PHILIPPINE Navy-Standard Insurance rider George Oconer is on course for the overall title having secured an insurmountable lead with two stages left in the 2020 edition of Ronda Pilipinas.
Oconer was part of the top 10 during the Baguio leg Monday afternoon, March 2, at the Burnham Park Lake Drive were Go 4 Gold's Daniel Ven Cariño topped the grueling Palayan City, Nueva Ecija to Baguio City stage with a time of four hours, 30 minutes and 04 seconds.
Marvin Tapic's Bicycology Army came in second, while Jonel Carcueva, another Go 4 Gold rider finished third.
Oconer, together with teammates Junrey Navarra, Ronald Oranza, Ronald Lomotos, John Mark Camingao, and eventual King of the Mountain winner El Joshua Cariño, was among the top 10 finishers in the eighth stage of the race.
"Expect nila mag tratrabaho kami sa patag kaya iniba namin yung strategy. Trinabaho namin ng trinabaho. At least, na execute namin yung plano namin," said Oconer. "Laking pasalamat na rin kung makuha ko yung overall."
Standard Insurance-Navy is also expected to take the overall team classification after all of its six members made it to the top 10.
The 2020 edition of Ronda is an all-Filipino tournament with 11 teams, unlike last year when Spanish Francisco Mancebo of Matrix Powertag won the event.
In a statement, head organizer Moe Chulani said this year's edition of the cycling race is an extension of their support for PhilCycling, the country's cycling federation, in its Olympic quest following its holding of a five-stage UCI-sanctioned race last year.
The winner will get P1 million in the event backed by the Manny V. Pangilinan Foundation.
The ninth stage kicks off today, March 3, in Pugo, La Union, as they head to Vigan City in Ilocos Sur before the final Vigan to Vigan Criterium on March 4.