DEFENDING champion Jan Paul Morales will be the rider to watch and Philippine Navy Standard Insurance the team to contend when the Ronda Pilipinas 2018 presented by LBC unfolds from March 3 to 18 starting from Vigan City and ending at Filinvest, Alabang.
Morales, 32, is looking at defending the crown he won by reigning supreme in the 14-stage race last year ahead of fellow Navyman Rudy Roque and Cris Joven of Philippine Army and should be the heavy favorite to repeat in the eighth edition of this annual race considered the biggest in the country.
The Calumpang, Marikina-based Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, who also won it two years back, is also seeking to become the most titled rider in the Ronda Pilipinas history as he guns for a third championship, putting him ahead of two-time winner Santy Barnachea, who won the inaugural stage and in 2015.
Other past Ronda champions were Irish Valenzuela (2012), Mark Galedo (2013) and Reimon Lapaza (2014) in this race presented by LBC and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Cycling, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.
“I hope to win it again this year,” said Morales in Filipino.
While it lost racing team captain Lloyd Lucien Reynante and Daniel Ven Carino, Navy has tapped many-time Ronda King of the Mountain winner Junrey Navarro while re-injecting Ronald Oranza to the team after missing last year’s race to beef up an already loaded line up.
Other members of Navy are Roque, El Joshua Carino, Jhon Mark Camingao, Ronald Lomotos and Archie Cardana.
Morales, however, knows he faces a tougher challenge this year against a field that included Barnachea, who will represent Team Francia, Joven, Valenzuela and Marlboro Tour champion Warren Davadilla of CCN Super team, Go for Gold’s George Oconer and Jaybop Pagnanawon of Team Bike Xtreme.
A whopping P1 million will be staked in this 12-stage race that will open with the 40-kilometer Vigan criterium One on March 3 and the 155.4km Vigan-Pagudpud Stage Two the next day.
The other stages are the 223.5km Pagudpud-Tuguegarao Stage Three on March 5, 135.2km Tuguegarao-Isabela Stage Four on March 6, 179.4km Isabela-Nueva Ecija Stage Five on March 8, 111.8km Nueva Ecija-Tarlac Stage Six on March 9, 31.5km Individual Time Trial Stage Seven and 42.14km Team Time Trial Stage Eight both in Tarlac on March 10 and 11.
Winding up the race are the 207.2km Silang-Batangas-Tagaytay Stage Nine on March 15, 147.8km Tagaytay-Calaca Stage 10 on March 16, 92.72km Calaca-Calaca Stage 11 on March 17 and the 50km Filinvest Alabang criterium Stage 12 on March 18.
Other teams joining are Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Sur, Go for Gold Developmental team, South Luzon and Tarlac Province.