Coryn’s winning ways

She is still at it.

16-year old Filipina Coryn Rivera just continues to shine in women’s cycling in Southern California.

Daily Peloton reports Coryn dominating the women’s elite race in the Storm the Beach Cyclocross at Oceanside,  the Spooky Cross Night Race in Irvine, and at Hansen Dam in the Dam Cross Weekend.

Coryn had to settle for a fourth place finish on the second day at Dam Cross, but not after battling it out with other elite women riders in the lead pack.

(photo from Daily Peloton/SoCalCross)

Coryn however jumped right back into her winning ways in the West Coast & Southern California Nevada Cycling Association Cross Championships – SoCal Eco-Sportsfest  ‘08.  She then left the rest of the field vying for 2nd and 3rd  in the  Gene Galindo Memorial Turkey Trot Cross Race, hosted by the Pasadena Athletic Association.

Thus the young rider of Team Redline with license number 100 207432 continues to make her team, her Filipino parents and their kababayan in Southern California proud.

And if Philippine cycling and Olympic Committee officials take her up on her dream of representing the country in the Olympics, she can surely carry Filipino pride high in the quadrennial games.

Filipino cycling pride

Cyclists race through Surakarta during the sixth stage from Yogyakarta to Madiun in the 2008 Speedy Tour d’Indonesia on Saturday. (Photo by JP/Blontank Poer )

It’s always inspiring to hear of Filipinos doing great against foreign competition in the world of sports. That’s what makes Manny Pacquiao a revered icon of Philippine sports, his ability to inspire and make every Juan and Juana, Pedro and Maria, Toto, Dodong, Utoy and even Abdul proud to be Pinoy.

The riders of Filipino cycling team Jazy Sports Beacon Philippines are doing that in Indonesia right now, making us proud to be Pinoys.

I saw this news just today at the Jakarta Post website on Jazy Sports Beacon rider Sherwin Carrera winning a neck-to-neck sprint in the 159.2 kilometer 7th stage of the Speedy Tour d’Indonesia on Sunday.  Sherwin had the same time as Suhardi Hassan and Wan Mohd Najmee Wan Mohammad, both from Malaysia, and home cyclists Projo Waseso and Tonton Susanto, undoubtedbly one of Southeast Asia’s best riders. Sherwin was eventually declared winner because of a time bonus.

Jazy Sports sits at 3rd overall in the team standings after seven stages, 27.30 behind Tabriz Petrochemical Team of Iran which leads the 14-team tour with a cumulative time 81.22.26, 22.54 ahead of Indonesia’s Customs Cycling Club in the second spot.

Sherwin and the other Jazy riders still have a long way to go. Five more stages are left in the 1,726 km. tour which ends December 5 in Bali.

We can’t be in Indonesia to cheer our boys on, but our prayers are surely with them as they carry our flag and Filipino cycling pride high.