195-km inaugural stage could be decisive
Published Jun 11, 2019 12:00 am
by Nick Giongco
The 194.9-kilometer Pagbilao to Daet stage could very well decide the outcome of the five-leg, UCI-sanctioned 2019 Le Tour de Filipinas which hits the road Friday in Tagaytay City.
Defending champion El Joshua Cariño and 2014 titleholder Mark Galedo, as well as national team coach Reinhard Gorrantes and top mentor Eusebio Quiñones, yesterday bared that the Pagbilao to Daet leg is going to be crucial in the battle for individual and team honors.
Top riders and coaches in the coming Le Tour de Filipinas join Le Tour chairman Donna May Lina, 4th left, during the PSA Forum yesterday at Amelie Hotel in Malate, Manila. (MB photo | Rio Leonelle Deluvio)
“Matindi ang karera (the race is tough),” said Cariño representing the national team, during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at the Amelie Hotel in Ermita, Manila.
Cariño admits that while he is familiar with the killer route, he will not risk going all-out.
“Nadaanan ko na yan at alam ko naman ang ruta pero hindi ka basta-basta aatake (I have been there and know the route but you just don’t attack it),” said Cariño, who is aiming to become the first Filipino pedal-pusher to win back-to-back crowns in the tenth edition of the country’s premier road race.
Galedo, 34, who will race under the Celeste team, one of five local teams entered alongside ten foreign squads, believes that the entire race is not only long and extensive and requires almost perfect planning.
“Hindi ka na lang basta attake. Kalkulado ang bawat galaw. Kaunting mali, pwedeng maiwan ang team (You don’t just attack. You have to be calculated in every move. One small mistake will cost a lot),” he said, adding that he will bank on his experience in aiming for the title.
Gorrantes and Quiñones agree that the initial stage alone—the Tagaytay route that will cover almost 130 kilometers—is pivotal as riders deal with the mountainous terrain of the city before making a journey that will take them to Nasugbu, Lian, Balayan and Lemery.
Donna Lina, chairman of the race, made sure that all bases have been covered not just for the sake of the cyclists but of the general public.
“The safety of everyone is everything,” said Lina, who commended the cities that threw their support to the event.
Stage Three – from Daet to Legaspi covering 183.7 kilometers – will hit the road on Sunday followed by a 176-km scorcher Stage Four that will flag off in Legaspi via Sorsogon and Gubat and back to the Albay capital on Monday.
Stage Five on Tuesday will be 138.20 km from Legaspi via Donsol and back to Legaspi.
Top riders and coaches in the coming Le Tour de Filipinas join Le Tour chairman Donna May Lina, 4th left, during the PSA Forum yesterday at Amelie Hotel in Malate, Manila. (MB photo | Rio Leonelle Deluvio)
“Matindi ang karera (the race is tough),” said Cariño representing the national team, during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at the Amelie Hotel in Ermita, Manila.
Cariño admits that while he is familiar with the killer route, he will not risk going all-out.
“Nadaanan ko na yan at alam ko naman ang ruta pero hindi ka basta-basta aatake (I have been there and know the route but you just don’t attack it),” said Cariño, who is aiming to become the first Filipino pedal-pusher to win back-to-back crowns in the tenth edition of the country’s premier road race.
Galedo, 34, who will race under the Celeste team, one of five local teams entered alongside ten foreign squads, believes that the entire race is not only long and extensive and requires almost perfect planning.
“Hindi ka na lang basta attake. Kalkulado ang bawat galaw. Kaunting mali, pwedeng maiwan ang team (You don’t just attack. You have to be calculated in every move. One small mistake will cost a lot),” he said, adding that he will bank on his experience in aiming for the title.
Gorrantes and Quiñones agree that the initial stage alone—the Tagaytay route that will cover almost 130 kilometers—is pivotal as riders deal with the mountainous terrain of the city before making a journey that will take them to Nasugbu, Lian, Balayan and Lemery.
Donna Lina, chairman of the race, made sure that all bases have been covered not just for the sake of the cyclists but of the general public.
“The safety of everyone is everything,” said Lina, who commended the cities that threw their support to the event.
Stage Three – from Daet to Legaspi covering 183.7 kilometers – will hit the road on Sunday followed by a 176-km scorcher Stage Four that will flag off in Legaspi via Sorsogon and Gubat and back to the Albay capital on Monday.
Stage Five on Tuesday will be 138.20 km from Legaspi via Donsol and back to Legaspi.