DAET, Camarines Norte—Defending champion Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance and Cris Joven of Kinetix Lab-Army finished first and second in Stage Seven to gain some precious seconds in the overall individual race halfway through the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017.
Morales checked in at first while Joven followed suit as the two outsprinted six others to the finish with the same clockings of six hours, nine minutes and four seconds in the 227-km stage that started at the Camsur Watersports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur, circled to Quirino and Quezon Provinces and ended at the downtown area here.
Go for Gold’s Elmer Navarro wound up third ahead of Ilocos Sur’s Ryan Serapio, Army’s Ronnilan Quita, RC Cola-NCR’s Leonel Dimaano, red LBC jersey wearer Rudy Roque of Navy and Ilocos Sur’s Jemico Brioso.
When the 31-year-old Morales reached the finish before a huge crow, the most thus far in this 14-stage race, was massaging his right leg to prevent cramps.
“I was cramping but I endured it,” said Morales in Filipino.
While Morales battled cramps, Joven, 30, had a scare at the start after complaining of chest pains and dizziness.
“I felt something in my heart and I thought I was losing consciousness. Good things I shouted several times that helped me stay in the race,” said the light-headed Joven, who went straight to the race doctors to check his condition.
With half of the stages completed, Morales has moved from fourth third with an aggregate time of 24:24:42 while Joven leapt from No. 5 to No. 4 with a total clocking of 24:25:07.
Roque kept his grip of the lead with a time of 24:21:52, a little less than two and half minutes ahead of closest pursuer and Navy teammate Ronald Lomotos, who has a clocking of 24:24:13.
Lomotos , who was stuck in the peloton, is now just 29 seconds ahead of Morales and less than a minute atop Joven and could face the possibility of losing it when the race resumes today with 183-km Daet-Unisan Stage Eight.
“It’s another long race, we’ll see,” said Morales.
“I hope to gain some more seconds and close in on them,” said Joven, who is from Iriga, Camarines Sur, referring to Roque, Lomotos and Morales.
Navyman Daniel Ven Carino fizzled out in the ascent in Ragay, Camarines Sur and also got stranded in the peloton that saw him sliding from No. 3 to No. 10 with 24:33:17.
Go for Gold, a team skippered by Ronnel Hualda and coached by his wife Eds, made their presence felt as four of its riders are now in the top 10—Elmer Navarro at No. 5, Ismael Gropse, Jr. at No. 7, Jonel Carcueva at No. 8 and Bryant Sepnio at No. 9 with 24:26:58, 24:29:03, 24:29:41 and 24:31:29, respectively.
Rounding up the top 10 was Dimaano at No. 6 with 24:27:05.