CEBUANA junior cyclist Ana Patricia “Ica” Maximo of TRIbu Lapu-Lapu topped the 90km bike split in the all-female relay division in last Sunday’s Cobra IronMan 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship AT Shangri-la Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.
The former Batang Pinoy national champion clocked 2 two hours, 56 minutes and 22 seconds to become the fastest among female cyclists in the mixed relay category.
Maximo’s TRIbu Lapu-Lapu, which is a grassroots sports project of the Lapu-Lapu City government, also made it to the top five in the All-Female Relay.
“Some people asked me how I did it, what was the secret,” said Icamax. “Training is important of course, but I think what made me a little faster was the cycling equipment I was using during the race,” said Maximo, who turned 17 years old yesterday.
Maximo used a Ridley Liz road bike frame during the race. The bike is said to be suitable for women.
“During training, I used to finish a 90-km ITT ride in 3:20 hours. Using the proper equipment, I was able to reduce more than 20 minutes into my time,” she said.