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IRISH VALENZUELA, the most promising on the national men’s road
cycling team, has received an invitation to race for Farso Denmark,
a Danish continental team.
This was revealed Sunday by national cycling
head coach Jomel Lorenzo, whose wards returned Saturday night from
Chiang Mai, Thailand, after ruling the six-stage Tour of Thailand.
“I was asked by the team manager of the Danish
team if we could allow some of our riders to race for their team,”
Lorenzo told dzSR Sports Radio. “I told them, ‘why not?’ for
as long as they remain available for the national team.”
Lorenzo said it would do the nationals good if
they are tapped by foreign teams, especially the Europeans, because
foreign exposure is what the national riders need.
“Modestly, we didn’t have enough
exposure for the [24th] SEA Games, but we could say we were
successful, and we extended our success to the Tour of Thailand,”
he said. “What more if our riders get more than enough exposure
especially in Europe.”
Valenzuela is only 20 years old but has become
one of the more promising riders on the national team. He was fourth
in the 24th SEA Games massed start and finished second in the Tour
of Thailand’s first stage. He was 2006 Padyak Pinoy Rookie of the
Year.
Tonton Susanto, one of the more vaunted
Indonesian riders in the Southeast Asian region, raced for the same
Danish team in the Tour of Thailand that ended Friday with the team
of Valenzuela, Victor Espiritu, Warren Davadilla, Lloyd Reynante and
Ronald Gorantes emerging the overall general classification and
Asean champion.
The Filipinos had a total clocking for the six
stages raced over 1,094.54kms in northern Thailand of 72 hours, one
minute and seven seconds. They beat a Japanese team (72:04:40) by
more than three and a half minutes and Thailand A squad (72:08:01)
by almost seven minutes.
Rounding out the final results in the team
classification were: Iran (Tabriz Petrochemical) 72:11:02, Malaysia
national team 72:36:39, Slovakia (Dukla Trencin Merida) 72:37:46,
Germany (Kuota Senges) 72:45:19, Denmark (Farso Denmark) 72:49:38,
Chinese Taipei (Giant Asia Racing) 72:50:45, Vietnam national team
73:06:35, Indonesia (Customs Cycling Club Indonesia) 73:16:37, The
Netherlands (Ysselstreek) 73:43:48 and another Japanese team (Matrix
Powertag) 73:45:59.
Valenzuela was fifth in the overall individual
classification, three minutes and 17 seconds behind champion Kazemi
Sarai Ahad of Iran (28:42:45). Completing the top five in the
individual race were Susanto (four seconds behind), Jonanbanian
Hossein of Iran (six seconds behind) and Mahawang Prajak of Thailand
(3:09 behind).
Seventeen teams composed of 122 riders entered
the race but only 13 squads and 55 riders finished.
The PhilCycling, headed by Bert Lina, intends to
keep the national team road, track and mountain bike for 2008 after
the nationals clinched four gold, one silver and five bronze medals,
a marked improvement in the SEA Games, and the road team snatched
the country’s first team victory in an international race.
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