NAKHON RATCHASIMA. — Baby Marites Bitbit raced like hell,
beat the gargantuan odds of being the country’s only representative in women’s
road race of cycling and will go home with a gold medal in the 24th Southeast
Asian Games.
After failing to retain her cross-country title in women’s
mountain bike, Bitbit beat a 19-rider field reduced to 16 survivors to win in
three hours, 28 minutes and 20 seconds the 116.10-km penultimate cycling event
staged Thursday at the Mittrahap Road here, about 75 kms outside the city.
Bitbit, winner of bronze medals in the cross-country and
road’s individual time trial, squeezed past Thai Thatsani Wichana and Vietnamese
Thi Phuong Phi Vo at the tip of the massed start finish to win. Wichana and
Phuong settled for the silver and bronze medals, finishing with the same time as
Bitbit and four others.
The men’s race was staged later in the day with Victor
Espiritu, gold medal winner in the points race of track, Warren Davadilla, Lloyd
Reynante and Irish Valenzuela vying in the 160.30-km race.
With four gold medals–counting Joey Barba’s in men’s downhill
of mountain bike and Alfie Catalan’s in track’s men’s individual pursuit–Team
Cycling Philippines has already doubled its two-gold output in 2005 in Manila.
Cycling (4-1-5 gold-silver-bronze) ranked next to swimming
(8-3-7 with one meet record) as the most successful sport in the Games.
"This is a remarkable performance by our riders and I would
like to acknowledge the effort they put in and that of the coaching staff," said
PhilCycling president Bert Lina.
Bitbit could have raced with Apryl Eppinger in the event, but
the Filipino-Australian was pulled out by the coaching staff.
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam each fielded four
riders with two Indonesians failing to finish. Myanmar also had two bets, but
both failed to complete the race.
