Marbel cyclists live Ronda dream, get new bike gear

CAGAYAN DE ORO—John Paolo Ferfas and Ranlean Maglantay lived their dream in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas and got more than what they had bargained for.

The neighbors from poor families in Marbel, South Cotabato, raced in the recent Mindanao leg of the five-stage bikathon and received brand-new gear worth around P400,000 from Tour backers LBC Express, MVP Sports Foundation and LBC Foundation.

“It’s our dream to race in Ronda Pilipinas,” said the 22-year-old Ferfas in Filipino, who represented Mindanao along with the 18-year-old Maglantay.

Both of them came to race with cheap bikes, wore rubber shoes and had just a few pesos in their pockets after traveling from their hometown to the opening stage in Butuan City last week.

Ronda champion Jan Paul Morales and Navy-Standard Insurance grabbed the spotlight and reaped the award but Ferfas and Maglantay won hearts in a race that nobody expected them to figure prominently.

Ferfas used to race back home to help his family earn a living together with Maglantay, who almost didn’t qualify due to technical issues.

It was here that LBC Ronda project director Moe Chulani stepped in.

“He came from South Cotabato to Butuan with a cheap bike and rubber shoes just to compete and live a dream, so we gave him a chance,” said Chulani.