170 riders to dispute 30 Ronda slots

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 170 of the participating 200 cyclists eye the remaining 30 slots to the main race of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2018 as they compete in the second last qualifying race slated on Saturday in Danao City, Cebu.

The top 38 riders of this one-day race, which will stake P30,000 to the champion, P20,000 to the runner-up and P10,000 for the third placer, will join 20 seeded riders and 38 more who made it through the first qualifier in Tarlac City last month.

The 96 qualified riders will then battle for the whopping P1 million top purse and the honor of being called LBC Ronda Pilipinas champion in the much-awaited 11-stage main race scheduled in March next year.

“Just like the first qualifying race in Tarlac, we expect another exciting race in Danao as we’re hopeful to discover many more new faces and perhaps a young champion,” said LBC Ronda Pilipinas project director Moe Chulani.

Navy-Standard Insurance’s Jan Paul Morales, the reigning champion, is also competing as part of his preparation for a successful title defense.