PAOAY, Ilocos Norte. — The big names—from local officials to backers—showed up in the Tour of Luzon’s dazzling opening ceremony Wednesday at the cultural treasure Paoay Church here.
All the spotlight now falls on the riders as “The Great Revival” comes off the wraps Thursday with the 190.70-km Stage 1 Paoay to Paoay.
Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Manotoc and Paoay Mayor Shiella Galano rolled out the red carpet for the much-awaited return of the Tour before the big battle.
Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, also the chief of the sanctioning PhilCycling, also graced the opening rites.
For Tolentino, the revival of the fabled bike tilt was a long time coming.
“It is a thrilling and exciting time for all cycling enthusiasts and fans all over the country as the Great Revival of Tour of Luzon is now going to happen today,” Tolentino said. “The cycling community and fans have waited for this race. Now this is the moment.
“We are praying for the safety and health of all riders and all the people involved in this eight-day race, especially in this hot weather,” he added.
Seventeen teams made up of 119 riders bannered by the likes of continental squads Standard Insurance Philippines, 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, and Go for Gold Philippines seek to emerge as the overall winner for the whooping P500,000 and P1 million for the overall team champion in the Tour.
Out to give the Pinoy cyclists a run for their money are foreign teams CCN Factory HK from Hong Kong, Malaysia Pro Cycling, Bryton Racing Team from Taiwan and Gapyeong Cycling Team from South Korea.
“At the same time, we want to continue the legacy of former cycling leader Bert Lina. He already revived this cycling race a few years ago but it was stopped during the pandemic. This race is already in the UCI calendar before,” Tolentino said.
“We would like to thank Manny V. Pangilinan, Patrick Gregorio, and MPTC President Arrey Perez, and all the other people involved for supporting the great revival of this national cycling race.”
Gregorio, President of the organizing DuckWorld PH, said it best: Holding the Tour is for the Filipinos, which should also help bring the race back to relevance.
“We are all excited. We are all thankful, the Tour of Luzon is back. Thank you, MVP. Thank you MPTC and the MVP group,” he said. “This is for Philippine cycling. This is for the Filipino people.”
In the latter part of his speech, Manotoc rattled off the town’s delicacies—bagnet, longganisa, and pinakbet pizza, among others.
The riders needed all those last night when they hit the road Thursday.
