Ven Cariño upstages veterans; takes Baguio stage of Ronda

ELITE FOUR -- Red jersey and race leader George Oconer (2nd from left) are flanked by the leader of three of special awardees for the 10th LBC Ronda Pilipinas after completing the 177-km eight-stage from Palayan City, Nueva Ecija to the Burnham Lake Drive in Baguio on Monday. From left are mountain leader El Joshua Cariño, Oconer, 2-time champion and sprint king leader Jan Paul Morales, and stage eight winner Daniel Ven Cariño, who is also the leader in the MVP Young Rider for 23-year-old and younger cyclists. (PNA photo by Pigeon Lobien)

_{By Pigeon Lobien}  

_{BAGUIO CITY – Daniel Ven Cariño of “Go for Gold” upstaged his older brother’s team, the powerhouse Philippine Navy Standard Insurance, to win the 8th leg of the Ronda Pilipinas that started in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija and ended at the Burnham Park Lakedrive on Monday.}

_{Cariño nipped Bicycology Army’s Marvin Tapic at the finish line as he led two of his teammates for the top four slots in what could be Ronda Pilipinas’ most challenging stage, a 177.1-kilometer lung-busting race that features a 5,000 feet climb.}

_{Cariño towed a 10-man group at the finish line where all clocked an unofficial time of 4:30:04.}

_{The group also included six of the Navymen, among them Ronda leader George Oconer.}

_{Jonel Carcueva joined the podium by finishing third, followed by another G4G rider Ismael Grospe.}

_{The six Navy riders occupied the fifth to 10th place by also posting identical times: Junrey Navara, Ronald Oranza, Ronald Lomotos, John Mark Camingao, El Joshua Carino and Oconer, in that order.}

_{Stage seven winner and 2016 and 2017 champion Jan Paul Morales finished 16th, nine minutes and 10 seconds (9:10) behind the first group.}

_{Oconer, son of former national mainstay Norberto who was part of the national team that saw action in the 1996 Marlboro tour here, leads the race for the fourth straight day with a time of 27:34:35 that makes him a marked man with his red jersey.}

_{With two more stages, Oconer is heading towards the PHP1 million champion’s purse.}

_{With the win, Cariño took the lead in the “MVP Young Rider” award and the red, white blue and yellow jersey.}

_{The award is given to the best rider who is 23 years old and younger.}

_{Morales remains the sprint king and still dons the green jersey, while the 27-year old El Joshua, the older of the Cariño boys, maintains his lead for the Eagle of the Mountain special award, the race’s best mountain climber.}

_{The Navy team is already assured of the top podium.}

_{On Tuesday, the riders will be ferried to Pugo, La Union for the 176.4-km trek to Vigan in Ilocos Sur for the penultimate leg via the heat on the Ilocos road.}

_{The race will have its final stage, a criterium in the Ilocos Sur capital on March 4. (PNA)}