Morales seeks repeat Ronda win

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

After his victory ride in Mindanao, Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance will be aiming to pull off a repeat act in the Visayas.

The LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 Visayas leg unfolds Friday in Bago City, Negros Occidental, kicking off with a criterium, followed by a similar out-and-back race in Iloilo on Sunday.

George Oconer, unable to ride in the Mindanao leg, will challenge Morales and Navy riders Lloyd Lucien Reynante and Ronald Oranza.

Oconer’s teammates at LBC-MVP Sports Foundation—Rustom Lim, Ronald Lomotos, Mark Julius Bonzo and Jerry Aquino Jr.—pose a threat to the Navymen, who ruled almost every category in the Mindanao edition.

Morales, a track specialist, won the overall title and the sprints while Reynante, Navy’s skipper, was crowned king of the mountain. With seven Navy riders in the top 10, they earned the team overall crown.

“We’ll try to get the GC (general classification) again,” said Morales, who captured a multi-stage race title for the first time in a 12-year career. “My teammates and I will support each other whoever rides in yellow (jersey).”

Stage 3 is a massed start road race from Iloilo City to Roxas City.