ROXAS CITY–Ronald Oranza of Navy-Standard Insurance finished 11th and fourth in the final two stages Thursday to capture his first-ever race victory in the Visayas Leg of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 at the Robinson’s Place here.
The 22-year-old Oranza, 22, nearly cracked the Top 10 in the Stage 4 criterium in the morning and then ended up fourth in the Stage 5 individual time trial in the afternoon to secure his first race triumph.
At the conclusion of the five-stage race, Oranza garnered a total of 53 points, including a point from Stage 4 and nine in the final stage.
Oranza actually clinched the title as early as two days ago when he topped the Stage 3 road race that started in Iloilo City and ended here as he left practically everyone, including teammate Rudy Roque.
It rendered the deciding stages as his coronation.
“My plan is to just try to race as safely as I can and finish the race,” said Oranza, a proud son of Villasis, Pangasinan.
Lim snared the final stage triumph in 49 minutes and 13.52 seconds, while Navy skipper Lloyd Lucien Reynante and Roque took second and third places in 49:39.98 and 49:41.90, respectively.
For his feat, Roque thus finished No. 2 overall with 47 points, or six behind Oranza while Lim clinched third place with 41 points.
Seasoned rider Joel Calderon of Navy ended up at No. 4 with 37 points, boosted by his Stage 4 win where he clocked 1:08:39.86.
It was the 36-year-old Calderon’s first lap victory since he won in the Pagadian City Stage 3 years back.
“I knew in my heart I still have it,” said Calderon of Guimba, Nueva Ecija, and who is the 2009 Tour champ and runner-up to Santy Barnachea in the first-ever edition of this annual race in 2011.
Completing the Top 10 were were No. 4 Reynante (34), Mindanao Leg champion Jan Paul Morales (29), LBC-MVPSF’s Ronald Lomotos (27), and Navy’s El Joshua Carino (25), John Mark Camingao (24) and Daniel Ven Carino (19).
