LUCENA CITY—Glistening with sweat, Feng Chun-kai showed no trace of fatigue despite a hard day’s climb.
Taiwan’s national road race champion survived the first punishing climb of the 14-leg Ronda Pilipinas 2014 to win Stage 5 Monday that saw Pangasinan pride Santy Barnachea snatch the overall lead from Cris Joven of 7-Eleven Continental Cycling Team.
Feng, who rides for Gusto Continental Team, overcame the dreaded ascent and the tricky downhill ride at Atimonan Zigzag Park with a big group of riders and sprinted home for the spectacular triumph in three hours, 49 minutes and 11 seconds.
Briton Daniel Patten of Road Bike Philippines arrived with the same clocking after the high velocity chase to the line while Ronald Oranza, 2nd runner-up in last year’s Ronda, finished third, five seconds off the lap winner.
“I just followed the strong climbers on the hill and chased the breakaway on the way here,” said Feng, who also won the third stage in San Pablo City.
Barnachea, the resilient leader of Philippine Navy Standard Insurance, reluctantly put on the red jersey during the awarding ceremony after crossing the line 12 seconds after Feng.
“I never thought that I could have the red jersey this early,” said Barnachea, the 2011 Ronda titleholder. “But what can I do? I’ll just wear it and protect the lead.”
Joven, riding in red for three days, failed to keep up with the contenders on the day’s biggest climb some 30 kilometers to the finish and tumbled out of the top 10 overall after he straggled with the peloton, more than 10 minutes behind the stage winner.
The stage, which began and ended in this flourishing capital of Quezon province, covered 151.7 km with two sprints in Unisan and Gumaca towns and a small climb in Pitogo before the toughest challenge in Atimonan.
Final ascent
On the peak of the final ascent, Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven led the charge and spent almost 25 km out in front with Joshua Carino of PLDT Maynilad furiously giving chase.
Galedo, the 2012 champion, was reeled in by the speeding pack of Feng and Patten entering the city’s crowded avenues.
Barnachea vaulted to the top from fifth, five seconds ahead of Galedo, who climbed from eighth to second, and 19 ticks faster than Riemon Lapaza of Cycleline Butuan Mindanao.
Oranza, who began the day 4:38 behind at 10th, was 44 seconds off the pace at fourth while Mark Julius Bordeos of 7-Eleven surged to fifth from out of nowhere, 57 seconds back.
Marcelo Felipe of Road Bike Philippines was 4:01 behind at sixth, Cycleline’s Vicmar Vicente at seventh (4:09), Army’s Reynaldo Navarro eighth (4:34), Navy’s George Oconer ninth (4:40) and Japanese rider Daiki Yasuhara 10th (4:49).
The Ronda, presented by LBC and backed by MVP Sports Foundation, NLEX, Petron, Mitsubishi Motors, PLDT, Maynilad, Versa and Air Asia, takes a break today as the 14-stage, 16-day race heads North to the provinces of Tarlac, Pangasinan and Benguet.
Stage Individual Classification: 1. Feng, Chun-kai (GCT) 3:49:11, 2. Patten, Daniel (RBP) same time, 3. Oranza, Ronald (PMP) 0:05, 4. Oconer, George (PNS) same time, 5. Galedo, Mark (7EL) same time, 6. Bordeos, Mark Julius (7EL) same time, 7. Yin Chih Wang (CCN) same time, 8. Carino, Joshua (PMP) 0:08, 9. Barnachea, Santy (PNS) 0:12, 10. Davadilla, Warren (CAF) 1:49
Overall Individual Classification: 1. Barnachea, Santy (PNS) 17:14:00, 2. Galedo, Mark (7EL) 0:05, 3. Lapaza, Riemon (CBM) 0:19, 4. Oranza, Ronald (PMP) 0:44, 5. Bordeos, Mark Julius (7EL) 0:57, 6. Felipe, Marcelo (RBP) 4:01, 7. Vicente, Vicmar (CBM) 4:09, 8. Navarro, Reynaldo (PAR) 4:34, 9. Oconer, George (PNS) 4:40, 10. Yasuhara, Daiki (MPT) 4:49.