Friday, August 13, 2004 Navy rider wins By Jade S. Violeta Sun.Star Staff Reporter
BOGO, Cebu– The veteran riders recovered from the initial shock brought about by rookie Renato Sembrano’s Prologue victory as they dominated yesterday’s Stage 1 of the Tour de Cebu.
Bacolod City’s Reinhard Gorrantes, a member of the Philippine Navy team, snatched the yellow jersey from the hands of Pangasinan’s Sembrano after he crossed the finish line first in the 101.7-kilometer, Cebu City to Bogo stage.
Gorrantes, who rode for the Metro Drug team in the 2004 Air21 Tour Pilipinas, zoomed ahead of his rivals for good with just under 10 kilometers before reaching the finish line at Rizal Park here to ink the stage’s best time of two hours, seven minutes and 54.27 seconds.
Gorrantes’ victory also placed him atop the overall standings with a total time of 2:10:41.67. He will wear the yellow jersey going into today’s 86.9km Bogo-Toledo City Stage 2.
Cebu City’s Albert Basergo broke away from the pack in Lugo, Borbon, which is about 25 kilometers away from Bogo.
But Gorrantes, along with Cebuano riders Niño Surban and Jovannie Delica and Eusebio Quiñones, caught up with Basergo. The group eventually took the lead 15 kilometers from the finish line before Gorrantes’ mighty surge in the last few kilometers.
Talisay City, Cebu’s Delica took the second place with a time of 2:08:22.46, followed by Gorrantes’ Navy teammate, John Ricafort, with a clocking of 2:08:37.46.
Quiñones settled for the fourth spot with a time of 2:08:47.46, while Surban and Bacolod City’s McQuinn Aleonar placed fifth and sixth also at 2:08:47.46.
Ricafort grabbed second place in the overall standings over Delica because of his better time in the Prologue. Ricafort has a two-stage total of 2:11.20.41.
Today’s southwest-bound Stage 2, which will pass through the towns of San Remegio, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Asturias, Balamban and Toledo, is a more difficult route due to rough roads.
(August 13, 2004 issue) Write letter to the editor.Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
