INQUIRER Sports

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur - Sherwin Carrera may have lived up to his name, but Tour leader Santy Barnachea couldn’t be toppled from his perch.

Carrera, a tall and muscular 23-year-old from San Fabian, Pangasinan, zoomed ahead early in the race and went on to claim Stage 5 honors of the 2009 Padyak Pinoy Tour of Champions that started in San Fernando, La Union, and ended here Tuesday.

But Air2100 skipper Barnachea will be wearing the yellow jersey for the fourth straight day today after toughing it out against crack challengers that included his provincemates.

“This is the start of my Calvary,” said the 2006 champion from Asingan who took the overall lead after Stage 2 on Saturday in Apalit, Pampanga.

“Sir Jess (Garcia, former Tour of Luzon champion from Pangasinan) told me my provincemates could help me, but I realize they’re my real enemy.”

Starting at the gravel, one-lane bridge at the La Union-Ilocos Sur border, 37 km into the stage, Barnachea found himself under close watch by his Pangasinense rivals in the main peloton, some 3 km behind Tanduay rider Carerra who paced the four-man breakaway pack.

The pack, which also included Frederick Feliciano of Cargohaus, Stage 2 winner Irish Valenzuela of Columbia Sportswear and Pepito Calosa of U-Freight, checked home in three hours, five minutes and 18.57 seconds.

An eight-man second group that included Burger King skipper Baler Ravina and former champion Arnel Quirimit, the Columbia Sportswear captain, crossed the payoff line 48 seconds later.

Barnachea, who finished with the main group, 1:08 minutes off Carrera, stayed on top of the general classification. He lay 1:33 clear of Feliciano, who jumped from fifth overall to second.

Erstwhile second overall and Stage 3 winner Oscar Rindole of Ube Media slipped to third, 2:00 off Barnachea.

Ravina also fell a notch to fourth (2:17 behind) with American Vinyl skipper Lloyd Lucien Reynante rounding out the top 5 overall (2:44).

The 110-kilometer journey featured nasty road works and rough terrain that caused scores of spills and flat tires.

The 5-foot-11 Carerra—who stayed 25 minutes off Barnachea—rode trouble-free, though, and attributed his second Tour stage win in three years to a recent stint in Malaysia’s Tour of Deladia.

A chase pair of Ravina and American Vinyl’s Cris Joven cut the lead of Carrera’s four-man breakway pack to 1 km as they reached Santiago, Ilocos Sur.

But the main peloton that included Barnachea and the rest of the big guns caught up with Ravina and Joven entering Candon City before the pair could bridge its gap with Carrera’s group.

The group then splintered in Santa, Ilocos Sur, 15 km to the finish, as it negotiated roads pock-marked by diggings.

The riders tackle a flat 160-km Stage 6 today via Laoag City.