Tagaytay City—Jermyn Prado was a cut above the rest and Mathilda Krog was a gem in the rough in the criterium races of the PhilCycling National Championships for Road 2022 on Tuesday.
Prado, a national team mainstay and Southeast Asia’s former queen of cycling, gained a lap over the Women Elite field in the criterium raced under a points format to win the gold medal unmolested with a full 20-point performance.
“I trained hard for the championships and I really wanted to win this one,” said Prado, who topped the individual time trial and was second in massed start (road) at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Tagaytay City hosted in 2019.
Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino flagged off the national championships that returned after a two-year pandemic hiatus at the start-finish gantry fronting the symbolic Praying Hands Monument along Isaac Tolentino Avenue.
“Do your best and aim to become members of the national team,” Tolentino told the close to 600 cyclists who registered for the championships that will select the new members of the PhilCycling’s national team for the second half of the year.
PhilCycling secretary general Atty. Billy Sumagui and Go For Gold chief Jeremy Go joined Tolentino in the simple ceremony that kicked off the four-day championships co-presented by Standard Insurance, MVP Sports Foundation and Smart and backed by Chooks-to-Go, San Miguel Corp., Petron, Le Tour de Filipinas-Air21-One LGC, Tagaytay City, Go For Gold, Cavite’s First District, Batangas First District, Batangas and the Philippine National Police.
Ma. Mhay Ann Lina clinched silver with 10 points and Avegail Rombaon also of Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance bagged bronze with eight points in the 16-lap criterium that offered 5-1-3-2-1 points in the intermediate sprints at the fourth, eighth, 12th and 16th laps.
Go For Gold’s Boots Ryan Cayubit pulled of a strong surge in the double points 20th lap for 11 points to steal the fold medal in the Men’s Criterium that was raced under the rain later Tuesday. Scratch It!’s Jonel Carcueva (10 points) and veteran Jan Paul Morales (9 points) completing the podium.
7-Eleven’s Rench Michael Bondoc (18 points) and Go For Gold’s Jericho Lucero (11) finished 1-2 in the Men’s Under 23 category, with Chrysler Tadena claiming bronze on 10 points after the tie break with Efren Reyes.
Pepito Khalil, Rush Camingao and Renato Sabido finished 1-2-3 in 30 minutes plus three laps Men’s Junior (17-18 years old) class, while Guill Aisaiah Farin, Ian Lopez and Andrei Domingo ruled the 5-lap Men’s Youth (16-under) class.
Kim Bonilla, Maritanya Krogg and Rosalie de la Cruz won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in the Women Juniors raced over four laps, while Angelica Altamirano, Lyca Angel Jacobe and Tricia Mae Laboca were 1-2-3 in Women Youth.
Krog amassed three first-place finishes to win the Women’s Under-23 Criterium gold medal with 17 points. Her Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance teammate Kate Yasmin Velasco bagged silver with 14 points and Jenn Alexis Inson clinched bronze with nine points.
Day 2 of the championships on Wednesday consisted of the individual time trial races from Nasugbu, Batangas, to the Praying Hands finish.
