Oranza marked man in LBC Ronda

SORSOGON, Philippines – Ronald Oranza was taking it easy,  enjoying a slow ride under a morning drizzle yesterday near the provincial capitol here.

He tried to recall the long, arduous journey that took him from being a wide-eyed rookie in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas’ inception in 2011 to a champion seven years later.

“We were supposed to train but it rained so I just circled around the hotel to think of where I am now and what I have already achieved,” said the 27-year-old Oranza.

Oranza has come a long way, facing all the challenges until the Standard Insurance-Navy rider emerged champion of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas in 2018.

He doesn’t want his journey to end there.

“I can’t describe my feeling when I finally won it in 2018. It was the best feeling in the world,” said Oranza. “But I was thinking, I’m still young and I think I still have more opportunities to win again.”

The native of Villasis, Pangasinan will come into the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race, which gets going tomorrow, as the favorite. But he insists that the event presented by LBC and sponsored by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation is anybody’s race.

“I’m honored that my peers are looking at me as the favorite. But I think it’s a level playing field considering that almost all the top road racers in the country are joining this year’s Ronda,” said Oranza.

He was referring to former Ronda kings Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance (2016-2017) and Santy Barnachea of Scratch It (2011 and 2015), Mark Galedo of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines (2012) and Reimon Lapaza of Celeste Cycles PH-Devel Project Pro Team (2014).