Morales, Prado share elite race honors

MANILA, Philippines — Jan Paul Morales won a sprint finish against Ronald Oranza and Jermyn Prado won pulling away to rule the Philippine National Cycling Championships for Road over a technical and treacherous route yesterday in Subic and Bataan.

A total of 96 riders vied in the men’s elite race of the PhilCycling but it was Morales, a many-time national team member who emerged as one of the biggest winners of the event that awarded the coveted national champions’ jerseys.

“I really went for the win but I had to work hard for this one,” said Morales moments after his victory that earned him not only P50,000 in cash from organizer Pru Life UK but also an all-expense paid trip to the Prudential Ride London in July.

Morales clocked three hours, 42 minutes, 55 seconds – same time as Oranza – over the 137-km course that included a tough climb to the Dambana ng Mga Bayani at Mt. Samat in Mariveles, Bataan.

Felipe Marcelo and Jonel Carcueva figured in a race incident close to the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center finish and shared third place in one of the races that highlighted the PRUride PH 2018.

Oranza received P25,000 while Marcelo and Carcueva shared the third and fourth place prizes of P15,000 and P12,500, respectively.

Also earning tickets to London and P50,000 each were Prado and men U-23 winner Ismael Gorospe.

Prado clocked 3:26:00 to win the gold in the 96.55-km women elite race, beating Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ting Ting by more than two minutes and Arianne Dormitorio by over five minutes.

Two-time Asean mountain bike champion Dormitorio was almost successful in her first foray with the road discipline but crashed against the strong cross winds inside Subic.

Gorospe won the men U-23 jewel in 3:45:40 over the same course at the elite race. Danielver Carinon and Ronilla Quita completed the podium.