Ronald Oranza of the Team Philippine Navy Standard Insurance pedals during the criterium race Stage 12 of Ronda Pilipinas in Filinvest, Alabang, March 18, 2018. (MB photo | Camille Ante)
By Jerome Lagunzad
From a notable absentee to the current toast of Philippine cycling.
Navy-Standard Insurance rider Ronald Oranza fulfilled his much-awaited date with destiny Sunday as he turned the 50-kilometer Stage 12 criterium race into a fitting victory ride for his breakthrough title in the 2018 Ronda Pilipinas presented by LBC.
Oranza, 25, once again spearheaded the pack which traversed the well-paved roads around Filinvest, Alabang then engaged dethroned back-to-back champion and fellow Navyman Jan Paul Morales in a mad dash to the finish much to the delight of the sizeable crowd that included their chief benefactor Judes Echauz.
Oranza checked in half-a-bike length behind Morales, who claimed his third stage victory in one hour, 28 minutes and 15 seconds. But the Villasis, Pangasinan pride has already clinched the coveted crown with a total clocking of 34:11:23, more than 11 minutes ahead of his Calumpang, Marikina City counterpart.
“Wala akong maisip ngayon kasi sobrang saya ko,” said Oranza as he basked in the glow of his successful return to the country’s biggest cycling race after skipping last year’s edition to serve his duties to the national team.
Behind a sustained superb performance that saw him claim three lap victories in the first eight stages this year, Oranza also put himself in the elite company of Ronda champions like Mark Galedo, Reimon Lapaza, Irish Valenzuela and former two-time winner Santy Barnachea.
“Expect ko naman na kaya kong mag-champion ngayong taon. Nag-peak rin kami (Navymen) sa karera ngayon,” said Oranza, who seized the coveted LBC Red Jersey from Morales by dominating the Stage 2 trek from Vigan City, Ilocos Sur up north to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte then kept his foot on the pedal from then on.
Even his fellow Navymen proved up to task as they ruled 10 of the 12 stages on tap, including the team time trial in Stage 8. Promising El Joshua Cariño ruled Stage 5 while Junrey Navara, the third overall finisher, showcased his climbing prowess by topping Stages 10 and 11 in Calaca, Batangas.
And up until the very end, the Navymen hardly showed any signs of slowing down. “Kailangan namin magpakitang gilas dahil andyan ‘yung boss namin, si Sir Judes,” said Morales, who crowned himself as the Sprint King.
The diminutive Navara, 26, as expected, claimed the King of the Mountain title while Go for Gold Developmental Team’s Jay Lampawog, only 20 and seen by many as a future Ronda champion, emerged as the best young rider under 23 years old.
Rounding up the Top 10 finishers were Go for Gold Elite Team skipper George Oconer (fourth spot, 34:38:15), Navy’s Jhon Mark Camingao (fifth, 34:39:30), Army-Bicycology Shop’s Cris Joven (sixth, 34:41:21), Go for Gold Elite’s Boots Ryan Cayubit (seventh, 34:43:50), Cariño (eighth, 34:45:32), Lampawog (ninth, 34:48:03), and Navy’s Rudy Roque (10th, 34:49:52).
Army-Bicycology Shop, supported by former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain, settled for a bridesmaid finish in the team rankings with an aggregate time of 136:56:19 while Go for Gold Developmental Team finished third with 136:59:26 clocking.
Supporting the annual cycling race are MVP Sports Foundation, Filinvest, Philippine Rabbit, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Sports, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.