AT 39, cycling doesn’t stop—and so is winning a medal—for Mark John Lexer Galedo, who clinched the silver in the Masters 40-44 years old individual time trial (ITT) last Saturday at the Asian Cycling Confederation Road Championships in Phitnasulok, Thailand.
Galedo clocked 28 minutes and 25.2 seconds in the 21-km race won by Thailand’s Tawatchai Jeeradechatam, 35 seconds faster than the Filipino, an ITT gold medalist at the Myanmar 2013 Southeast Asian Games.
Thailand’s Kritsana Keawjun clinched the bronze medal in the race where another Filipino, Roderic Calla was sixth in the 45-49-year-old group.
A Special Citation awardee at the recent Philippine Sportswriters Association-San Miguel Corp. Annual Awards, Galedo retired as an elite rider in 2024 and was classified in the 40-44 category in Phitnasulok based on his year of birth.
“I’m so happy for this victory and so inspired to see our flag being raised here,” said Galedo, now one of the coaches of the 21-cyclist national team competing in the championships through the PhilCycling, Philippine Sports Commission and the MVP Sports Foundation.
“Thank you to the PSC, POC [Philippine Olympic Committee] and PhilCycling president [Abraham] Bambol Tolentino, to 7Eleven Roadbike Philippines, to my family for the opportunity to compete here,” he said.
Galedo, who won his fifth Tour of Guam crown before retiring last December, will also compete in the road race on Thursday.
National team coach Joey de los Reyes also clinched a bronze medal in the Masters’ road race in last year’s Asian championships—also supported by the PSC—in Astana, Kazakhstan.
