Navy riders off to flying start in Ronda
BUTUAN CITY – Team captain Lloyd Lucien Reynante promised a victory for his NavyStandard Insurance team. He delivered one.
Ronald Oranza captured Stage One honors by clocking four hours, four minutes, 15.01 seconds, capping the Navymen’s domination of the 158.32-kilometer kick-off leg in the Mindanao stage of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 that started and ended in front of the Butuan City Hall here yesterday.
Jan Paul Morales and Daniel Ven Carino, Oranza’s teammates, finished second and third in 4:014:15.19 and 4:04:15.19, respectively, highlighting Navy’s lopsided win in Ronda’s sixth edition.
Actually, the top eight finishers in the stage were all from Navy with Reynante, Joel Calderon, John Mark Camingao, Rudy Roque and El Joshua Carino checking in at No. 4 to No. 8 with clockings of 4:04:16.02, 4:04:16.66, 4:04:24.81, 4:04:25.16 and 4:04:29.91.
James Paolo Ferfas of Team LCC Lutayan and unaffiliated Peter Gregorio averted an allNavy top 10 by winding up ninth and 10th with times of 4:17:49.82 and 4:20:38.32.
Reynante snared the King of the Mountain honors while Morales took the sprint lap.
With the new format which applied a point system with 10 points awarded to the winner, nine to second and so on, Morales ended up with the overall lead with a total of 20 points.
Reynante was a point behind with 19 points while Oranza and Roque were at third and fourth with 10 apiece.
Rounding up the top 10 were Carino (eight points), Calderon (six), Camingao (five), Carino (four), Ferfas (two) and Gregorio (one).
Even a Navy rider, Camingao, who was born in Davao but grew up in Taytay, Rizal, took the top local award ahead of Ferfas and Gregorio.
“I was confident before the race because we really prepared hard for the LBC Ronda Pilipinas,” said Reynante. “I also saw the field and the riders participating and I already knew we’re a class above the rest.”
Counting everything, Navy riders pocketed P59,000.
It was Oranza’s third lap victory after six editions of this annual race, considered the biggest in the country today.
“I’m just happy to win the stage and also for the team for a great performance,” said Oranza, whose best finish was third overall in the third staging three years ago.
Reynante said they look forward to doing the same in Stage Two, a 3.71-km criterium in and around the city.
“That’s our goal, to win every award and prize we can,” said Reynante.
Ranlean Maglantay, the youngest participant at 18 years old representing Team LCC Lutayan from Marbel, South Cotabato, didn’t fare well but managed to impress organizers as he used a heavier and cheaper bike, worth somewhere around P20,000, compared to sponsor-issued bikes worth P250,000 for Navy cyclists.
The event is presented by LBC and LBC Express, sanctioned by PhilCycling and sponsored by Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, Petron and Versa Radio-Tech 1 Corp. with Maynilad and NLEX as minor sponsors.
“I’m just happy to be given an opportunity to participate in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas. It was a dream come true,” said Maglantay, whose father Randy is a motor mechanic.