MANILA, Philippines – Mark Galedo of 7Eleven-Roadbike Phl emerged the best Filipino performer of the day as the rest of the Phl cyclists got buried under the avalanche of the strong foreign challenge in the penultimate stahe of the Tour de Borneo 2013 in Sabah, Malaysia Wednesday.
Galedo, the champion of Ronda Pilipinas' second edition, finished 10th in the 147.1-km Kota Kinabalu-Kundasang Stage 4, clocking in at four hours and 44 minutes, or 12.09 minutes behind eventual lap winner Ghader Iranagh Mizbani of TPT.
Mizani beat TPT teammate Mirsamad Pourseyedigolakhour in the mad dash to the finish line as both riders timed in 4:31.51. HGP's Joseph Cooper of New Zealand checked in at third with 4:38.16.
Despite his effort, Galedo still sunk in the overall individual race, sliding from No. 7 before the stage to No. 10 with an aggregate time of 15:28.37 going into the final lap of this five-day meet.
Junrey Navarra of LBC-MVP Sports Foundation Cycling Pilipinas, the other Phl Asian Continental team fielded in this annual race, was the second best Filipino performer of the day as wound up 14th with 4:47.30.
That was also the pocket-sized Mindanao native's placing in the overall standings with a total time of 15:32.11, barely ahead of 7Eleven-Roadbike Phl's Boots Ryan Cayubit at No. 18 and Marcelo Felipe at No. 21, Baler Ravina at No. 25 and Mark Julius Bordeos at No. 30 and LBC-MVPSF teammates Rustom Lim at No. 24.
Cayubit gave the Filipinos something to celebrate about as he ended up third in the only intermediate sprint race of the day – a 76.2-km stretch in Tambunan – behind Mizbani and Purseyedigolakhour.
Navarra, who wore the red jersey symbolic of the KOM lead in the first two stages, in contrast, was dislodged from the top in the King of the Mountain race Mizbani also dominated by topping both KOM stretches of the leg.
LBC-MVPSF's Ronald Oranza, a top three finisher in last February's Ronda Pilipinas' third staging who was fourth overall after Stage One and 10th going into Thursday, slid all the way to 41st head of teammate El Joshua Carino.
Ronaldo Lomotos also of LBC-MVPSF was worse as he went on a free fall from No. 3 after three stages to 55th Thursday to virtually kiss his title chances goodbye.