Santy braces for final push

LABRADOR, Pangasinan — Four-time Tour champion Santy Barnachea swears Stage 8 of the Tour of Luzon — the last leg of this 1,000-kilometer ride that kicked off in Ilocos Norte last week — will likely be decided during the treacherous climb to Baguio City.

With Korean Joo Daeyoung of Gapyeong Cycling Team still keeping the yellow jersey since Day One, Barnachea said on Wednesday that his MPT DriveHub riders have been briefed about the game plan.

Barnachea, who won the 2002 Tour de Calabarzon and 2006 Padyak Pinoy and two Ronda crowns, said Joo will be tightly-guarded right from the start.

“We won’t wait for the leader to make his move. We will be putting an eye on him. If he tries to break away, we will be right there but if he doesn’t, we’d still be there with him,” said Barnachea, now 49, the uncle of MPT Drivehub’s top gun Mervin Corpuz and coach of the star-studded squad.

The tall and elongated Corpuz finished third overall in Stage 7 from Lingayen to here, behind lap winner Joseph Javiniar of Excellent Noodles and Joo.

‘He is a two-time champion in Korea. He’s got a decent climbing game but not really a climber and he knows the conditions going to Baguio having competed there before.’

Barnachea, a native of Umingan in cycling-crazy Pangasinan, said the entire team is all pumped up for the Baguio ascent.

As for Joo, Barnachea feels he has the Korean pedal pusher all figured out.

“He is a two-time champion in Korea. He’s got a decent climbing game but not really a climber and he knows the conditions going to Baguio having competed there before.”