Galedo stays on top as Ronda shifts to Baguio

DAGUPAN, Pangasinan--Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven played his cards right and finished in the huge group that checked in at second behind lap winner Jason Christie of CCN on Sunday to remain atop the heap going into the dreaded mountains of Baguio in the Ronda Pilipinas International 2014.

Christie, 23, relied on a big push in the final stretch to snatch his third stage triumph, checking in at four hours 34 minutes and 42 seconds or 22 seconds ahead of the pack that included Galedo, the second Ronda champion and Southeast Asian Games gold medallist.

It was the third stage snared by the Kiwi, the reigning sprint champion back home in New Zealand, after reigning supreme in the Quezon City criterium in Stage One and the Lucena-Antipolo Stage Six.

"I'm just looking to win laps and warming up for the Tour de Langkawi late this month," said Christie.

Rustom Lim of PLDT-Maynilad finished second, Taiwanese Hsiaoh Shih Hsin third with times of 4:35:04, the same clocking by the top 10 overall individual leaders that the 28-year-old is Galedo spearheading.

After eight stages, Galedo remained safe at No. 1 in 29:24:30, 14 seconds ahead of closest pursuer Reimon Lapaza of Cycleline-Butuan Mindanao, who stuck with the latter like a leech to stay at No. 2 in 29:24:44.

Two minutes and 26 seconds adrift and at No. 3 was Mark Julius Bordeos of 7-Eleven with 29:26:56 followed by first Ronda winner Santy Barnachea of Navy-Standard Insurance at No. 4 with 29:27:38 and Marcelo Felipe of Roadbike Phl at No. 5 with 29:28:26.

PLDT-Maynilad's Ronald Oranza, Navy-Standard's George Oconer, Infinite-Singha's French skipper Peter Pouly, Cebu-Kalit Air Force's Vicmar Vicente and Army's Reynaldo Navarro completed the Top 10 with aggregate times of 29:29:15, 29:29:24, 29:30:10, 29:31:22 and 29:32:05, respectively.

The race, however, is just starting.

After eight stages that already covered a total distance of 1,200.2 kilometers of flat roads and medium-level ascents, this 14-stage race goes to the dreaded mountains of Baguio starting with a 102.1-km Stage Nine that will be highlighted by two King of the Mountain laps including a Hors Category climb at Kennon Road.

An 88.5-km Baguio criterium that will go around this cold, mountaintop city follows tomorrow before participants brace for another steep climb on Wednesday's 95.8-km Stage 10 where they will start in San Fernando, La Union, negotiate another Hors Category ascent, this time the Marcos Highway, and end Green Valley Hotel.

"The real race unfolds tomorrow (today)," said Galedo, a known mountain-climber who will be put to a test not just by the local challengers but also the foreigners headed by the dangerous Pouly, in Filipino.

"We'll know who deserves to be in the Top 10 in the Baguio stages, its going to make or break for us," said Lapaza, a 28-year-old Butuan City native who have been making waves this year after getting buried under the blanket of obscurity in the first three stagings.

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 and C! Magazine, sanctioned by PhilCycling and backed by Shimano Cannondale bikes, the Department of Tourism and Phl National Police chief Allan Purisima.