AUSTRALIAN Jai Crawford proved his 33-year-old legs still have all it takes to beat a field of enthusiastic youngsters to rule the eighth edition of the Le Tour de Filipinas that started in Legaspi City and made stops in Sorsogon, Naga City and Daet, before winding up in Lucena City last Tuesday.
Crawford pulled off an amazing chase in the general classification and erased the more than two-minute lead of three-day leader, 22-year-old Daniel Whitehouse, heading into the final Stage Four—a 207-kilometer grind that was the longest in the race organized by Ube Media Inc.—to rule the Category 2.2 International Cycling Union Asia Tour race.
The fourth stage was punishing for the 63 surviving cyclists from a starting field of 73, as the riders pedaled over 170 km of flat and winding roads rendered more difficult by the sun’s heat before making a Category 2 climb on top of Tatlong Eme in Atimonan, Quezon.
But the hill turned out to be a mere mole for Crawford.
“It’s not really a race for me, because there’s no mountaintop finish,” said the former member of the Australian national team. “I normally get a better result in the mountains, but I’m still happy for my team to start the year with a win.”
Crawford, unsuccessful with his Kinan Cycling Team last year, finished fifth in the stage behind South Korean Park Sanghong (LX Cycling Team), but it was enough to win the crown with a 28-second advantage over Whitehouse.
Whitehouse consoled himself with the Best Young Rider award, while Park was named Sprint King and Mario Vogt claimed the Mountain King trophy in the race presented by Air21, and backed by Petron, UPS, Philippine Airlines, Advanced Solutions Inc., Cargohaus Inc., CCN Sports Philippines, IWMI, NMM Customs Broker, Phenom Sportswear, UFL Philippines and WARM.
Mark Galedo of 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines finished 14th overall to emerge as the Best Filipino Rider. Team Ukyo from Japan won the team GC championship.
Completing the general classification were Fernando Grijalba (Kuwait Cartucho.Es, 51 seconds), Benjamin Hill (Attaque Team Gusto, 52 seconds), Ryu Suzuki (Bridgestone Anchor Cycling Team, 55 seconds), Edgar Nohales Nieto (7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines, 1:02), Salvador Guardiola (Team Ukyo, 1:05), 2015 champion Thomas Lebas (Kinan Cycling Team, 1:05), Vogt (Attaque Team Gusto, 1:28) and Nathan Earle (Team Ukyo, 2:32).
Crawford was in the thick of the race in all of the first three stages of the race, which has Petron and UPS as principal sponsors and Philippine Airlines as official airline partner.
It marked another successful year of the Le Tour de Filipinas, the only UCI-sanctioned road race in the country.
“We are very thankful with the support and cooperation, particularly the local government units in the Bicol region and Quezon, who were unrelenting in helping us stage another successful Le Tour de Filipinas,” said Donna May Lina, president of race organizer Ube Media Inc.
“With the warm welcome that we had in all four stages, a return to the Bicol region looks inevitable,” Lin added.
The race drew major support from the national federation of cycling, PhilCycling, which is led by President Abraham Tolentino and Chairman Alberto Lina.
“It was, indeed, Eighth’s Amazing this year,” Lina stressed, referring to this year’s race slogan “Eighth’s Amazing” for its eighth edition, which again drew 15 continental, club and national teams, including the Philippine National Team, Terengganu Cycling Team (Malaysia), Uzbekistan National Team, CCN Cycling Team (Lao PDR), Keyi Look Sport Cycling Team (China), United Arab Emirates National Team, Kuwait Cartucho.ES (Kuwait) and Sapura Cycling Team (Malaysia).
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza