Ravina hikes lead; Diamsay strikes

CALBAYOG, Samar, Philippines – Road Bike’s Baler Ravina came out aggressive and finished strong at eighth to pad his overall lead even as One Tarlac’s Sherwin Diamsay came from behind to snatch lap honors from Mindanao’s Jay Tolentino in the rain-drenched Stage Six of the second Ronda Pilipinas here yesterday.

Ravina joined the 15-man breakaway group early and stayed in the last 10 in the last 28 kms of the 170-km race en route to a top 10 finish that stretched his 30-second lead to 59 with an aggregate clocking of 24:53.59.

“My plan of sticking it out with the pursuers worked,” said Ravina, seeking for his second straight Tour title after ruling the four-lap Le Tour in northern Luzon last month, in Filipino.

“But don’t expect me to initiate the attack, I will just be on the defensive because everyone’s watching me now because of the red jersey that I’m wearing,” he added.

After a series of failed bids, Diamsay finally notched the elusive lap win, staying with the breakaway group early and then pouncing on the fading Tolentino in the final 100 meters to rule the stage that started in Tacloban, Leyte, passed through the San Juanico Bridge and concluded in this coastal city.

Diamsay, a native of Pura, Tarlac, and Tolentino from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija but was asked to race for the Mindanao squad, actually clocked identical three hours, 58 minutes, 22 seconds but the former outsprinted Tolentino for lap honors.

After realizing he won, Diamsay raised his arms in triumph and made the sign of the cross as he approached the wildly cheering, rain-drenched crowd at the Calbayog City Hall and Cardinal Rosales Plaza.

It was Diamsay’s first lap victory since topping the San Fernando, La Union-Vigan, Ilocos Sur stage in last year’s inaugural Ronda. He won P50,000 purse and gained 10-second bonus deduction.

“It’s always a good feeling to win a lap and it was made sweeter that I won it only in the last stretch,” said Diamsay in Filipino.

Tolentino, meanwhile, said he was just as happy to turn in his first podium finish since being a regular participant of the Tour in 2004.

“It’s my highest finish since I joined the Tour almost a decade ago, that’s why I consider it extra special,” he said.

The day, however, belonged to veteran Warren Davadilla of Metro Manila, who came in third in 3:58.46 to move to second in the sprint category – just a point behind current leader Cris Joven.

The 37-year-old Davadilla, winner of the fabled Marlboro Tour in its last staging in 1998 and its revival seven years later, also ended up third in the Tagum-Butuan Stage Three, considered the longest stage in this 15-stage, 20-day race staking a whopping P7.5 million purse.