ANTIPOLO CITY—Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance promised a victory. He delivered one.
Showing the same form that won him the first two stages, Morales repelled serious challenges put up by his closest LBC-MVP Sports Foundation rivals and claimed Stage Three victory as promised to close in on the title in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016’s Luzon Leg at the Hinulugang Taktak here yesterday.
The 30-year-old Morales clocked an hour, eight minutes and 25.81 seconds, completing a race hat-trick after he also topped the opening stage in Paseo de Sta. Rosa in Laguna Sunday and the Talisay-Tagaytay Stage Three individual time trial Monday.
“I was confident going to Stage Three because I’m really in my best form this year,” said Morales, who hails from Calumpang, Marikina.
LBC-MVPSF’s George Oconer put up another strong challenge and gave it all to snatch Stage Three out of Morales’ grasp. But he faded in the final stretch and settled for second in the stage with a clocking of 1:08:32.95.
Another Navy bet, John Mark Camingao, edged LBC-MVPSF’s Rustom Lim for third place after the former timed in 1:08:37.99 against the latter’s 1:08:38.04.
The stage triumph gave Morales another 15 points, hiking his total to 45 general classification points or a massive 14-point lead over Oconer, who climbed from No. 3 to No. 2 with 31 points.
Lim slid to No. 3 from No. 2 with 29.
Morales added that only a series of unfortunate events could stop him from claiming his second leg championship.
“All I need is to finish the race. I would be unlucky If I don’t,” said Morales.
Several new unfamiliar faced barged into the stage top 10 usually clogged by Navy and LBC-MVPSF riders—LBC-MVPSF’s Arnold Marco and Ronnilan Quita, Team ASG’s Richard Nebres, and Ronnel Hualda of Team Light Science-AV.
Marco finished fifth in 1:08:51.23 while Quita, the second placer in Stage Four of the Visayas Leg last month, checked in at No. 6 in 1:08:51.35 even though he was with the the three-man lead pack in the final three laps before fading back.
Hualda cracked the top 10 in the stage for the first time and wound up at No. 9 in 1:11:07.97.
Other notable cyclists who made it the stage top 10 were Navy’s Joel Calderon at No. 8 in 1:08:56.08 and LBC-MVPSF’s Julius Mark Bonzo at No. 10 in 1:11:09.23.
But the day belonged to Morales, who will need to just stick to his closest foes to secure his second leg victory since topping the Mindanao Leg two months ago.
The race resumes tomorrow with the 94.41-kilometer Stage Four starting in Dagupan, Pangasinan and ending in Baguio City—a back-breaking route that will see all participants pass through the dreaded Kennon Road.
Quita, a native of San, Jose Tarlac—who made his mark by finishing second behind the veteran Calderon in Stage Four of the Visayas Leg in Roxas City last month—continued to impress and moved from No. 10 to No. 8 overall with 12 points.
At Nos. 4 to 7 were Navy’s John Mark Camingao (25 points), LBC-MVPSF’s Ronald Lomotos (16), Calderon (15) and Navy’s Rudy Roque (13).
Rounding up the top 10 were Navy’s El Joshua Carino (10) and LBC-MVPSF’s Arnold Marco (9).
Ronal Oranza, the Visayas champion, did not finish after he crashed early in the race that saw his rear wheel broken.
The Villasis, Pangasinan native mercifully suffered just minor scratches but his stock continued to fall as he was now at No. 16 with just five points to show.
Nebres and Hualda, for their part, moved up to Nos. 13 and 14 with seven and five points, respectively.
Some unheralded riders are starting to knock at the top 10’s door among them LBC-MVPSF’s James Paolo Ferfas (17th), Team Zambales’ Gerald Valdez (18th) or son of former cycling great Placido Valdez and Neo Team’s Oscar Miguel Magpalo (20th).
The fifth and final stage, another criterium, is also set in Baguio Saturday.
The event, organized by LBC Express, is sanctioned by PhilCycling and sponsored by Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, Petron and Versa Radio-Tech 1 Corp. with Maynilad and NLEX as minor sponsors.