All systems go for Tour of Luzon’s ‘revival’ in Ilocos Norte

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte — Four battle-tested Philippine continental teams seeking to impose their will, four dangerous foreign squads eyeing to give a strong challenge, and a slew of wide-eyed Filipino young riders out to prove their worth will battle it out against each other and nature’s elements when the Tour of Luzon gets another lease of life Thursday here in this charming town.

Fittingly called the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2025: “Great Revival,” the 1,074-kilometer, eight-stage summer cycling spectacle will be unwrapped via its longest stage — a grueling 190.7km Stage One that will start and end near the majestic, centuries old San Agustin or Paoay Church.

A total of 119 cyclists from 17 teams will vie not just for the total pot worth P6.1 million, including P1 million to the team champion and P500,000 the overall individual winner, but also the distinction as its first champion on the fabled race’s much awaited return.

And this early, four of them are being tipped to lead the country’s campaign — veteran internationalists Standard Insurance Philippines, Go for Gold, Victoria Sports and a retooled 7-Eleven Road Bike Philippines.

Of the four, expect the Navymen of Standard Insurance to draw most of the attention, having a veteran-laden lineup that includes skipper Ronald Oranza, Jan Paul Morales, Ronald Lomotos and George Oconer — all former winners of the defunct Ronda Pilipinas.

“We’re going for the win, of course, but we know it will not be easy because there are strong young riders that are also competing and we can’t also discount the foreign teams,” said Reinhard Gorantes, one of Standard’s team leaders.

Go for Gold, which will be spearheaded by the talented Jericho Jay Lucero, and Victoria Sports, headed by Marcelo Felipe and Daniel Cariño, should also challenge for the crown.

“Our strength is our young harders, who are all out to prove themselves,” said Go for Gold director Ednalyn Hualda.

“Our team is prepared. We have raced in Europe in preparation for this,” said Victoria Sports director Joshua Cariño, a 2018 Tour champion.

7-Eleven is another squad that should make its mark as it parades a youth-laden squad led by skipper Rench Michael Bondoc.

“We have a young but experienced team because we have raced internationally. This is their chance to show their worth,” said 7-Eleven director Mark Galedo, a Tour and Ronda titlist and a Southeast Asian Games gold winner.

The foreign squads — Hong Kong’s CCN Factory Racing, Malaysia Pro Cycling Team, Bryton Racing Team of Taiwan and Gapyeong Cycling Team of South Korea — should also give the local teams a run for the money.

Also expected to throw their hat into the ring are Tom ‘N Toms, composed of the national Under-23 squad, a Cris Joven- and Dominic Perez-led Exodus Army, and Excellent Noodles.

Other teams seeing action are DReyna Orion Cement, Dandex T-Prime Cycling Team, MPT Drivehub Cycling Team, Crest Forwarder (1Team Visayas), One Cycling Mindanao and Pangasinan.

Pangasinan, the country’s cycling hotbed and producer of many Tour champs in the past, was still waiting for its team captain, Efren Reyes Jr., to get his approval from the Army, where he is an enlisted personnel, for him to be able to race.

If not, the team may just end up replacing the veteran Reyes with Ronyl Erquiza and assign deputy Jefferson Capua as its new skipper.

“Whatever happens, we’ll try to make our province proud,” said a shy Capua.

The race is presented by Cignal, backed by Pilipinas Live, Meralco, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Health, Megaworld, Landco, PLDT and Smart and organized in partnership with Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Go21, Dongfeng, Victory Liner, DOOH, PSSLAI, Unilab, Huawei, Toyota and supported by Microtel by Wyndham, Gatorade, Drivehub, Homestretch, POC, Philippine Sports Commission, Games and Amusements Board, BCDA and MVP Sports Foundation.

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