Champs back as Ronda marks 10th year

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A TOTAL of 88 riders led by returning champions Santy Barnachea, Reimon Lapaza and Mark Galedo will battle it out for the top purse of P1 million in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race set on Feb. 23 to March 4 starting in Sorsogon and ending in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

Barnachea, 43, who won the inaugural race in 2011 and the fifth edition in 2015, will suit up for Scratch It while Lapaza, the 2014 titlist, will ride for Celeste Cycles PH-Devel Project Pro Team. Galedo, the 2012 winner, is back along with 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines after years of absence.

They will battle 2018 champion Ronald Oranza and 2016 and 2017 title-holder Jan Paul Morales, who will lead the powerhouse Standard Insurance (Navy) that will also be bannered by El Joshua Carino, George Oconer, Ronald Lomotos and John Mark Camingao, who are all consistent top 10 finishers in past editions of the race.

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Ronda Pilipinas chairman Moe Chulani yesterday said they have reverted to an all-Filipino race this year after helping PhilCycling in its Olympic quest by holding a five-stage UCI-sanctioned race last year.

“The essence of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas really is giving Filipinos, especially the younger ones dreaming to become big in the sports of cycling someday, an avenue for them to make their dreams a reality,” said Chulani.

“We’re bringing the LBC Ronda Pilipinas back to our countrymen in our 10th anniversary celebration because this is really for them,” he added.

Bernadette Guerrero, the new LBC Ronda Pilipinas executive project director, said 11 teams of eight cyclists each will battle it out in a 10-stage race that will start in Sorsogon on Feb. 23 and conclude in Vigan on March 4.

The race is presented by LBC in cooperation with the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation. Backing up the race are Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX/SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.

Also out to make a big impact are Go for Gold, Bicycology Shop (Army), Bike Xtreme, Tarlac Central Luzon, Ilocos Sur, South Luzon-Batangas and Nueva Ecija.

“It is just fitting that we celebrate the LBC Ronda Pilipinas’ 10th anniversary with 10 stages and several champions like Santy Barnachea, Reimon Lapaza and Mark Galedo making a memorable Ronda comeback,” said Guerrero.

After the 137-kilometer Stage 1, the race will resume with a 163km Sorsogon -Legazpi Stage 2 on Feb. 24, 126.9km Legazpi-Naga Stage 3 on Feb. 25, 212.5km Daet-Lucena Stage 4 on Feb. 26, and 155.4km Lucena-Antipolo Stage 5 on Feb. 27 before taking a breather the next day.

Ronda will continue with a 128.9km Lingayen-Lingayen Stage 6 on Feb. 29, 171.9km Lingayen-Nueva Ecija Stage 7 on March 1, 177.1km Nueva Ecija-Baguio Stage 8 on March 2, 176.4km Pugo, La Union-Vigan Stage 9 and end with a Stage 10 criterium in Vigan on March 4.

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