PHILIPPINE Navy-Standard Insurance aims to defend the home turf as it battles against strong foreign squads in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2019 slated on Feb. 8 to 12 in Iloilo, Guimaras, Roxas City, and Antique.
The Navymen earned the chance to represent the country after dominating the past few editions of this annual race, and help the country captured the needed Olympic qualifying points for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Bannering the squad were reigning Ronda king Ronald Oranza, John Paul Morales, and
Junrey Navarra, Ronald Lomotos, Rudy Roque and El Joshua Carino â all of whom are consistent top 10 finishers in past editions of the event.
âThis is our chance to show we can also compete against strong international teams,â Navy skipper Morales said.
âIn the past, we race to win for our Navy team and ourselves. This year, it will be for the country,â added Oranza, who defeated Morales last year to claim his very first Ronda crown.
Ronda Pilipinas has drawn participation from 15 teams â including seven local squads namely Army Bicycology, Go for Gold, 7-Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Phls, Team Franzia, Team Tarlac and Bike Xtreme.
The international teams are: Matrix Powertag Japan, Nex Cycling, Korail Team Korea, PGN Road Cycling Team, Sri Lanka Navy Cycle Team, Customs Cycling Indonesia, Terengganu Cycling Team and Cambodia Cycling Team.
The race, which is sanctioned by the world governing Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), opens with the 197.6-kilometer Iloilo-Iloilo Stage One on Feb. 8 and will proceed with the 101.8-km Guimaras-Guimaras Stage Two the next day.
The cavalcade will then go back to Iloilo for the 179.4-km Iloilo-Roxas City Stage Three on Feb. 10 followed by the 146.9-km Roxas-Roxas Stage Four on Feb. 11. It will conclude with the 148.9-km Roxas-Antique Stage Five on Feb. 12./PN
