Cycling: Lopez wins 2nd leg of National Open Tryouts (Sports)
July 20, 2009 9:43 am
TANAY, Rizal, July 20 — Inspired to no end by his two young daughters, 37-year-old Benito Lopez Jr. upstaged his much younger rivals to win the second leg of the National Open Tryouts Sunday and assure himself of a slot in the Philippine cycling training pool here.
Having the pictures in mind of 14-year-old Aizel Mica and 12-year-old Anlene, Lopez gallantly staged a solo breakaway in the last 20 kilometers of the two-round race covering the mountainous stretch of Jala-Jala and Sierra Madre to pull away from his closest pursuers and win the race organized by the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (ICFP).
His win was a big follow-up to his impressive runner-up finish in the first leg of the tryouts designed to select the best riders for the Laos Southeast Asian Games this December.
"I have prepared long and hard for this tryout to join the RP Team,” said Lopez of Plaridel, Bulacan, who bagged the King of the Mountain during the recent Cagayan Tour. “This is for my children," he added.
Philcycling president Mikee Romero said the last phase of the Sunday-only tryout will be an individual time trial at the foot of Patindig-Araw going to Boso-Boso in Antipolo City.
A total of 85 riders joined the tryout.
“We’re hoping to form a competitive team for the SEA Games and I hope former members of the RP team will join the last phase of the tryouts,” Romero said.
Jay Tolentino finished second in the 170-kilometer race that started in the town of Pililia. Billy Biag settled for third place.
First leg winner Rey Martin tried to keep pace with Lopez and company early in the race but he eventually faded away.
Arnel de Jesus, showing steely nerves in the mountains of Sierra Madre, topped the juniors category.
After the third and final phase, race director Col. Arnold Taberdo will do a thorough evaluation of the three-day tryouts before making his recommendation to Romero. (PNA) scs/LOR
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