Quirimit rules longest stage

ANGELES CITY — Two former champions from cycling’s hotbed of Pangasinan shared top honors in the longest stage of 2006 Padyak Pinoy that ended here in steaming late summer heat after three days of rains.

Arnel Quirimit and Santi Barnachea once again blazed through the roads of their home province Pangasinan yesterday and shared the spotlight in the tour’s 199-kilometer fourth stage that started in Baguio and ended in front of the old Sto. Rosario church here.

Several big surprises occurred in the longest day in the eight-stage tour, topped by some spur-of-the-moment conspiracy among Quirimit, Barnachea and four other riders that fuelled a breakaway bid and rewarded each one with huge gains after the back-breaking grind.

Quirimit, the 2003 Tour Pilipinas champion, claimed the stage honors while Barnachea, the 2002 Calabarzon Tour winner, escaped from his chief pursuers, checking in with the lead group to pad his overnight 27-second lead to more than seven minutes.

Quirimit again drew tremendous strength and inspiration passing through his hometown Pozzorubio and went on to top a six-man sprint race for his second stage win in this tour presented by Tanduay Rhum and organized by Dynamic Outsource Solutions Inc. in cooperation with Wow Magic Sing.

"I can’t explain it but I really feel strong every time the Tour passes my hometown," said the 30-year-old Army corporal in Filipino.

"If opportunity comes again, I will get more stage wins. I’m not losing hope for another tour title because we’re only halfway through the tour," added Quirimit, running eighth, over 16 minutes off the pace going into the last four stages of the short but challenging bikathon.

Barnachea got a big lift from Quirimit, Aldren Calpito, Oscar Rendole, Harvey Sicam and Alfredo Asuncion in pulling away from the field and then pulling back in the torrid dash to the finish.

"I talked with them so we can all improve on our standings. I told them to help me out and I won’t contend for the stage honors," said Barnachea, the last man to cross the finish among the lead group. The Umingan, Pangasinan native was podium finisher in all the first three stages.

Second placer Ericson Obosa and the third-running Eric Feliciano checked in with the main peloton seven minutes and two seconds behind the lead group, thus allowing Barnachea to stretch his margin to a whopping seven minutes and 29 seconds halfway through the tour.

Former two-time tour champion Renato Dolosa, the team captain of the Cossack Vodka squad, thought it’s all over but the coronation for Barnachea.

Barnachea, however, is still wary of the two remaining tough mountain-climb stages in Tatlong Eme tomorrow and in Sungay Thursday.

"It’s far from over. But at least, I have built a more comfortable lead," said the unassuming Pangasinense rider.

Obosa said he erred in using a Bora rim set which proved not suitable for the wind-swept Baguio-Angeles route while Feliciano admitted being hit by fatigue in the Baguio ascent Sunday in their sorry downfall yesterday.

"I didn’t know what happened. I was groggy," said Feliciano, the Baguio stage winner considered by many as Barnachea’s chief rival for the crown.

Worse was the case of many riders hit by diarrhea in Baguio. Not a few had to dismount their bikes in Marcos Highway to relieve themselves. Eight had yet to check in at the finish at presstime.

Halfway through the tour with the riders having covered 674 kms of the total distance of 1,219.4 kms, RP riders Barnachea, Obosa and Feliciano were running first, second and third, followed by rookie Sicam, Tomas Martinez, another rookie in Irish Valenzuela, Renato Sembrano, Quirimit, Warren Davadilla and Eusebio Quinones to round out the Magic 10.

The tour starts its northern trek today with the stage five from Marikina to Lucena.

Reigning champion Davadilla made a move yesterday and rewarded himself with the first sprint stage honors at the foot of the Benguet mountains in Rosario, La Union.

TOUR NOTES: On the eve of the Baguio-Angeles run, the talk among tour veterans was the all-time best among riders in the Baguio descent. The consensus was that it’s a tossup between 1989 champion Gerardo Igos and Ceferino Bacunawa… The Elixir Sports team, skippered by Quirimit, dislodged Cossack Vodka atop the standings in team competition after the fourth stage. Cossack Vodka slid to second place, followed by Air21, Go21, Sunbolt, Mail & More, INCA, Red Bull, One Shot Wonder and Cool Pap… Job, 42, and Junnel Babagay, 20, have made history as the first father and son tandem to ever run in the tour. Job has long been competing in the tour qualifying races and finally made the tour proper this year, joining his son and over 40 others as rookie campaigners in the current tour. The Babagays are running for the Red Bull team under coach Bacunawa.