Italian rider steals show in Chigo AirCon Cycling

CEBU, Philippines - Visiting Italian cyclist Christian Buttazzo, faced with unfamiliar road conditions, dominated the inaugural Chigo AirCon Cycling Criterium the other day at the Mandaue City reclamation area.

Buttazzo finished the 36-kilometer, 15-lap criterium race in one hour, 20 minutes and 13 seconds.  Robert Reyes came in 2.43 seconds behind to grab second place, while Nestor Juntilla was just a half-wheel away to land third place, 2.89 seconds behind the overall winner.

Completing the top five finishers were 66-year-old Teodulfo Quilantang  and the 65-year-old Rogelio Basirgo.

PNG double medalist 14-year-old-Ana Patricia "Icamax" Maximo of SHS-Hijas missed the podium at ninth place.

The high intensity race, participated in by the Golden Boys of Cycling Cebu and supported by Chigo  distributor Maximax Systems, was characterized by a steady pace in the first five laps but turned nasty and ferocious when the peloton entered its eleventh lap.

A breakaway of Buttazzo, Reyes, Juntilla, Quilantang and Basirgo escaped in the 13th lap and was never caught, paving for a mad dash sprint to the finish between Buttazzo, Reyes and Juntilla.

With his win, Christian Buttazzo will be promoted to the next higher category in the next leg of the Chigo Cycling series supported by Cebu MultiSport. (PR)  (FREEMAN)