Clark Freeport, Pampanga – After more than a week of continuous rains and typhoons, the wet roads of Clark dried up and burned rubber as hundreds of executive cyclist from Metro Manila and nearby towns and cities geared up to race and make their teams proud at the third leg of the Pilipinas Cycling League – Immuvit: Race Against Time – Tour of Clark, on September 3-4.
“This is one of the [races that had the] biggest numbers of participants ever organized by PCL (Pilipinas Cycling League) and there’s no other way to go but to be bigger,” says Shintaro Valdes of Len Plus T, Philippines Inc.
Stage one: Fitness First wins the TTT
The first stage was a 47.4-kilometer Team Time Trial and the cycling gods were probably smiling on the riders as sunshine burst on the horizon and heated up the atmosphere. Team Fitness First, known for their time trial expertise, easily won this stage with a time of one hour, six minutes and 54 seconds (1:06:54). Team BVTC JAC Motors came in second at 1:08:17, while Team GIANT-SUUNTO was third with 1:10:33. The Team Time Trial stage was just a warm-up, for the day was to sum up in the early afternoon stage two—the 63-km circuit race.
Stage Two: Mark Cook posts debut win
Before noon, right after wrapping up stage one, a heavy downpour doused the starting-to-heat-up roads of Clark. It was a scary situation because some sections of the route were slippery. The rain, however, helped cool the racers before the race started. As riders filled up the starting line, they thought of how they could cope with the cycling prowess of the two riders of Franzia Wines Cycling Team–Marc Cook of New Zealand and Damian Barett of Ireland, who both flew in from Hongkong.
As expected, right after the neutral lap of the 63-km circuit race, Cook launched a decisive attack, bringing with him Rienzi del Rosario of Team Fitness First and Manuel Delos Reyes of Team Mossimo. The trio broke away and was never seen again by the chasing peloton, building a gap of about two minutes that led them to the “untouchable zone”.
Cook stepped-up the gas pedal as the race neared the finish line. Del Rosario stuck to the wheels of Cook and hung on for dear life as Delos Reyes struggled to keep pace. Luckily for Delos Reyes, the big time gap the trio created earlier was just enough for him to take third place as the peloton nearly caught up with him near the finish line. Cook posted an average speed of 36.93 kph in winning this stage in 1:42:22, while Del Rosario, who stuck to him like a leech, finished second in 1:42:23. Delos Reyes had a time of 1:44:16.
Stage Three: Tailing the ”marked man”
Stage three was a mass start race that featured a neutral lap and four laps—a route with a total distance of 118 kilometers. Even before the race started, excitement and tension gripped the air as the riders saddled up for a fierce battle ahead. As the green light flashed, a few riders darted ahead for an early breakaway. It was futile. The unforgiving headwinds and crosswinds of Clark proved too tough for them. They rejoined the peloton.
The peloton rolled on as one bunch for two laps. Going into the third lap, as the riders passed the Fontana Convention Center, in front of where most of the spectators had gathered to cheer for their teams and favorites, Cook suddenly launched a breakaway bid and sent the rest of the riders scrambling to give chase. Cook certainly was a ”marked man”.
Vecvec Viray of Team BVTC JAC Motors mounted a counterattack and tailed Cook. Other riders followed suit. Cook probably sensed it was not yet time; he rejoined the peloton and engaged the rest of the field in a waiting game.
Going into the last lap, a six-man group made a go for the win. In that group were previous stage winner Ronald Cuevas of LIVEN-PLDT, Jogz Carolino of Team 7-11 and Samuel Alamas of Team Mossimo. At the halfway mark, Cook made his move, with Viray still at his coattails. At about the same time, other riders joined the fray and made a mad scramble to the finish line. Cook failed to nail another win; he landed second only to Manny Reynante of Team Pioneer FilOil. Custer Sadomas of LPGMA placed third.
Here are the final results:
Stage 1 – TEAM TIME TRIAL
| 47.4km Men’s Team Time Trial | ||||||
| Ranks | Division | Team Name | LAP 1 | LAP 2 | FINAL TIME | Speed |
| 1st | Executive | Fitness First Team A | 0:33:18 | 0:33:36 | 1:06:54 | |
| 2nd | Executive | BVTC Jac motors | 0:33:52 | 0:34:25 | 1:08:17 | |
| 3rd | Executive | Giant-Suunto | 0:35:46 | 0:34:27 | 1:10:13 |
| 23.7km Women’s Team Time Trial | ||||||
| Ranks | Division | Team Name | Final time | Speed | ||
| 1st | Female | Boys Get Chicked | 0:36:58 | 38.30 kph | ||
| 2nd | Female | 7-Eleven Women’s Cycling Team | 0:43:05 | 33.05 kph | ||
| 3rd | Female | Franzia Wines Women’s Cycling Team | 0:48:00 | 29.51 kph |
Stage 2 – CIRCUIT RACE
CATEGORY A
| Place | Race No | Name | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 34 | COOK, Mark (A 27-34) | Franzia Wines Cycling Team | 1:42:22 | 1:42:22 |
| 2 | 19 | DEL ROSARIO, Rienzi (A 27-3 | Fitness First Team B | 1:42:23 | +00:01 |
| 3 | 116 | DELOS REYES, Manuel (A 35- | Mossimo | 1:44:16 | +01:54 |
CATEGORY B
| Place | Race No | Name | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 90 | MENDOZA, Allen (B 27-34) | 7lakes | 1:51:45 | 1:51:45 |
| 2 | 44 | JAVIER, Obet (B 27-34) | DMCI Homes-Gerry’s Grill | 1:51:51 | +00:06 |
| 3 | 129 | LEONGSON, Jing (B 35-39) | DMCI Homes-Gerry’s Grill | 1:53:41 | +01:56 |
Stage 3 – Road Race
CATEGORY A
| Place | Race No | Name | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 218 | REYNANTE, Manny (A 40-44) | Pioneer – FilOil | 3:19:07 | 3:19:07 |
| 2 | 34 | COOK, Mark (A 27-34) | Franzia Wines Cycling Team | 3:19:07 | ST |
| 3 | 26 | SADORNAS, Custer (A 27-34) | LPGMA | 3:19:07 | ST |
CATEGORY B
| Place | Race No | Name | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 62 | ENCISO, Allan G (B 27-34) | MileAge Team A | 3:33:08 | 3:33:08 |
| 2 | 90 | MENDOZA, Allen (B 27-34) | 7lakes | 3:33:08 | ST |
| 3 | 152 | AMANTE, Modesto (B 35-39) | 7lakes | 3:33:09 | +00:01 |