LABRADOR, Pangasinan. — When MPT Drivehub Cycling Team rider Mervin Corpuz stood on the podium and raised his right hand in jubilation at the close of Stage 6 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon Tuesday in Lingayen, one of his happiest supporters looked all too familiar—one of the faces of the sport many years ago—four-time Tour champion Santy Barnachea.
Barnachea is Corpuz’s maternal uncle, and like the veteran cyclist who has two Ronda Pilipinas and Le Tour titles each, Corpuz is raring to equal, if not surpass, Barnachea’s glowing laurels.
“Umakyat ako sa overall (individual general classification), ang target ko talaga iyong mahihirap. Sa Baguio, doon magkakaalaman. Matira ang matibay,’’ Corpuz said after ruling the sixth lap of “The Great Revival.”
“Ang goal ko ay mag-champion kung papalarin. Ini-improve ko ang sarili ko palagi,” he added.
Corpuz, 27, is also a pride of Umingan town in the province of Pangasinan, long the home to cycling greats such as Jacintico Sicam, Teodorico Rimarim, Samson Carino, Samson Etrata, Modesto Bolzo, Romeo Bolzo, and Ruben Cariño.
Initially a cager for Quezon Memorial Academy in high school, the 5-foot-11 Corpuz switched to cycling mainly due to the influence of Barnachea.
While he did not finish college, Corpuz said he would have become a seafarer if he had not had the passion for biking.
“Nag-start ako mag-bike noong 2013 and pagkatapos ko pong grumaduate sa high school,” Corpuz said. “Tapos napasama na po ako kay tito.”
He had the same time of three hours, 31 minutes, and 12 seconds with Muhammad Zahin Wahhi of the Malaysia Pro Cycling Team for second in the 174.5-km route from Clark, Pampanga to the seaside provincial capital in the race presented by DuckWorld PH and Cignal.
Corpuz, who also saw action for 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines and Excellent Noodles, is treating the comeback summer cycling extravaganza as the run of his life in a bid to upend yellow jersey holder Dae Yeong Joo of South Korea’s Gapyeong Cycling Team.
“Focused ako sa climb. Siguro kung sabayan kaya ko,” he said. “Binabasa ko rin ang galaw niya (Joo). Kung makina nga nag-o-overheat, tao pa kaya.”
The 15.2-km individual time trial Stage 7 of the tour that is also backed by Pilipinas Live, Meralco, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Health, Megaworld, Landco, PLDT, Smart and endorsed by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, Games and Amusements Board, BCDA and MVP Sports Foundation rolled off Wednesday here.
One more lap, the Baguio stage, and one chance for Corpuz to complete his mission. The country and his provincemates await.
