VSPC riders raring to reach new heights

MANILA, Philippines — The souped-up Victoria Sports Pro Cycling (VSPC) unveiled its new team that is raring to fly the flag high in a slew of international races, starting with the Tour de Taiwan next week.

Paced by team leader Carlos Francisco Ochoa, VSPC is keen on surpassing the heights of its debut year marked by gallant finishes in various tours abroad.

The revamped VSPC team is made up of Filipino, European and Latin cyclists with distinguished Spanish cyclist Hector Carretero, a former Movistar Team standout and member of Spain’s UCI pro team Equipo Kern Pharma, leading the way as new sports director.

Former Le Tour de Filipinas champion El Joshua Cariño is one of the assistant sports directors for VSPC, which has also enlisted seasoned rider Marcelo Felipe with young guns Alexis Pagara, Ismael Grospe Jr., Landerson Nebres, Edson Corbadora, Miguel Andrei Obmerga, Kenneth Maramba and 23-year-old Nichol Pareja, the individual time trial (ITT) winner in this year’s PhilCycling National Championships for Road.

Added reinforcements are Olympian Nicolas Sessler from Brazil, Edgar Nieto of Spain and Dutch Jeroen Meijers.