Tour Pilipinas Stage 3: Wily Warren wins 3rd lap

Wily Warren wins 3rd lap By Bobby Rondez Manila Times www.manilatimes.net

DAET, Camarines Norte (via PLDT)-Warren Davadilla finally broke through with a lap victory
everybody expected him to get, ruling the 98-kilometer third stage from Naga City to this Bicol hub
on Monday by beating two equally young riders in a mad sprint to the finish in the Air 21 Tour
Pilipinas bikathon.

Davadilla, the last champion of a full-length Tour in 1998, before the summer classic was revived
this year, joined a six-man lead group just 15 kilometers from the start before nipping Alfie
Catalan of Bowling Gold and Patrol 117 captain Bernard Luzon by half a wheel at the finish line, to
the delight of an appreciative crowd.

The 27-year-old skipper of Team Intel thus wound up the massed start race in two hours, 18 minutes
and 42 seconds, the same time given to Catalan and Luzon, who came in a wheel apart after they took
turns in pacing the pack throughout the short but hilly race but lost steam in the stretch.

"When the leaders bunched up in the last 20 kilometers, I took a chance and grabbed the lead, then
used the sprint near the finish (to win)," said Davadilla, an Airman Second Class detailed with the
Air Force's special service command.

His victory, however, wasn't enough to shake up the overall standings- although he did improve two
places to 16th overall-as fellow national cyclist and Tanduay Distillers captain Arnel Quirimit
continued to hold sway in the individual race with a conservative run from the capital of
Camarines Sur.

Quirimit's three-day time aggregate of 8:53.31 gave him a five- minute, five-second lead over second
placer and Tour of Calabarzon champion and Bowling Gold skipper Santy Barnachea, while Tanduay
likewise remained on top of the team rankings

Pagcor Sports, anchored by its 1-2 punch Rhyan Tanguilig and Lloyd Reynante who finished just two
seconds behind Davadilla, won team honors for the stage but remained in fourth overall behind the
Rhum Riders' overall time of 36:14:46.50.

Although he finished seventh for the lap, Quirimit, who won the Legaspi-Sorsogon-Legaspi first stage
on Saturday and led his team to the time trial victory in the second lap from Daraga in Albay to
Naga the following day, added a minute to his lead over Barnachea and will try to keep the yellow
jersey for the fourth straight day.

That's because the Tanduay ace and the rest of the 84-man field will have to brace themselves for
today's fourth lap-a 207.1-km massed start from here to Lucena City, the third-longest leg in the
15- stage, 18-day cycling odyssey.

-- ------------------- Quirimit unmoved by ex-champ's win Apr. 29, 2003 By June Navarro Philippine
Daily Inquirer www.inq7.net

DAET, Camarines Norte -- Tanduay's Arnel Quirimit padded his overall lead Monday even as Warren
Davadilla of Intel showed the way home for an eight-man lead pack to rule the third lap of the Tour
Pilipinas 2003 bikathon here.

Flashing the form that crowned him as 1998 Tour champion, the 27-year- old Davadilla pushed his
weary legs to the limit in the last 200 meters to cross the line just ahead of his two former
national teammates.

Davadilla nipped Alfie Catalan of Bowling Gold for lap honors with Patrol 117 skipper Bernard Luzon
settling for third.

The three, who left their breakaway partners that included Quirimit, Luzon and Lloyd Reynante of
Pagcor Sports in the mad scramble in the last 100 meters, clocked two hours, 18 minutes and 42
seconds for the 98-km ride from Naga City in Camarines Sur province.

"All I wanted was to cut the time deficit and enter the Magic 10. It never crossed my mind to take
this lap," said Davadilla, who climbed two notches from 18th, in Pilipino.

Despite finishing ninth, Quirimit increased his advantage over Bowling Gold skipper Santy Barnachea
to five minutes and five seconds.

Barnachea finished 17th for the day, a minute and four seconds behind Davadilla.

"There's nothing to fear even though I didn't win the lap. In fact, I sacrificed this stage because
my closest pursuers were not even in the lead pack," said Quirimit, who has trained his sights on
the 200,000-peso top individual prize.

Quirimit checked in two seconds behind Davadilla in the company of Lito Atilano of Gilbeys Island
Punch, Rhyan Tanguilig of Pagcor Sports, Ronald Gorantes (EcoSavers) and Reynante.

With Davadilla, Catalan and Luzon leading the way, the day's leading riders bolted from the main
pack in the last 15 km of the easy drive from Naga City.

Merculio Ramos of Samsung kept third overall (5:16 behind Quirimit) followed by Tour veteran Placido
Valdez of Drug Busters, who switched places with Eusebio Quiñones of Patrol 117.

Former champion Rolando Pagnanawon, the oldest rider here at 43, clung to sixth place, Gorantes
stayed in seventh and Reynante took over No. 8 as two-time winner Carlo Guieb dropped to 10th behind
Tanguilig.

Tanduay stayed on top of the team standings but is in danger of being overhauled by Bowling Gold,
which moved within 16 seconds off the leader.

Patrol 117 and Pagcor Sports held third and fourth, respectively, in the team race while EcoSavers,
Samsung, Vat Riders and Intel kept their positions in the race for the top team prize of one
million pesos.

The Postmen climbed one notch from 10th to 9th and Gilbeys Island Punch improved to 10th overall in
the race sponsored by Accel, Longines, Lipovitan and Selle Italia.

The Drugbusters and PLDT-NDD fell to 11th and 12th, respectively.