SANTY: EAT MY DUST
Barnachea achieves every cyclist’s goal of winning the fabled Tour

For Santy Barnachea winning the recent 2006 Tour Pilipinas-Padyak Pinoy is a dream come true—a feat that earned him a spot on the prestigious list of cycling immortals.
       And he doesn’t mind at all if he won an eight-stage Tour.
       “Hindi ko kasalanan kung maiksi lang ’yung karera at hindi sumali ’yung ibang malalakas na siklista. Basta masaya ako at nag-champion ako, natupad ko ’yung matagal ko nang pangarap,” said Barnachea during yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila.
       “Pero hindi ito dito natatapos. Magpapahinga lang ako ng ilang lingo at sasabak na ulit ako sa ensayo. Plano kong i-develop pa ’yung mga kakulangan ko at mas taasan pa ’yung kakayahan ko. Para sa susunod na taon, pipilitin kong manalo ulit kahit andiyan na ’yung malalakas,” added the 29-year-old pride of Umingan, Pangasinan.
       John Ricafort, who edged out Barnachea as the Tour’s King of the Mountain (KoM), and Philippine National Cycling Association president Paquito Rivas, the former Eagle of the Mountain, also appeared in the weekly session sponsored by Pagcor and Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.
       The three came straight from a courtesy call to Armed Forces Chief of Staff (AFP) Gen. Generoso Senga at Camp Aguinaldo. Ricafort and Barnachea are members of the Philippine Navy, with similar ranks of Seaman Second Class. Senga reportedly promised to take care of their promotions for bringing honor to the AFP.
       The organizing Dynamic Outsource Solutions Inc. did not have the luxury of time to secure sponsorships for a bigger 2006 edition of the Tour, thus reducing the number of stages from the traditional 15, 14 or 12 to only eight this year.
       A cycling group, which calls itself the United Cyclists Association of the Philippines (Ucap), also lured some of the big names into joining its six-day Dream Tour which it scheduled last month but was postponed to a date the Ucap itself could not specify. Ian Brion