4 foreign squads pose challenge to local bets

The Tour of Luzon was intended to resurrect multi-stage road racing in the country but its lure went into overdrive resulting in four foreign teams competing against 12 continental and domestic club teams in the eight-stage competition dubbed the “Great Revival.”

News about the Tour of Luzon spread in Thailand in February during the 2025 Asian Cycling Confederation Road Championships and, as they say, the rest was history.

“We’re not even on the international calendar of the UCI (International Cycling Union) yet, but enthusiasm and interest about the Tour of Luzon are as feverish as they are here at home,” said Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, president of DuckWorld PH, organizer of the Tour of Luzon presented by the MVP Group’s Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation led by its chief regulatory officer Arrey Perez.

Joining the fray in the Tour of Luzon that flags off on Thursday in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, are the CCN Factory HK from Hong Kong, Malaysia Pro Cycling, Bryton Racing Team from Taiwan and Gapyeong Cycling Team from South Korea.

“They are just four of several foreign teams which asked to be invited to the Tour,” Perez said.

“For the Tour to be just revived, its proof that the label, the race itself, indeed makes it a national treasure.”

All four foreign squads will be up against their fellow Philippine UCI continental teams 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, Standard Insurance Philippines, Go For Gold Philippines and Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team in the race sanctioned by the PhilCycling, headed by Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, president of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

But tough challenges are also expected from Philippines National Under-23-Tom N Toms Coffee and active club teams Excellent Noodles, DReyna Orion Cement, Dandez T-Prime Cycling Team, Exodus Army, MPT Drive Hub Cycling Team, 1 Team Visayas, One Cycling Mindanao and Team Pangasinan.

The Philippines was in the UCI calendar for 10 years through the Le Tour de Filipinas, a legacy of the late Air21 founder and chairman Alberto “Bert” Lina, the country’s cycling godfather.

After the kick off Paoay-Paoay Stage 1, Stage 2 will be a Paoay-Vigan team time trial race, followed by the Vigan-San Juan Stage 3, Agoo-Clark Stage 4, Clark-Clark (via New Clark City) Stage 5, Clark-Lingayen Stage 6, Labrador-Lingayen individual time trial Stage 7 and finally the queen Stage 8 from Lingayen to the Scout Hill finish inside Camp John Hay in Baguio City.

A cool P1 million awaits the champion team while the individual champion gets P500,000 in the Tour of Luzon which forged partnerships with the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, GO21, Dong Feng Motors, Victory Liner, Digital Out of Home, Public Safety Savings and Loan Association Inc., Unilab, Huawei, Toyota, MVP Group/We Are Sports and Pilipinas Live.