MANILA---Rahim Emami brought his mountain-climbing prowess down to a flat course that kicked off the 2011 Le Tour de Filipinas yesterday.

The Iranian from Azad University ruled the 67.2-kilometer criterium in one hour, 28 minutes and 32 seconds at the Rajah Sulaiman Park on Roxas Boulevard.

Ericsson Obosa of 7-Eleven arrived five seconds behind Rahim, towing a nine-man second group that included foreign bets Hamid Shiri Sisan (Suren Cycling), Alex Coutts (Giant Kenda) and Azad U’s Amir Zargari.

Sisan was later ranked third over fellow Iranian Zargari while Briton Coutts, the reigning Le Tour champion David McCann’s deputy, placed ninth.

McCann also checked in with a large group and finished 17th, seven seconds behind the lap winner.

“It’s just the opening stage. Though I’m not familiar with the terrain in the succeeding laps, I’m determined to give it all in the next three days,” said the 39-year-old Irishman who dominated last year’s four-day challenge by over six minutes.

Rahim seized the prestigious yellow jersey for today’s second stage from Balanga, Bataan, to Iba, Zambales.

The 29-year-old mountain climber also earned a 10-second bonus from his accumulated overall time in the four-day bikathon calendared in the Asia Tour of the world-governing Union Cycliste Internationale and presented by Kia Motors with Smart and Air21 as partners.

Also finishing with identical times after Zargari were Air21’s Merculio Ramos, Eusebio Quiñones of Shopinas, 7-11’s Lloyd Lucien Reynante and Irish Valenzuela, Coutts and Smart’s Baler Ravina.

Obosa earned a bonus of eight seconds while Sisan got six seconds in the initial lap of the multistage race.

With Obosa, Valenzuela and Reynante in the top 10, 7-Eleven installed itself on top of the team race with an aggregate time of 4:25:51, 10 seconds better than the Smart team of Ravina, skipper Tomas Martinez and Oscar Rendole.

The event is backed by Wow Videoke, American Vinyl, Phoenix Fuel, Maynilad, Cannondale-
Mavic, Roadbike Philippines, 7-Eleven, Integrated Waste Management, Shopinas and SignMedia.

After the race, the Tour entourage boarded a ferry to Orani, Bataan, before motoring to nearby Balanga, the starting point of the 153.60-km up and down Stage 2.

June Navarro, Inquirer.net