Kay Espiritu na ‘to!
Sticking to his closest pursuers like a leech in the risky downhill stretches and two punishing climbs back to Burnham Park, Espiritu finished in the four-man group towed by Cool Pap’s Baler Ravina and virtually put a lock on the overall individual crown with still two laps to go in the 10-lap, 11-day bikathon.
Ravina, Espiritu’s chief rival, threw everything in the wind, including his dentures, to capture lap honors in the rain-drenched, accident-marred 195-km race as he edged last year’s overall champion Santy Barnachea in a thrilling photo finish that chopped some precious seconds off the 1996 Tour rookie champion.
Youthful Irish Valenzuela of Cossack Vodka came in third, barely ahead of Espiritu, who, however, was credited with the same time as that of the first three – five hours, 57 minutes and 55.60 seconds – as the podium finishers in the hotly contested lap in this summer capital.
Ravina, the pint-sized former yellow jersey holder going into the Baguio stages, was awarded 10 seconds for topping the lap, which meant his overnight 39-second deficit was reduced to 29 seconds heading into today’s penultimate 195-km Stage 9 starting here and ending in Clark Field, Pampanga.
The final lap – a 90-km criterium race and a virtual victory ride – is set tomorrow along
Espiritu, who also clinched the King of the Mountain award and the purse worth P28,000, now has an aggregate clocking of 27:6’42.121.
Barring any major disaster, Espiritu looks forward to claiming the title worth P50,000.
“I hope so,” Espiritu said in Filipino when told Ravina and Air21’s Lloyd Reynante have already conceded the crown. “But I still have to finish the race and stick with the people I should stick out with.”
Felipe Chavez, a three-decade veteran team coordinator of the Tour known in cycling circles as Mang Pepe, however, warned Espiritu not to be over-complacent.
“I’ve seen weird things happen in the Tour,” said Chavez in Filipino. “A flat tire or a spill could change the complexion of the whole race.”
If Espiritu wins, he’ll join an elite group of two-time Tour champions that included Antonio Arzala, Cornelio Padilla Jr., Jose Sumalde, Manuel Reynante and Carlo Guieb. Arzala was actually the only one who won three times.
Ravina, for his part, said he was just too happy to claim the lap honors.
“I told you I’ll win this lap,” said Ravina, second in this same stage topped by Reynante three years ago. “It’s hard to beat him (Victor), he’s now the champion.”
Ravina won P5,000 as stage winner but would have to shell out some more to replace the dentures he dropped while he was quenching his thirst near Lion’s Head on Kennon Road.
Accidents continued to mar the event as Stage 7 winner Sherwin Carrera crashed into a parked jeepney along
Cargohaus’ Norman Pablo hit a stray dog in Pugo junction just one hour into the race.
Both suffered a busted lip and deep bruises and contusions and were treated at the
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