopped to just a little over one and half minute by Morales.
Lomotos retained his grip at No. 2 and was 20 seconds off the pace with a time of 8:32:30.
It was Morales' second straight stage triumph after he reigned supreme in the Stage Three criterium in Vigan, Ilocos Sur Sunday.
Morales said he was just determined to get the stage victory to close in on the leaders.
"I'm just focused on winning this stage and made my move when I got the opportunity," said Morales, a native of Calumpang, Marikina City.
Morales made the move approaching the mountains of Morong, Bataan where the idle Nuclear Power Plant is located, kept his pace by his lonesome despite the strong winds and never looked back from there.
He later said it helped him that he trained on this very same route for a couple of months late last year.
"I trained here last November, I'm familiar with the route," said Morales.
Interestingly, Morales also topped the KOM (King of the Mountain) lap in Morong to gain some extra time bonuses.
Go for Gold's rookie bet Jonel Carcueva, who made it here via the Bacolod City qualifying race last December, and Kinetix Lab-Army's Alvin Benosa wound up at joint fifth in 3:29:01, a six-second gap ahead of the big group that included Roque and Lomotos.
Roque said he will do his best to bounce back in the Stage Four, a 111km road race starting and ending here in Subic.
"I was heavily guarded but I will try to make a move in Stage Four tomorrow (today)," said Roquie, a proud son of Tibo, Bataan whose best finish here was ninth in Ronda's inaugural edition six years ago.