Battle for invidual honors heat up.
DAET, Camarines Norte — Defending champion Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance and Cris Joven of Kinetix Lab-Army finished first and second in Stage Seven to gain some precious seconds in the overall individual race halfway through the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2017.
Morales checked in at first while Joven followed suit as the two outsprinted six others to the finish with the same clockings of six hours, nine minutes and four seconds in the 227-km stage that started at the Camsur Watersports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur, circled to Quirino and Quezon Provinces and ended at the downtown area here.
Go for Gold’s Elmer Navarro wound up third ahead of Ilocos Sur’s Ryan Serapio, Army’s Ronnilan Quita, RC Cola-NCR’s Leonel Dimaano, red LBC jersey wearer Rudy Roque of Navy and Ilocos Sur’s Jemico Brioso.
When the 31-year-old Morales reached the finish before a huge crowd, the most thus far in this 14-stage race, was massaging his right leg to prevent cramps.
“I was cramping but I endured it,” said Morales in Filipino.
While Morales battled cramps, Joven, 30, had a scare at the start after complaining of chest pains and dizziness.
“I felt something in my heart and I thought I was losing consciousness. Good things I shouted several times that helped me stay in the race,” said the light-headed Joven, who went straight to the race doctors to check his condition.
With half of the stages completed, Morales has moved from fourth third with an aggregate time of 24:24:42 while Joven leapt from No. 5 to No. 4 with a total clocking of 24:25:07.
Roque kept his grip of the lead with a time of 24:21:52, a little less than two and half minutes ahead of closest pursuer and Navy teammate Ronald Lomotos, who has a clocking of 24:24:13.
