Jay Lampawog looms as Ronda ’19 title contender

SILANG, Cavite – Go for Gold Developmental team ‘s Jay Lampawog, who has swept into the top five in the company of veterans and former champs, has given polite notice of  his potentials as next year’s Ronda Pilipinas overall champion.

After eight stages, the 20-year-old Lampawog is currently at third place in the overall individual race behind red LBC leader’s jersey wearer Ronald Oranza of Navy-Standard Insurance and teammate Jan Paul Morales, the reigning back-to-back champion.

Lampawog has even outperformed some of the big guns like former champions Santy Barnachea of Team Franzia and Irish Valenzuela of CCN Superteam, last year’s second placer Rudy Roque of Navy, perennial contender Cris Joven of Army-Bicycology and national team mainstay George Oconer of Go for Gold’s first team.

A Villasis, Pangasinan native like Oranza, Lampawog is a clear favorite to win the MVP Sports Foundation Best Young Rider trophy in this race presented by LBC and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, Filinvest, Philippine Rabbit, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Sports, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.

And Go for Gold Developmental team coach Eds Hualda is impressed.

“We at Go for Gold knew he’s very talented and we are not surprised that he is doing good in this race,” said Hualda of Lampawog.

Spearheaded by Lampawog, the Go for Gold Developmental team is also running second in the team race behind powerhouse Navy and ahead of a veteran-laden Army-Bicycology squad.

Lampawog said he needs to finish strong in the last four stages.

“It will be a test for me personally because the last four laps are among the toughest here in Ronda Pilipinas so it will help my confidence if I do good there,” said Lampawog, whose last stage triumph came in Stage Eight of last year’s edition in Unisan, Quezon.

The last four laps, featuring steep mountain passes, are the punishing 207.2 km Silang-Batangas-Tagaytay Stage Nine on Thursday, the 147.8 km Tagaytay-Calaca Stage 10 on Friday and the 92.72 km Calaca-Calaca Stage 11 Saturday. Ronda will wind up with the 50 km Filinvest Alabang criterium Stage 12 on Sunday.