Taiwanese champ wins crash-marred lap 3

SAN PABLO CITY, Laguna--Feng Chun Kai of Taiwan's Team Gusto bested Nelson Martin of Roadbike in frantic finish to snare the lap victory on Monday in a crash-marred Stage Three of the Ronda Pilipinas International 2014 that was wheeled off in Amadeo, Cavite and concluded in this people-infested city here.

A five-man race going into the final three-kilometer stretch, Feng, 25, made his move and outpedaled the members of the pack one by one before outsprinting Martin in the final kilometer to grab his first stage triumph of his life in a multi-stage event with a clocking of three hours, 27 minutes and 48 seconds.

Martin came in two seconds later in 3:27.50 while PLDT-Maynilad's Rustom Lim checked in at third despite getting the same time of 3:28.13 as Army's Marvin Tapic and Spaniard Edgard Nieto of Roadbike.

"I'm happy with the win because this is my first," said Feng, a national champion back home but never won a stage.

The race though was not without some anxious moments as Navy sprinter Jan Paul Morales and Malaysians Mohn Ekbar Zamanhuri and Amirul Anuar Zafri had the misfortunes of crashing into each other 25 meters before the arc.

It was more painful for Zamanhuri, who was a member of the nine-man breakaway group that made its move in the first three-kilometer stretch of the 144.4-km stage in Alfonso, Cavite before he withered in the downhill stretch of the Cuenca ascent.

Cris Joven of 7-Eleven, who ruled the Muntinlupa-Silang Stage Two the day before, kept his red jersey after was jammed in the peloton.

At the end of the day, the 27-year-old Joven has a three-day clocking of 10:36.27, still good enough to keep his stranglehold of the top spot over Cycleline-Butuan Mindanao's Reimon Lapaza and Frenchman Peter Pouly of Infinite-Singha, who remained at Nos. 2 and 3 with times of 10:36.29 and 10:38.02, respectively.

"I did my best to get out of it but I didn't get my chance," said Joven, a proud son of Iriga City who is a consistent top 10 finisher in this annual race presented by LBC, the largest courier and cargo company, in Filipino.

It was a scintillating performance by Feng, who kept plodding on with the lead pack even in the Category 3 climb in Calaca, Batangas before he went on attack mode in the final stretch when the lead group was reduced to five.

And Feng isn't even in full shape.

"I couldn't train fully because it was so cold in my country," said Feng.

Second edition Ronda champion and Myanmar Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven and first Ronda king Santy Barnachea of Navy-Standard Insurance continued to lurk behind the shadows of the leaders as the two occupy seventh and eighth overall in 10:40.20 and 10:40.56, respectively.

Last year's Ronda winner Irish Valenzuela of Army was also in the peloton and is currently at No. 14 and within dangerously striking distance.

Cycleline-Butuan Mindanao kept its grip of the team overall lead in 31:57.33 thanks to the heroics of Lapaza, Vicmar Vicente and the mercurial Merculio Ramos, who was part of the lead pack before fading away in the final 30-km stretch in Malvar, Batangas.

7-Eleven remained at No. 2 in 31:58.12 and Navy-Standard at No. 3 in 32:06.49.

Joven retained his red jersey and Best Filipino rider while the other category leaders were Lapaza (sprint), Pouly (KOM) and PLDT-Maynilad's Ronald Oranza (Young rider).

This 14-stage event is presented by LBC, the largest courier and cargo company, sponsored MVP Sports Foundation, Petron, NLEX, Maynilad, PLDT and Mitsubishi, Versa 2 Way Radio and Standard Insurance and minor sponsor Air Asia Zest, sanctioned by PhilCycling and backed by Shimano and Cannondale bikes, the Department of Tourism and Phl National Police chief Allan Purisima.