ILOILO CITY—Kinetix Lab-Army’s Mark Julius Bordeos led five others in a frantic finish to top the penultimate Stage 13, even as Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance moved a stage away from officially wrapping up his second straight title in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017 at the Iloilo Business Park here yesterday.
Bordeos, 21, out-sprinted Navy’s Ronald Lomotos, Kinetix Lab-Army’s Cris Joven, RC Cola-NCR’s Leonel Dimaano, Mindanao Sultan Kudarat’s Roel Quitoy and another Armyman Lord Anthony del Rosario to secure his very first lap victory in this annual race considered the biggest in the country today.
Lomotos finished second, while Joven was third.
Bordeos, Lomotos and Joven checked in with the same time as Dimaano, Quitoy and del Rosario in five hours, 19 minutes and one second in the 209-km lap that started and ended here, but passed Antique.
“Thankful and happy that I won the stage,” said Bordeos, a native of Laoac, Pangasinan, in Filipino.
The 31-year-old Morales checked in at eighth in the stage in 5:19:10 behind No. 7 Marvin Tapic of Kinetix Lab-Army, who clocked 5:19:03, to further solidify his grip on the solo lead in the overall individual race with an aggregate time of 43:50:45, or a whopping 13.09 minutes lead over teammate Rudy Roque, who has 44:03:54.
Today’s 14th and final stage—a 50-km criterium that will start and end at the Iloilo Business Park for the second straight day—will serve as a victory ride for the Calumpang, Marikina City rider.
After coming into the stage a little unsure, Morales flashed a smile knowing victory is at hand.
“Yes, I think I’m sure now,” said Morales, who will become the first ever back-to-back winner of this race and will join two-time winner Santy Barnachea as the most titled winner here with two crowns apiece.
Barnachea won the inaugural race six years ago and followed it up with a victory four years later.
Morales also said he will dedicate his triumph here to his pregnant wife Leni, six-year-old daughter Janel and two-year-old son Jan Paul, Jr.
“Everything I do is for them. They couldn’t be here because my wife is two months pregnant,” he said.