WITH the fabled Tour of Luzon coming back this summer, organizers hope to expand it further in the future and make it part of a series of international events that will lure more riders from around the world.
This is the vision of organizers, led by Philippine Olympic Committee president and PhilCycling chief Abraham Tolentino of the weeklong professional road cycling race that attracted at least 15 teams.
But for now, competitions will be limited to a journey across Northern Luzon, before organizers decide to stretch the routes to Visayas and Mindanao in the coming years and link it up with other international races afterwards.
“Dito tayo papunta, na pumasok ito sa UCI (international cycling body) calendar,” said Tolentino during Friday’s press conference at the Lighthouse, Meralco Building in Ortigas.
The Tour of Luzon, which was last held in 2019 as the Le Tour de Filipinas, will have eight stages covering seven provinces, with the support of telecommunications’ executive Manny Pangilinan.
“Cycling is all about speed, determination and the courage to conquer the elements, much in the same way as what we do in business,” said Pangilinan.
The race, which cover more than a thousand kilometers, is slated from April 24 to May 1.
Navy-Standard Insurance Philippines is set to bring back its riders, who dominated the races in 2019, along with rivals from 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines, Victoria Cycling Team, Go-For-Gold and Philippine Army.
Also coming in are riders from Excellent Noodles, D’ Reyna, Dandex Multi-Sports and MPT DriveHub.
Provincial team Tagaytay City-Tom N Toms Toms, Nueva Vizcaya, Davao and Cebu are also taking part with the National Under-23 team.
Foreign riders from the Singapore National Team, the ASC Monsters of Indonesia, the Vietnam National Team and Thailand are also listed.
“After the launch, negotiations will begin with the local teams as well as the overseas teams that asked to be invited,’’ said race director Jun Lomibao.
The races, fondly called the annual “Summer Sports Spectacle on Wheels” is supported Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) with their event partner and organizer, DuckWorld PH.
The team champion, according to MPTC top exec Arrey Perez, will bring home P1 million and a year’s possession of the Tour of Luzon Perpetual Trophy.
The general classification or individual overall champion will earn P500,000.
Known as “The Great Revival,” the Tour of Luzon 2025 reels off with a 170-km out-and-back route via Pagudpud in Stage 1 in Laoag City on April 24.
It will be followed by an 80-km team time trial in Stage 2 from Laoag City to Vigan City on April 25.
Stage 3 is slated from Vigan City to Agoo in La Union on April 26, before it heads south to Clark over 150 kms in Stage 4 on April 27.
April 28 will have Stage 5, through the scenic SCTEX road, with riders taking off from Clark toward the u-turn at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, with the 120-km route passing through the iconic Sacobia Bridge.
From Clark, it will be the 150-km Stage 6 on April 29 to the Pangasinan Provincial Capitol just off Lingayen Gulf.
The penultimate Stage 7 is calendared on April 30, a 30-km individual time trial stage—enough for them to prepare for the the final Stage 8, a punishing 180-km route from Lingayen on Labor Day to Camp John Hay in Baguio City.
The last 25 kms will all an uphill battle on Kennon Road where cyclists, mostly climbing specialists, will fight it out to the Scout Hill finish, one of the toughest final 3-km stretches in the tour’s history.