The real dope

Got home yesterday with this waiting for me: The first day of the Padyak Pinoy tour saw favored bets take the backseat, with some Feliciano being handed the yellow jersey for today's scheduled Quezon City-Cabanatuan massed start. It may sound like a news item, but it is actually how my cousin related to me Thursday's individual time trial.

He wanted to let the news out immediately, I supposed, that he was able to tell it directly. Together with our neighbor, the cousin followed it up with how good the bikes were, especially Vellum bikes, some anecdotes, and more anecdotes.

Later I went online and saw the results of the initial stage, through a post by Manila Standard Today sportswriter Peter Atencio at the Philippine Cycling Network. Neither Victor Espiritu nor defending champion Santy Barnachea would be wearing the yellow jersey at the second stage of the tour.

Clocking in 3'55”, Vellum's Frederick Feliciano, a perennial fixture on the Philippine national cycling team and runner-up to last year's bike tour, took first place. But of course hardly anyone remembers the runner-up.

Anyway, I should have taken a leave from work and watched the time trial. I didn't and only the list of Thursday's results is what I can write here. But I wouldn't write it here. Tomorrow it would not be important and interesting. My cousin's anecdotes still would, I supposed, because they sounded like the real dope.