THE country will have another solid scouting ground for cyclists who want to be national team riders with the revival of the fabled Tour of Luzon, the traditional summer spectacle on wheels, scheduled April 24 to May 1, opening in Laoag, Ilocos Norte and finishing at the Camp John Hay in Baguio City.
“Why not? The revived Tour of Luzon will definitely be a great way to discover new road cyclists for our national team plus expanding our national pool of talents,” noted Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino during the event’s media launch last week.
Tolentino thanked Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. chief regulatory officer Arrey Perez, who was also present during the press briefing for supporting the return of the heritage-rich tour.
“The Tour of Luzon has a rich cycling legacy so there is a strong desire for us to revive the passion and the tradition of this summer biking showcase,” Perez said. “Boss MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) wants this event to be like the Tour de France.
“His vision in helping to support and organize this event is that he wants to see a team competing in the Tour de France so this is a like a kick-off to that goal.”
“Cycling is all about speed, determination and the courage to conquer the elements, much in the same way as what we do in business,” business tycoon and sportsman Manny Pangilinan, an avid cycling fan and a major force behind the tour’s revival, stressed.
“Business is like cycling; you train your body and prepare your mind, you set a goal to be ahead of the rest at the finish line—but in between, you face all sorts of challenges,” Pangilinan added.
With the main support of the MPTC and organized by DuckWorld PH, the Tour of Luzon will be an eight-stage cycling marathon covering a total of 1,050 kilometers over various kinds of challenging terrain.
“There will be all kinds of challenges for both sprinters and climbers. The sprinters may have an early advantage in the level stages but as the legs grow more difficult, the noted climbers will be the ones who could emerge the winner,” noted tournament director Lorenzo “Jun” Lomibao Jr. of the race route.
According to Lomibao, 15 to 20 teams, both local and based abroad, possibly from Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore, are expected to compete in the bikathon, which, starting next year, aims to be the season-ending race for road cyclists.
“We want the revived Tour of Luzon as the culminating event of the cycling season starting next year. The Tour of Luzon will be in April and the new cycling season starts in May, beginning with an endurance race from Baguio to Tagaytay with pocket races in-between,” Lomibao said.
The opening leg, he said, will be a relatively flat out-and-back 170-kilometer race from Laog City via Pagudpud and back to the Ilocos Norte provincial capital, followed by an 80-km team time trial sprint event from Laoag to Vigan, Ilocos Sur the next day.
Continuing with its trek through Ilocandia, the third stage will be another level course on April 26 covering 170 kilometers from Vigan to Agoo, La Union, followed by the 150-km. fourth stop from Agoo to Clark in Angeles City, Pampanga the succeeding day
Sprinters are expected to have another field day in the April 28 120-km out-and-back criterium within the Clark Freeport Zone passing through the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, before the race moves to its sixth leg, a 150-km. grind from Clark to Lingayen, Pangasinan.
The penultimate leg on April 30 will be a 30-km individual time trial around the Pangasinan provincial capital before the teams and riders assault the back-breaking and pivotal final leg on May 1, Labor Day – the grueling uphill 180-km grind from Lingayen to Baguio via Kennon Road.
“The final stage is where the men are separated from the boys,” noted Duckworld PH chairman and Philippine Rowing Association Pato Gregorio.
The cyclists wind up at the picturesque Camp John Hay finish line, with the individual overall winner getting a well-earned P500,000 championship prize, while the overall team champion will be awarded P 1 million.
