Pinoy riders compete in Tour of Singkarak
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 28 May 2010
A crack squad, headed by 2009 Padyak Pinoy champion Joel Calderon and a pair of Philippine Team, mainstays Baler Ravina and Sherwin Carrera, leaves tomorrow for Indonesia to banner the 7-11 Racing Team to the Tour of Singkarak set June 1-6 in West Sumatra.
The team, which also includes 7-11 stalwarts Ericson Obosa and Daniel Asto, according to Roadbike Philippines director Ric Rodriguez, will be targeting at least a top five finish in the tough, prestigious race included in the Union Cycliste Internationale-sanctioned annual calendar of events.
?Ending up fifth overall in the team competition will be quite an accomplishment already owing to the tough 2.2 classification of the race by the UCI,? Rodriguez told his audience during yesterday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.
Rodriguez, who was at the session along with administrative director Gary Advincula, said the UCI rating was brought about by the caliber of participating riders from Europe, particularly cyclists-rich, The Netherlands, the United States Australia, Japan. China. Chinese Taipei, and Southeast Asian Games powerhouse Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
?The Singkarak race, besides providing our national cyclists an avenue to hone up their skills internationally, will also allow them the necessary UCI points to qualify in the 2012 Olympic Games and next year?s world championships,? Rodriguez said.
The Filipinos have been training for more than a month along the tough route in Tagaytay City and Baguio City and will going to West Sumatra prepared to do battle against the best in the world.
?The 7-11 team is complete team with the presence ot two strikers, two mountain climbers and s sprinter,? he said. ?We have been reviewing the tape of the route and I should say that the boys have mastered it.?
Advincula, for his part, said the entire management of 7-11 chain of convenient stores, headed by president and CEO Vic Paterno. is behind the team?s campaign.
Calderon, who while carrying the colors of Smart, finished third in the recent Padyak Pinoy individual competition, boldly predicted he?ll see to it that he finishes no lower than 10th.
A total 26 teams are entered in the six-stage, 700-kilometer trek along the most trying terrain of West Sumatra, which only last year was almost completely devastated by a strong quake, but recovered in that short span of one year to be able to host the tour.
?The race is actually being staged to recover, through cycling,West Sumatra?s tourism industry that was destroyed by the quake,? Rodriguez said.
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