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Cycling: New team for ex-Ronda king Valenzuela

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Irish Valenzuela signed up with CCN Superteam for this year&#x27;s Ronda Pilipinas on March 3-18, with hopes of reclaiming the title he last won five years ago.Valenzuela, the 30-year-old 2013 Ronda king, said he has worked hard in the last five months to get back into competition shape after missing the last three editions of the annual event considered the country’s biggest cycling race.The proud son of Tabaco, Albay is eyeing to join Santy Barnachea of Team Franzia and Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance as the most titled rider in Ronda.Barnachea won the inaugural race in 2011 and again in 2015, while Morales topped the last two stagings.“I’m just focused on winning the Ronda again,” said Valenzuela, who booked his spot in the main race via the first of two qualifying events in Tarlac City last November.Valenzuela will be joining forces with grizzled veteran Warren Davadilla, a two-time winner in the fabled Marlboro Tour; and Julius Mark Bonzo, whose father Romeo and uncle Modesto were former Tour champions that should make CCN a team to watch out for.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/07/18/cycling-morales-targets-unprecedented-3rd-ronda-pilipinas-crown">READ: Morales targets unprecedented 3rd Ronda Pilipinas crown</a></li></ul>Also part of the squad are Jemico Brosio, Sherwin Carrera, Marven Aleonar, Juan Carlos Barrios and Jeffson Sotto.A cool P1 million will be at stake in this 12-stage race that will be jumpstarted by the 40-kilometer Vigan criterium Stage One on March 3 and the 155.4-km Vigan-Pagudpud Stage Two the next day.Also on tap are the 223.5-km Pagudpud-Tuguegarao Stage Three on March 5, 135.2-km Tuguegarao-Isabela Stage Four on March 6, the 179.4-km Isabela-Nueva Ecija Stage Five on March 8, the 111.8-km Nueva Ecija-Tarlac Stage Six on March 9, the 31.5-km Individual Time Trial Stage Seven and the 42.14-km Team Time Trial Stage Eight both in Tarlac on March 10 and 11.Winding up the race are the 207.2-km Silang-Batangas-Tagaytay Stage Nine on March 15, the 147.8-km Tagaytay-Calaca Stage 10 on March 16, the 92.72-km Calaca-Calaca Stage 11 on March 17 and the 50-km Filinvest Alabang criterium Stage 12 on March 18.Also joining are Go for Gold and Go for Gold Developmental Team, Bike Xtreme, Army-Bictcology Shop, Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Sur, South Luzon and Tarlac Province.(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>)

Irish Valenzuela signed up with CCN Superteam for this year's Ronda Pilipinas on March 3-18, with hopes of reclaiming the title he last won five years ago.

Irish Valenzuela signed up with CCN Superteam for this year's Ronda Pilipinas on March 3-18, with hopes of reclaiming the title he last won five years ago.