BACOLOD CITY—Overall leader Ryan Cayubit of 7-Eleven/Road Bike Philippines steered clear of the mayhem in the final two kilometers to rule the Visayas qualifying leg of the 2015 Ronda Pilipinas presented by LBC.
Marking his chief rivals, the 23-year-old climber from Caloocan City floated with the peloton throughout the largely flat 123.2-kilometer stage and finished fifth in a mad dash to the finish line.
Second-generation rider Mark Julius Bonzo topped the stage that started and ended in this City.
Bonzo, son of the late 1983 Marlboro Tour champion Romeo Bonzo, clocked 3 hours, 7 minutes and 17 seconds, the same time credited to runner-up Dominic Perez and third-placer Kenneth Solis.
“We controlled the race by defending the red jersey against those who tried to launch an attack,” said Cayubit, a prized discovery of cycling patron Bong Sual.
A late crash involving six riders—Baler Ravina, Randy Olog, Jose Renato Fuentes Jr., Aaron Paul Quintia, Elmer Navarro and Avegail Rombaon—slowed down the peloton near the finish.
Marcelo Felipe, Cayubit’s teammate, placed second overall, 3:06 behind, with Rey Nelson Martin of Nueva Ecija third, 5:34 back.
Felipe was crowned king of the mountain while Cayubit, who pocketed P50,000 for the overall GC plum, bagged the sprints. Solis, a promising climber from Batangas, won the best young rider accolade.
Ronda organizers decided to include the top 43 finishers—40 elite riders and three juniors—to the championship stage on Feb. 22 to 28.
Rounding out the overall Top 10: Irish Valenzuela (6:22 behind), Ravina (6:26), Cris Joven (8:02), Leonel Dimaano (same time), Junrey Navarra (9:53), Reimon Lapaza (13:34), Alvin Benosa (17:37).