RP 3rd place in Speedy Tour d'Indonesia
MANILA,
Nov. 28 (PNA) -- Irish Valenzuela showcased his versatile skills to
keep Jazy Sports Beacon Philippines in the thick of the fight of the
Speedy Tour d' Indonesia following the lung-busting 221-kilometer
fourth leg from Purwokerto to Semarang Central Java last Wednesday.
In
the longest stage of the bikathon that saw many riders crash out
because of the slippery road conditions triggered by heavy rains,
Valenzuela copped the second intermediate sprint and King of the
Mountain (KoM) honors in the leg captured by Japanese national rider
Mazakazo Ito.
Ito
soloed home in five hours, 30 minutes and 34 seconds, four seconds
ahead of the main pack that also included Valenzuela and teammates,
Arnulfo Quirimit, Merculio Ramos, Ericsson Obosa and Sherwin Carrera,
all of them checking in at 5:30.38.
But
Iranian Jahanbanian, carrying the colors of Tabriz Petrochemical,
retained the yellow jersey and was nursing a 22-second lead over Ito
and compatriot Amir Zargari.
The
Iranians also managed to keep top spot in the team competitions with an
aggregate time of 46:24.37, followed by CCC of Indonesia (46:28.31),
while the Filipinos remained in third place (46.31.35).
Ramos,
the only Filipino rider to wear the coveted yellow jersey in the famed
Tour of Langkawi of Malaysia, was the best local bet at 11th spot and
Valenzuela, thanks to a 6-second bonus for his KoM plum, moved up to
No. 13 overall, as Quirimit slid to 19th place.
While
the Filipinos escaped virtually unscathed, the other squads suffered
heavy casualties because of the grinding and trying course, including
the Japanese, who were reduced to three riders, and the original field
of 85 cut down to 72.
And
it would not be surprising if more were to drop out after the fifth leg
featuring the steepest terrain along a 146-kilometer course from
Semarang to the heritage-rich city of Yogyakarta. (PNA)
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