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SANTY
BARNACHEA defends his crown against a formidable field
of 96 riders—including two other former champions—in the
2007 Padyak Pinoy that hits the road for 10 days
beginning next Thursday (May 17).
Sharing
the spotlight is the Renato Dolosa-coached Cossack
Vodka, a squad hardly without a marquee name but one
that rode as a unit in 2006 to emerge overall champion
with plenty to spare.
As team
champion, Cossack Vodka—composed of skipper Renato
Sambrano, assistant skipper Michael Reyes, Roberto
Torres, Nilo Jasul, Rookie of the Year Irish Valenzuela,
Leonel Dimaano, Edgardo Ballezer and Elli Camarino—was
seeded into the 2007 edition.
Barnachea, a veteran of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha,
will have his hands full against Victor Espiritu, the
1996 champion, and Arnel Quirimit, winner in 2003, in
the Padyak Pinoy that is again presented by Tanduay in
cooperation with Wow, the bestselling Magic Sing, and
Air21.
Also
seeded in the 2007 Padyak Pinoy again organized by the
Dynamic Outsource Solutions Inc. (Dos-1) are last year’s
second and third placers—Frederick Feliciano and Ericson
Obosa—and Mountain King John Ricafort. Obosa will also
be defending his Sprint King title.
Lloyd
Reynante, the volatile and vocal son of former champion
Maui Reynante, is also a returnee like Espiritu.
Reynante and Espiritu are also back as members of the
national team under the PhilCycling headed by Bert Lina.
This
year’s Padyak Pinoy—supported by Champion as the
official outfitter, Mail & More, Bacchus as official
energy drink, Cossack Vodka, Vellum, Cargohaus, Cool
Pap, Caltex, U-Freight and SM Supermalls—covers a total
distance of 1,488.9 kmss.
“This
year’s Padyak Pinoy promises to be more exciting and
expect the cyclists to give their all especially in the
Ilocos and Cordillera grinds,” said Dos-1 president Gary
Cayton.
The 2007
Padyak Pinoy is longer by two stages than last year’s
and although there will be no stages south of Metro
Manila, the tour goes further up north in Laoag City,
where an 83-kms team time trial among the 12 squads will
be staged from Vigan on May 21.
The
Baguio-to-Baguio, which cyclists call “Otso” because of
the route that brings the cyclists down from Burnham
Park to Marcos Highway, up Naguillan Road, down Marcos
Highway anew and up Kennon Road back to the Burnham
finish, remains as the signature stage of the Padyak
Pinoy. All of 195 kms the decisive stage is scheduled on
May 25.
But
according to former Eagle of the Mountain Paquito Rivas
of the race management group Philippine National Cycling
Association, the riders will also be pushed to the limit
in Stage 4 on May 20 where they race for 267 kms from
Alaminos in Pangasinan to Vigan.
This
year’s edition will also kick off with a 3.2-km prologue
around the SM Mall of Asia in Parañaque. There will be
one rest day—on May 22—in Laoag City in the Padyak Pinoy
sanctioned by the PhilCycling.
The
stages: Stage 1, May 17, Prologue Mall of Asia, 3.2 kms;
Stage 2, May 18, Quezon City Elliptical Road)-Cabanatuan
City, 190.7 kms; Stage 3, May 19, Cabanatuan City-Alaminos
(Pangasinan), 166 kms; Stage 4, May 20, Alaminos-Vigan,
267 kms; Stage 5, May 21, Vigan-Laoag City (Team Time
Trial), 83 kms; May 22, Rest Day; Stage 6, May 23, Laoag-San
Fernando (La Union), 213 kms; Stage 7, May 24, San
Fernando-Baguio City, 80 kms; Stage 8, May 25,
Baguio-to-Baguio (Burnham-Marcos Highway-Naguillan-Marcos
Highway-Kennon-Burnham), 195 kms; Stage 9, May 26,
Baguio-Clark (Pampanga), 200; and Stage 10, May 27,
Manila Criterium (Roxas Boulevard) 90 kms. |
