BAGO CITY—The LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 goes to the Visayas region in search of more cycling talents with the staging of the Visayas Leg, unfurling with the Stage 1 criterium that will start and end here today.
While attention will focus on big guns George Oconer of LBC-MVP Sports Foundation developmental team and Mindanao Leg winner Jan Paul Morales and his powerhouse Navy-Standard Insurance team, organizers are also setting their eyes on young riders, who are oozing with potential.
James Paolo Ferfas and Renlan Maglantay were the biggest discoveries thus far after the two came through with noticeable performances in the Mindanao Leg in Butuan, Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon last month.
Ferfas, 22, wound up in the Top 10 overall while Maglantay, 18, in the Top 20 despite competing under-equipped.
LBC and MVP Sports Foundation didn’t waste time rewarding Ferfas and Maglantay, who received racing gears like helmet, racing shoes, gloves and socks, while being loaned competition bikes worth P400,000.
The campaign of Ferfas and Maglantay will also be bankrolled by LBC and LBC Express.
“We want to use LBC Ronda Pilipinas as not only to give our local riders some additional income, but to also discover talents from the far-flung areas like Mindanao and the Visayas,” said Ronda project director and LBC Sports Development head Moe Chulani.
This early, the 22-year-old Oconer has emerged one of the favorites after he ended up second to last year’s champion Santy Barnachea, third in Ronda’s first0ever edition in 2011 and fourth two years ago.
Morales is another cyclist to watch after he and his fellow Navymen dominated the Mindanao Leg.
“It will be a team effort because he (Oconer) and his team are strong too,” said Morales.
Mark Julius Bonzo, Rustom Lim, Ronald Lomotos and Jerry Aquino, Jr. are Oconer’s teammates, while Navy skipper Lloyd Lucien Reynante, Ronald Oranza, Rudy Roque, Joel Calderon and brothers Daniel Ven and El Joshua Carino are backstopping Morales.
The race resumes on Sunday with another criterium in Stage 2 in Iloilo City in a lap that will coincide with Iloilo Bike Festival.
Stage 3, which will be a road race, is scheduled on Tuesday and will pass through the whole of Iloilo City.
The Visayas Leg will conclude with an Individual Time Trial Stage 4 in the morning on Thursday and the Stage 5 criterium in the afternoon the same day.
The event, which was run by LBC Express smoothly and successfully through its logistics, is 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.
