ILOILO CITY—Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance is taking away the excitement in the Visayas leg of the 2016 LBC Ronda Pilipinas.
After a spectacular race in the kick-off stage, the Navymen dominated Stage 2 yesterday with Rudy Roque seizing lap honors and Ronald Oranza keeping the red jersey, Ronda’s symbol of leadership, with ease.
Roque arrived simultaneously with Oranza, who finished second for the day, and third-placer Jan Paul Morales at the end of the sweltering 0.2-kilometer criterium at Megaworld Boulevard here.
The trio raised their arms in unison as they crossed the line in one hour, seven minutes and 26 seconds.
“We worked as a team and got rewarded,” said Oranza, winner of the opening stage held in Bago City, Negros Occidental.
For topping the race, Roque tied Oranza with 28 points but trailed by a split second in the overall standings.
Morales, the Mindanao leg champ, jumped from seventh to third with 16 points, along with Ronald Lomotos of Team LBC/MVP.
Rustom Lim, who lay third at the start of the day, fell to fifth overall with 13 points.
Lomotos and Lim finished with a big wave of riders, almost three minutes behind Roque and company.
ROQUE ROMY HOMILLADA
Joining that group were Julius Mark Bonzo, George Oconer and Jerry Aquino Jr. of Team LBC/MVP along with Navy riders Lloyd Lucien Reynante, El Joshua Cariño and Jhon Mark Camingao.
Roque, Oranza and Morales broke away early and never really gave other challengers a chance with the help of Reynante, Camingao and Cariño, who controlled the pace of the chase pack throughout.
Dennis Nebres, who figured in a crash near the finish in Stage 1, James Paolo Ferfas of Team LBC/MVP, Nelben L. Villafuerte and Yadu Salvacion bombed out of the race, shrinking the field to 30 riders.
Tomorrow’s third stage promises a sprint finish after a mostly flat 122.35-km course from Iloilo to Roxas City while Stage 4 on Thursday is an individual time trial.