MANILA, Philippines - Filipino riders from LBC-MVP Sports Foundation Cycling Pilipinas announced their presence in the Tour of Borneo 2013 with wins in various fronts in the opening stage covering 112 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu to Tuaran Sunday.
Ronald Oranza, a surprise top three finisher in the Ronda Pilipinas 2013, topped the only intermediate sprint of the stage – a 67.4-kilometer stretch in Kota Belud – and was part of the 55-man group that finished first in two hours, 40 minutes, 45 seconds.
Oranza’s sprint win gave him a five-point bonus and a three-second time deduction that pushed him fourth overall with a clocking of 2:40.42, just shades behind podium finishers Australian Paul Van der Ploeg of TCO (2:40.35), Malaysian Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan of TSG (2:40.39) and Ukrainian Aleksandar Surutkovuch of BCP (2:40.41).
Another LBC-MVPSF bet Junrey Navarra made a big impression after the pocket-sized pride of Mindanao ruled the second and tougher of two King of the Mountain laps of the stage – a Category 4 87.5-km stretch in Tenghilan – and will wear the red jersey, symbolic of the KOM leader, in Stage Two.
Mark Galedo, the Ronda Pilipinas second edition champion riding for 7-Eleven/Roadbike Phl, likewise kept himself close to the leaders as he not only rode along in the mass finish, he also placed second behind Oranza in the sprint leg and Navarra in the KOM race he topped.
That put Galedo, who is coming off a victory in a race in Hawaii a few months back, at fifth overall with a time of 2:40.43.
Aside from Oranza, Galedo and Navarra (14th), 7-Eleven/Roadbike Phl’s Mark Julius Bordeos (13th), Marcelo Felipe (27th) and Baler Ravina (42nd) and LBC-MVPSF’s Rutsom Lim (20th) were also part of the pack that finished up front in Stage One.