Barnachea grabs lead

PAGADIAN City—Former Tour champion Joel Calderon dominated the first hilltop finish of the 2013 Ronda Pilipinas yesterday, triggering a major shakeup that saw 2011 champion Santy Barnachea grabbing the overall lead after Stage 2 of the country’s premiere race.

The 31-year-old rider from Guimba, Nueva Ecija, exploded with a burst of energy in the final 300 meters of the super-steep final stretch and checked home in three hours, 27 minutes and 53 seconds at the end of the 139.5-kilometer ride from Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Ronald Gorantes, silver medalist in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games road race, arrived four seconds behind the lap winner while LPGMA-American Vinyl skipper Irish Valenzuela followed six seconds later.

Barnachea, who started the day third overall, grabbed the red jersey, the bikathon’s symbol of leadership, from first-lap winner Ericson Obosa after finishing 21 seconds behind Calderon.

Tomas Martinez of Tarlac climbed from eighth to second place, 2 minutes behind Barnachea, who had a total time of six hours 35 minutes and 18 seconds.

Gorantes moved up to third from 22nd (3:00 behind), Valenzuela took fourth from 23rd (3:01), Calderon climbed to fifth from 50th (3:09), George Oconer of Philippine Navy was sixth from 30th (3:16) and Marcelo Felipe of Smart was seventh from 26th (3:19).

“It wasn’t part of the plan,” said Barnachea, co-leader of Philippine Navy along with Lloyd Reynante, last year’s third placer. “The pressure will be on me tomorrow (today) but it’s still a long way (to go).”

Reynaldo Navarro of Team Hundred Islands vaulted from 13th to seventh, 3:38 off Barnachea while Reynante, who sputtered during the final ascent, still improved to ninth from 47th, 3:39 back. Cris Joven of LPGMA-American Vinyl plunged to 10th from second overall.

“When it comes to steep courses like this, I know I have an advantage,” said Calderon, the Smart/V-Mobile team captain who won the Tour in 2009 and placed seventh last year.

Defending champion Mark Galedo of Road Bike Philippines placed 11th in the stage, 1:50 behind Calderon, and improved to 16th overall from 40th, 5:09 off Barnachea.

Obosa of Road Bike finished 63rd in the stage, 9:28 off Joven, and skidded to 39th overall.

Sprinters Michael Ochoa of Metro Manila and John Rey Gabay of Ilocos Sur figured in a crash in Imelda town, some 53 km to this fishing port. The two sustained minor bruises and failed to finish, shrinking the peloton to 93.

Calderon and fellow skippers Reynaldo Navarro of Team Hundred Islands and March Aleonar of Team Mindanao led a 13-man breakaway near the provincial border in Zamboanga Sibugay. Then Reynante, Valenzuela, Gorantes caught up with the lead pack.

Today’s stage 3 to Iligan City (137.8 km) features an early low-grade climb right before hitting the flat seaside towns of Lanao Del Norte.