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Strong field in Hell of Marianas
Team Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance’s Jan Paul Morales, center, makes his way up toward Radar Hill along with fellow Philippine pros Mark Galedo, left, and Joe Miller during a practice ride in last year’s Hell of Marianas Century Cycle Race. (Jon Perez)
Reigning Hell of the Marianas champion Jan Paul Morales is expected to face a strong field in his bid for back-to-back pro/elite titles in the 11th edition of the punishing century-distance cycling race set for Dec. 2.
As of yesterday, 18 pros (14 males and four females), including Morales, have already confirmed their participation in this year’s race. Hong Kong will be represented by seven cyclists, five male and two female, while Japan will have three riders (two males and one female).
Morales, on the other hand, will be joined by six other cyclists from three different teams in the Philippines, including former LBC Ronda Pilipinas champion and another returning HOM competitor Mark John Lexer Galedo of Team 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippines. Morales, who completed the 100-kilometer race in 3:04:50, is also the reigning Ronda champion while Galedo is the 2014 overall winner of the Le Tour de Filipinas. Viel Carino will ride with Galedo for 7 Eleven along with teammate Daisuke Kaneko of Japan, while El Joshua Carino and Ronald Lomotos will team up with Morales under Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance. Lloyd Lucien Reynante and Angelico Ochoa will represent Team XTREME. El Joshua is the other half of the up-and-coming Carino brothers who had a 1-2 finish in the Tarlac leg of Ronda’s qualifying race.
EVO Sports and Success teams will be representing Hong Kong with former European pro Paolo Caputo, and national riders Chi Ho Yuen and Bryan Kai Chun Wong, and two-time female Olympian Jamie Wan-Yiu Wong leading their charge.
Sing Lam Wan, Tsun Hin Chiu, Chris Lee, female rider Chau Yu Ng will be racing under Team Success together with Bryan Wong and Jamie Wong. Lee is entered in the men’s 45-49 age division. Caputo, a former pro rider from Italy but now resides in Hong Kong, and Yuen will race under the banner of EVO Sports.
Japanese male pro Yamato Kanematsu and female rider Yasue Nakahara will carry Team Small along with Guam’s Manami Iijima.
Most of the Hong Kong and Japanese riders are expected to arrive on Saipan on Nov. 30, while Caputo and the entire Philippine delegation will be on the island one day before the race.
