RACING on a borrowed bike, veteran rider Mark Galedo made a triumphant return to the competitive scene, capturing the gold medal in the Men’s Road Race 40-44 category at the ACC Asian Road Cycling Championships in Thailand.
The former Philippine Tour champion and SEA Games’ gold medalist edged out Thailand’s Jeeradechatam and Keawjun in a thrilling sprint finish of the 64.2-kilometer race to hand the Philippines a podium finish in the tournament.
Fellow Filipino rider Ronnel Hualda narrowly missed the podium, finishing in fourth place.
“Preparation was lacking, but experience and strategy led to victory,” Galedo shared in an interview with RP2 Sports. “I knew I had to create a breakaway and let my opponents take the bait. When the opportunity came, I took it.”
Having retired from the national and continental team 7-Eleven RBP last year, Galedo marked his debut in the Masters’ category with a stellar performance.
Aside from his road race victory, he also bagged silver in the Individual Time Trial (ITT) last weekend, nearly sweeping the honors in the 40-44 age bracket.
The success didn’t stop with Galedo as fellow Filipino Masters’ riders also delivered impressive performances in other categories.
Roderic Calla secured silver in the 45-49 category, while Romeo Camingao clinched bronze in the 50-54 category.
Alex Billan narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in the 55-59 division.
In the Men’s Elite division, PH junior rider Kent Zambrano emerged as the top Filipino finisher, placing 9th in the Men’s Junior Road Race. Zambrano stayed with the chasing peloton, finishing 46 seconds behind the podium winners after the 117.7-kilometer battle.
Other Filipino juniors also excelled on the road as Marvin Mandac of Laguna placed 32nd, keeping pace with the main group, while Roy Benedict Plastina of Makati finished 41st, trailing the medalists from Hong Kong, Iran, and Thailand by 57 seconds.
Galedo also expressed gratitude to Jude Francisco, who lent him his bike, saying, “I got goosebumps hearing the national anthem. Thank you, Lord, not just for my win, but also for my teammates making the podium.”