BAGUIO CITY, Benguet. — A sea of people came in droves at the end of the war zone, with some dressed in complete cycling gear, bringing along their bikes, amid the dark skies and gloomy weather hovering over the country’s summer capital.
The atmosphere and ending proved to be perfect for Gapyeong Cycling Team skipper Dae Yeong Joo, who pedaled with only one teammate in his final journey, briefly lost the lead after a rear tire early on, but not his heart.
It was a fitting and thrilling finish for Joo, who bagged the individual overall title after the last stage of the MPTC Tour of Luzon on Thursday that began at Barangay Quibaul in Lingayen, Pangasinan and concluded at the chilly Camp John Hay here.
Overcome with emotions as raindrops started to pour, Joo hugged his coach, Hyun Chi Yun, and wept like a baby. What he endured in “The Great Revival” surely was not for babies.
Joo clocked 22 hours, 21 minutes and eight seconds to nip Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance Philippines by the slimmest of margins—six seconds— for a cool P1 million in a duel that went down as one of the closest in the history of the Tour.
MPT Drivehub’s Jonel Carcueva wound up third in the overall general classification, 52 seconds back, while Victoria Sports’ Nichol Pareja finished fourth, 54 seconds behind the South Korean, and fifth placer Jeremy Lizardo of Standard Insurance Philippines, 2:32 adrift of Joo.
Excellent Noodles Cycling Team’s Joshua Pascual ruled the queen stage and captured the “Eagle of the Mountain” crown with a time of 4:16:14, with Morales and Jonel Carcueva behind by 2:20 and 2:37, respectively.
With his side reduced to just two riders after several crashes in the past seven legs, Joo, 28, displayed an uncanny Korean spirit.
“I’m not thinking that much about the yellow jersey,” Joo said. “I just kept on going.
“There are many strong Filipino riders and I just followed (today). I just wanted to finish well,” he added.
The yellow jersey holder since Stage 1 in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Joo squandered his lead of 2:10 to MPT Drivehub’s Mervin Corpuz, who grabbed the provisional overall lead by 2:30 as part of the 11-man lead pack from the flat roads of Pangasinan to the scenic Lion’s Head in Benguet in the punishing 177.54-km ascent of the bike tilt presented by DuckWorld PH and Cignal.
Joo broke away from the peloton despite his Filipino rivals tightly guarding him starting in Villasis, Pangasinan, a move that eventually catapulted him to victory.
Morales, 39, the crowd favorite, gamely accepted his near-miss in the storied return of the Tour backed by Pilipinas Live, Meralco, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Health, Megaworld, Landco, PLDT and Smart.
“Siyempre, may kaunting panghihinayang. Masaya na rin ako sa performance ko kahit may iniinda,” the Ronda Pilipinas titlist, who still raced despite a crucial crash in the last 400 meters of the opening leg, said. “Ito kasing road race, anybody’s race.”
MPT Drivehub was crowned the team general classification winner with 88:22:02 for P1 million while Standard Insurance ended No. 2, 11 seconds slower. The Go For Gold Philippines Cycling Team finished third, (3:03) back.
Some three hours after the race, it rained in the busy tourist attraction that served as a riveting backdrop to Joo’s completed mission.
