TAGAYTAY City — Jermyn Prado rode a calculated race to pedal away to her third gold medal in the PhilCycling National Championships for Road on Thursday.
With the road race (massed start) for Women Elite tracing the same route as that of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Prado, 27, pedaled patiently in the flats and took her own sweet time before she attacked in the climb back to the Praying Hands Monument with up-and-coming Mathilda Krogg.
They went on a controlled pace to the finish of the 114-km race with Prado prevailing in a friendly sprint to win her third gold medal after the criterium on Tuesday and individual time trial on Wednesday.
Non-stop training
“Like I said, I don’t stop training,” said Prado, who clocked three hours, 21 minutes and 23 seconds, same time as the 19-year-old Krogg who settled for the silver medal, in the 114-km race.
Prado was a former teammate of Krogg at the Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance team, an indication of Standard Insurance Group chairman Judes Echauz’s determined goal to sustain a competitive women’s team.
Krogg, however, emerged the Women’s Under-23 champion, her second gold after the criterium, in the championships co-presented by Standard Insurance, MVP Sports Foundation and Smart and backed by Chooks-to-Go, San Miguel Corp., Petron, Le Tour de Filipinas-Air21-One LGC, Tagaytay City, Go For Gold, Cavite’s First District, Batangas First District, Batangas and the Philippine National Police.
Avegail Rombaon secured another medal, a silver, as the second-best Elite rider after Prado. The pride of Bicol also riding for Standard Insurance was seven minutes and 33 seconds off the champion in the event organized by PhilCycling and Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
Ma. Mhay-ann Lina settled for bronze in the event that was raced under an overcast sky with a threat of rain. Because of the 80 percent probability of thunderstorm, commissaires decided to send off Thursday’s competitors in six events at five-minute intervals from the Praying Hands Monument start.
Krogg’s teammate, Kate Yasmin Velasco, clinched the Under-23 silver medal with a time of 3:24:40 and 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines’ Phoebe Salazar was a dynamo behind the leaders and bagged bronze in 3:25:13.
Angelica Mae Altamirano (1:25:15), Lyca Angel Jacobe (1:25:43) and Althea Campana (1:25:44) finished 1-2-3 in Women’s Junior, and Steven Aaron Cerezo (1:02:04), Kyle Christian Mendajao 1:02:06) and Lester de la Cruz (1:02:06) occupied the Men’s Youth podium. Both were raced over 55 kms.
King Vincent Mercado (1:32:29) won gold, Khalil Sanchez (1:32:29) bagged silver and Kien Ebojo (1:32:30) clinched bronze in the 74-km Men’s Junior race, while Kim Syrel Bonilla (1:26:33), Vianne Angel Pagnanawon (1:26:34) and Rosalie de la Cruz (1:26:35) were the top finishers in the 40-km Women’s Youth event that went down to a sprint finish.
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