IN a few days, Navy-Standard Insurance’s Jan Paul Morales could emerge as the very first back-to-back winner of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas.
But first things first, Morales, 31, is focused on hurdling the last three stages of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017, including Thursday’s Stage 12 Individual Time Trial in Guimaras in what he thinks will make or break his bid.
Morales and the rest of his Navy teammates already went to Iloilo as early as last week, or two days after the Calamba-Antipolo Stage 11, the last stage before the race took a weeklong break.
It will resume in Guimaras on Thursday before winding up with 209-km Iloilo-Antique-Iloilo Stage 13 and the 50-km Stage 14 criterium also in Iloilo City.
And perhaps the final two stages will be Morales’ coronation ride if he ends up doing well in Guimaras.
“If I can hold on to the lead after the ITT in Guimaras, I think I’ll win it this year,” said Morales, who won it last year by topping two of the three legs, in Filipino.
After 11 stages, the Calumpang, Marikina City native is ahead of the pack with a total time of 37 hours, 25 minutes and 56 seconds, or about two minutes ahead of fellow Navyman Rudy Roque, who is at No. 2 with an aggregate clocking of 37:28:11.
Roque, 25, for its part, agrees Stage 12 will be critical.
“We’ll see how it will turn out. If it’s for me, it’s for me. If not, I will be happy to finish second behind my teammate,” said Roque, a proud son Tipo, Bataan whose best finish was ninth in the inaugural edition of this race.
Roque made his move by ruling the Calamba-Antipolo Stage 11 Tuesday that saw him closing the gap from a four-minute deficit to just two.
Cris Joven of Kinetix Lab-Army is currently at No. 3 with 37:37:03; Go for Gold’s Bryant Sepnio jumped from No. 6 to No. 4 with 37:41:33; and RC Cola-NCR’s Lionel Dimaano leapt from No. 8 to No. 5 with 37:46:05.
Ilocos Sur’s Ryan Serapio and Navy’s Daniel Ven Carino and skipper Lloyd Lucien Reynante resurfaced in the top 10 at Nos. 6, 7 and 8 with 37:47:16, 37:48:28 and 37:48:43, respectively.
Navy’s Ronald Lomotos and Kinetix Lab-Army’s Reynaldo Navarro completed the top 10 with 37:48:45 and 37:49:49.
Ronda is staking P1 million to the champion courtesy of presentor LBC and in partnership with MVP Sports Foundation, Petron, Mitsubishi, Versa.ph, Partas, Maynilad, Standard Insurance, CCN, Bike Xtreme, NLEX, PhilCycling and 3Q Sports Event Management.