DESPITE the unpredictable weather Mother Nature has been dishing out recently, more than 70 riders were present in NCTAMS for the third race in the Nissan Rainy Season Race Series.
With the final race of the series at hand, riders battled one another for the top spot, but more importantly for series points. No matter the division, family, friends and fans were treated to an early morning race filled with excitement.
The top spot in the men's open and age group division was hotly contested with less than a minute separating the eventual race winner and the fourth-place finisher. Pushing the pedal to its limits, Derek Horton claimed the top spot and beat out his nearest opponent by seven seconds. Horton crossed the finish line in an official time of 46:43, while Mark Walters nabbed second with a time of 46:50.
While the race for first was a tight one, the battle for third was just as exciting. With only a bit of the race left, Cameron O'Neal and James Sardea fought tooth and nail to the finish. However, it was O'Neal who crossed four seconds quicker than Sardea. The two posted times of 47:36 and 47:40, respectively. Rounding out the fifth and final spot was Chris Baguio who finished the two-lap course in 49:42.
In the female open and age group division, Meiko Carey cruised through the course in quick fashion. Carey's time of 52:52 beat out second-place finisher Jaime Fahy (1:07:13) by more than 10 minutes. Taking home third-place glory was Ayshalynn Perez who recorded an official time of 1:07:39.
Rounding out the final four of seven riders were: Karly O'Neal (1:10:28), Sonja Oviedo (1:16:58), Jami Skomia (1:18:08), and Tressie Word (1:31:59).
Lingat, Johnson take recreational division
Competition in the one-lap recreational division was just as intense. In the men's division, Donald Lingat crossed the finish line first in 28:24. Not too far behind was Raimundo Ortiz who recorded a time of 28:47. Rounding out the third spot is Rolando Palmes (28:57).
In the women's division, Erin Johnson took care of business quickly as she finished in 33:39. Finishing second and third place respectively were Vanee Borja and Tara Tydingco. Borja and Tydingco completed the course in 42:40 and 53:38, respectively.
