A TOUGH task awaits Cebuano cyclist Rey Nelson Martin and his 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines teammates Mark John Galedo, Ryan Cayubit, Dominic Perez, Marcelo Felipe and Baler Ravina as they vie for supremacy in Tour Jelajah, which is the last qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics, today in Malaysia.
The tournament, which runs until Sunday will have 20 teams scrambling for an Olympic spot. The other participants are Iran, Kazakhstan, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos and host Malaysia.
A great start would definitely help the cause of the Nationals as the results of the first two stages will pretty much determine the outcome of the five-stage race.
The Philippines must do everything to hurdle the 12-point advantage of South Korea in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Asian Nation ranking for a spot in the Olympics.
The Filipinos need to make the podium and the top ten in the general classification phase to get the much-needed UCI points.