AGELESS GALEDO TAMES TOUGH TIME TRIAL
Mark John Lexer Galedo can still feel the kick in both legs every time he mounts the saddle and goes on a punishing road trip.
The cycling ace from 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines neither showed fatigue nor difficulty after crossing the line to rule men’s individual time trial of the PhilCycling National Championships for Road 2022 on Wednesday.
“I prepared hard because these are the national championships,’’ said Galedo in Filipino, who still packs the limbs that propelled him to a cycling gold medal in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games apart from multiple local tour championships.
Galedo is the most senior rider on the field at 37 years old, but kept his lofty stature as the man to beat after clocking 52 minutes and 43.10 seconds over 30 kilometers from Nasugbu, Batangas, to the Praying Hands Monument in Tagaytay City.
“I can still feel the power in my legs. I’ll just keep on pushing,’’ said Galedo, the 2013 SEA Games champion in men’s individual time trial (ITT).
Making Galedo’s ride more inspiring was the fact that the three-time tour titlist pulled it off opposite a pair of opponents racing at their peak during the championships co-presented by Standard Insurance, MVP Sports Foundation and Smart.
Ronald Oranza and Jhon Mark Camingao, both riding for Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance, reached the destination in the race against the clock at 31 seconds and 2:22 behind Galedo.
“He (Galedo) still has what it takes to win a race, especially in his forte, the ITT,’’ said engineer Bong Sual, who co-owns 7-Eleven-Roadbike Philippines with 7-Eleven CEO Vic Paterno.
Nichol Pareja of 7-Eleven-Roadbike Philippines also climbed atop the podium after beating all his rivals in the men’s under-23 in 55:49.20 over 30 kms.
Macryan Lago of Go For Gold checked in at second, 14 ticks behind, and Arvin Duanne Digap wound up third, six minutes back, on Day 2 of the nationals.
SEA Games gold medalist Jermyn Prado, topping the criterium on Tuesday, added the 20 km women’s ITT to her collection in 39 minutes and 14.20 seconds after defeating Marianne Grace Dacumos (2:30 behind) and Avegail Rombaon (2:39) of PH Navy-Standard Insurance.
Phoebe Salazar of 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines claimed the gold in the women’s under-23 (41:56.10) followed by Kate Yasmin Velasco (42.34 behind) and Mary Joy Zamora (1:53.80) of PH Navy-Standard Insurance.
Other podium finishers in the men’s category of the event organized by PhilCycling head and Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino were Lance Andrew Lumanlan in the juniors and Samstill Mamites in the youth.