Finishing behind Seoul, Excellent Noodles seizes team lead

The Seoul Cycling Team (photo, upper left) in action. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CAPAS, TARLAC—The Seoul Cycling Team came to the MPTC Tour of Luzon with little to no knowledge of what to expect.

But the second South Korean team to compete in the summer cycling spectacle was glad to get something after two stages, winning Thursday’s team time trial that ended at New Clark City here.

“It’s a great honor [to win the team time trial],” said Seoul’s Lee Jung-hoo. “We prepared really hard [for this stage] so this result is great.”

Seoul clocked 56 minutes and 35 seconds to take the highest podium over local teams Excellent Noodles, which was 16 seconds behind and Standard Insurance Philippines, which finished third by almost a minute.

Excellent Noodles, however, is taking solace in moving up to the top of the team general classification standings.

Led by British rider Tyler Hannay, Excellent Noodles posted an accumulated time of 15:31:54, ahead by 36 seconds over Standard Insurance and 44 seconds over erstwhile leader Go for Gold Philippines, after two stages.

But Excellent Noodles believes there’s still plenty to fight for in the next 12 stages as it aims for not only the team title, but the top purse of P2 million.

“The hard stages are not yet done, so a lot of changes can still happen,” team captain Ryan Tugawin said.

It was the only team time trial event of this year’s derby on wheels and it started at Parade Grounds in Clark, Pampanga. Some teams were surprised with the sudden change in their start times, leaving a few to make quick adjustments with ease and others aghast.

Individual leader

The clockings won’t count in the individual general classification tally, thus keeping Ibrahiem Alrefai’s four-second lead intact.

That might change on Labor Day, with the 19-year-old Syrian, his LCW UAE Cycle teammate Nikita Shulchenko and 86 others heading to Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, for the 140.4-kilometer third stage.

Alrefai took the opening lap two days before, during the start of the event at Calatagan, Batangas. He crossed the finish in Tagaytay City, with Sulchenko barely behind in second for a 1-2 finish by the LCW squad.

Among those hoping to catch up are Hannay, who trails by barely two minutes, Filipino riders JJ Lucero and Rench Michael Bondoc and defending champion Joo Dae-yoong of Gapyeong Cycling Team.

Seoul has one rider inside the top 10 in Jung Woo-ho, who is behind Alrafai and two minutes and 20 seconds and three behind Joo, a former Seoul rider before joining Gapyeong.

“We don’t know much about the course, but we have to adjust,” said Lee, adding that Seoul is also trying to deal with the summer heat.