Open race seen in LBC Ronda 2012

Manila, Philippines - The youngest, sturdiest legs on the road will determine the king of the 2012 LBC Ronda Pilipinas cycling race while the squad that puts premium on teamwork rather than individual play will have bigger chances of taking home the team champion’s purse in the second edition of the country’s biggest ever showdown on wheels.

In a departure from last year’s race, the LBC Ronda Pilipinas, staged for the second year by LBC Express, Inc., the leading courier firm, scratched the 188-km Baguio-to-Baguio race, a a killer stage which includes two descents on Marcos Highway and a climb on Naguilian Road and Kennon Road on the way to Baguio.

Usually run in the last three stages of the nationwide race, the Baguio run has become crucial in the rise and fall of tour champions since the multi-stage event was introduced over a half century ago.

The 2,077 km route of the 2012 edition instead brings riders through cities and towns and long highways, interrupted by winding roads and a few uphill climbs, in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, making the 19-day, 15-stage odyssey on wheels anybody’s game both in individual competition among 96 riders and the team event among 16 squads.

The winner in both individual and team categories earns P1 million.

Organizers said the 2012 LBC Ronda Pilipinas, now run mostly on flat roads, levels the playing field among the riders, some pre-qualified from the last year’s top 30 finishers, and the majority chosen from the eliminations held last May.

Defending champion Santy Barnachea and Navy teammates Lloyd Lucien Reynante, Frederick Feliciano and Eusebio Quinones are the traditional favorites to vie for the individual crown.

Other familiar names out to make a comeback are Warren Davadilla of Air Force, Alfie Catalan and John Rene Mier of Army-RC Cola, Joel Calderon of V-Mobile-Nueva Ecija, Baler Ravina of Team Roadbike Philippines, Merculio Ramos of Tarlac-Northern Philippines and Arnel Quirimit of West Pangasinan.

With cycling’s old warriors already past the age of 32, new finds with sturdier legs are expected to loom large in this edition, with 25-year-old Irish Valenzuela and Cris Joven expected to provide the biggest challenge.

Others in the fold are 20 year-old George Oconer, last year’s third placer, and fellow RP team members Jemico Brioso (23), Mark Julius Bonzo (22), Kelvin John Mendoza (20), Gerald Mendoza (21) and Aries Ramento (21).

Thirty-three cyclists who are below 30 years old have earned slots in the 16 teams after hurdling the national qualifying eliminations.

Barnachea’s Navy team looms as the top contender in team competition won last year by Team American Vinyl now headed by Valenzuela and Joven.

Another team to watch is the Philippine Team which enjoys year-round training for international competitions like next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.

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