Fast, Galedo to eye each other

From left, Filipino riders Mark Galedo, John Paul Morales, and Joe Miller make the climb toward Radar Station when they tried the Hell of the Marianas race course almost nine hours after arriving on Saipan yesterday. (Jon Perez)

Konstantin Fast and Mark Galedo will be keeping an eye on each other when they compete in the 10th staging of the Hell of the Marianas Century Bike Race tomorrow. Both pro-cyclists, by the way, know each of their strengths and weaknesses after racing with their respective teams in several Asian events.

Fast, the 2014 HOM champion, is now based in the resort city of Pattaya in Thailand for being a member of the Singha Infinite Cycling Team, while Philippine bet Galedo suits up for 7-Eleven-Sava Roadbike Philippines.

The Russian cyclist said that he doesn’t want to underestimate Galedo’s caliber despite having the advantage of knowing the entire course. “I have competed against him for three years now. I just hope I can stick with my game plan since I know the level of Filipino cyclists.”

“I know Mark is a strong rider and he is strong in the climbs. I have a good idea on how good he is in races since our teams compete in the same races in Asia,” added Fast, who has been living in Pattaya for more than four years now.

Galedo said he informed other members of the Philippine delegation that Fast could give them a hard time on the racecourse. “He knows that I’m an all-around rider. That’s why I informed the other Filipino cyclists that he could be a headache for us. He is an all-around threat that’s why we don’t need to be complacent.”

Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance Cycling team’s John Paul Morales and Forza’s Joe Miller, Glenn Gonzales, and Ian Solano are the other competing cyclists that would carry the Philippine flag on race day this Saturday.

Galedo added that they would know today who are the other cyclists that would be competing in the men’s pro category. “We’re just going to keep an eye on him [Fast]. As much as possible I want a Filipino rider to win.”

Galedo, who ruled the 2012 Ronda Pilipinas and 2014 Le Tour de Filipinas, said he used the hill climbs of the Sierra Madre loop in Tanay and San Mateo in Rizal province in preparing for the HOM.

“I made some research on the Internet and studied the course layout of the race. We’ll see on Saturday.”

Morales is coming off fresh from his Mindanao leg victory in this year’s Ronda Pilipinas, that also makes him no pushover. He joined Galedo and Team Forza members in testing the race route in Marpi, from the Radar Station to the dreaded Four Corners—Banzai and Suicide Cliff, Bird Island Lookout, and Grotto.

“The elevation is almost similar to Baguio and the roads are like Olongapo. I just noticed that you need to be careful in the curves and there are also some areas that have gravel road. We must also expect the headwind,” said Morales.

Japan’s Ryutaro Nakamura, last year’s champion, is also a cyclist to watch for. He will be arriving today.