Lynnel Martus (middle) is flanked by her trainers, John Mier (left) and Lovely Gitaruelas (right), during their stint in Tagaytay City. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Cebuana cyclist Lynnel Martus displayed her potential on the big stage after salvaging a bronze medal in the women’s individual time trial (ITT) of the Philcycling Philippine National Championships Under-23 in Tagaytay this week.
The 20-year-old Martus, the protege of bemedalled cyclist Lovely Giteruelas and former Philippine team member John Mier, stood her ground against experienced elite cyclists in her first national championship race.
Martus didn’t disappoint in her debut, surprising everyone by crossing the finish line in 38 minutes and 13.19 seconds to place behind Angela Joy Bermejo (38.10.91) and Angelica Mae Altamirano (37.15.89), who won the silver and gold medals, respectively.
A total of 20 cyclists competed in the ITT under-23 event earlier this week. The Cebuana cyclist finished 19th in the 104-kilometer road race on Thursday, February 8.
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Martus revealed that she’s been joining Barangay-level cycling events, and those races allowed her to race head-to-head against some of the top cycling prospects in her division.
“Been joining barangay races for 2 years now. During the race, my mindset was just focus, don’t get distracted, and just pray to god,” the Cebuana cyclist told CDN Digital.
“I had solid one-month training under ate Lovely (Gitaruelas). It was hard because it was my first time on a road bike. She taught me everything from Intervals, hill repeats, speed training, rollers, and techniques during tune-up races.”
Martus, who hails from Bantayan Island, is the only cyclist among nine siblings who are mostly into basketball.
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FORMER RIVAL
For her part, Gitaruelas said she persevered to train Martus after seeing the latter’s huge potential in cycling.
Martus was one of her fiercest rivals in local races last year, but instead of treating her as a competitor, Gitaruelas decided to help her hone her skills.
“I am very proud of her. We all are. Yes, I already saw her potential last year coz she was my best opponent every time I raced on Bantayan island. So I encouraged her to take up cycling more seriously, and I promised to help her in training and in anyway I can,” said Gitaruelas.
Gitaruelas said her ultimate goal is to transform the promising Cebuana cyclist into a road biking beast and would be excited to race against her in local and international events.