GAZALKENT, Uzbekistan—Marc Ryan Lago was a young man possessed as he pedaled against the cold and rain but settled for fifth place in the Men Junior individual time trial, where riders used to freezing weather frolicked in the Asian Cycling Championships for Road on Wednesday.
Lago raced for the first time outside of Philippine soil—and in 11-degree (Centigrade) cold at that—but he overachieved.
The 18-year-old from Taguig City, the reigning Philippine juniors champion, pedaled no slower than 40 kph in the first half of the 30-km ITT and even went faster at 55 kph going back.
He passed five riders sent off ahead of him at one-minute intervals, fanning hopes of a podium finish at the team car which Head Coach Ednalyn Hualda drove herself.
Lago crossed the finish situated in the middle of a long expressway in the outskirts of this quaint and laid back Uzbek city in 41 minutes and 37.45 seconds.
Kazakhstan’s Maxim Popugayev clocked 39:49.40 to win gold in the out-and-back ITT raced on a flat course, followed by Thailand’s Tullatorn Sosalam (40:16.66) and Uzbekistan’s Behzodbek Rakhimbaev (40:18.25) occupied the podium.
“It was so cold, but I tried to ignore it,” said Lago, who was dazed after crossing the finish and had to be carried by Hualda to the team car and get the electrolyte his muscles needed after that unrelenting ride in conditions deplorable for Filipino cyclists.
Despite the fifth-place finish, Lago heaped praises from the race officials that included International Commissaires Tatsuo Hayashi of Japan, Ibrahim Omar of Malaysia and Nuthapong Lohitvany—who at one time or another were the president of the commissaires panel (PCP) of the Le Tour de Filipinas—as well as Australian Greg Griffiths, the championships’ PCP, Jamal Mohamud of Japan, Majid Nasseri Khorram of Iran and Andy Leong of Macau.
Thirteen riders competed in the Men Junior ITT, which was followed by the Under-23 ITT where 2018 Le Tour de Filipinas Best Young Rider Daniel Ven Carino is entered.