GEORGE Oconer all but claimed the title in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race by sticking with a small group that checked in first at Burnham Park in Stage Eight on Monday.
Go for Gold’s Daniel Ven Carino topped the grueling 170.6-kilometer Palayan to Baguio stage, while Oconer, 28, was one of six Standard Insurance-Navy riders in the 10-man lead pack that clocked four hours, 30 minutes and four seconds.
Marvin Tapic of Bicycology-Army claimed second place for the day while Jonel Carcueva of Go for Gold was third in the crucial stage of the race presented by LBC and backed by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.

No major changes are expected among the leaders, Oconer having an aggregate time of 27:34:35 followed by teammates Ronald Oranza (27:35:50), Ronald Lomotos (27:35:53), John Mark Camingao (27:36:28), Junrey Navarra (27:36:52) and El Joshua Carino (27:38:26).
This reduces the final two stages — the 176.4km Pugo, La Union-Vigan Stage Nine and the Vigan Stage 10 criterium — to a coronation ride for Oconer.
Oconer is two stages away from ending his long search for the crown after finishing third in the inaugural Ronda race in 2011 and second in 2015.
“I’m thankful for my teammates for helping me, we treat each other as brothers,” said Oconer.
There were some changes in the seventh to 10th place as former leader Mark Julius Bordeos of Bicycology and Rustom Lim of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines slipped.
Carcueva moved from ninth to seventh in 27:39:59, Carino zoomed from 12th to eighth in 27:40:21, Grospe leapt from 10th to ninth in 27:40:23 and Tapic barged into No. 10 from 20th in 27:42:55.

Standard had also claimed the team crown, its sixth straight, with Jan Paul Morales leading the sprint classification and Carino on top of the King of the Mountain standings.
Meanwhile, the Best Under-23 rider is being contested by Carino, Grospe and another Go for Gold bet in Jericho Jay Lucero in the event offering P1 million the individual champion and being backed by Palayan, Nueva Ecija, Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.
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