Navy’s Lomotos takes spotlight in Stage 1 of Ronda Pilipinas

First stage career win for Navy-Standard Insurance’s Ronald Lomotos. June Navarro/INQUIRER

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur—Ronald Lomotos got his first career stage victory in the opening stage of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017 on Saturday.

Riding for defending champion Navy-Standard Insurance, Lomotos crossed the line in the company of teammates Rudy Roque and Archie Cardana after the 158-kilometer race that started and ended at the provincial capitol here.

The trio registered identical clockings of three hours, 51 minutes and 47 seconds, 1:47ahead of fourth placer Ismael Grospe Jr. of Go For Gold and 3:05 faster than Richard Nebres of RC Cola/NCR.

Navy’s Jay Lampawog arrived sixth, Bike Extreme’s Jaybop Pagnanawon seventh and Go For Gold’s Jonel Carcueva eighth, all of them 3:13 clear of the lap winner.

Jan Paul Morales, a heavy favorite from Navy to win the P1-million general classification champion’s purse, finished 22nd out of 96 riders from 12 teams, more than five minutes behind.

“They were guarding him (Morales) throughout the race. I took the stage when I saw the opportunity,” said the 22-year-old Lomotos, a national team mainstay from San Felipe, Zambales.

Sunday’s second stage of the 14-leg Ronda will be a 50km criterium race around the city, including a challenging one-kilometer stretch on the cobblestone pathway of Calle Crisologo, a Unesco world heritage site.