TURN ON THE HEAT: Korean survives scorching weather, tops Stage 1

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte — A tent that was put up within the hallowed grounds of the province’s most revered spot resembled a cage that housed a circus animal on a scorching Thursday afternoon following the finish of the Tour of Luzon’s initial stage.

There was no barbed wire nor a steel partition that separated the subject from a big number of onlookers but organizers made sure to protect the subject from the curious onlookers that gathered around his tent.

To make sure that Korean Daeyoung Joo doesn’t get bothered and pestered, a yellow tape was wrapped around his tent so he could cool properly down as the sunny weather was getting intense by the minute and the humidity made it even hotter.

As he was walking around the tent, the people, many of whom were cycling enthusiasts and just bystanders who waited for hours for the arrival of the racers, Joo looked cool, calm and collected.

Just moments ago, Joo zoomed to the finish line with a time of four hours, 12 minutes and 45 seconds to take top honors in the eight-leg race dubbed “The Great Revival” as homage to the classic road race of yesteryears.

Joo, 28, received immediate post-lap treatment from his team as soon as he finished the race and appeared still kind of fresh when sportswriters did a brief Q&A with him.

“I really wanted a solo finish,” said Joo, who rode under the Gapyeong Cycling Team and took control in the last 30 kilometers.

That was his plan all along as Joo left behind a bunch that included several top Filipino riders.

Joo was already in the company of his team and visibly relaxed when Ronald Oranza of Standard Insurance arrived four minutes and 32 seconds later. Third place went to Go For Gold’s Aidan Jaes Mendoza, who crossed eight seconds later.

A notable absentee was Jan Paul Morales, also of Standard Insurance, who was in the thick of the fight with Joo until he started to melt away and crashed in the last 400 meters, suffering bruises and cuts on his right shoulder and leg.

Oranza, who was being attended to by his team for cramps, admits Joo and the Koreans will be tough to beat.

“We competed against him in international races. We are also familiar with the other riders on the team,” Oranza said.

Joo will be wearing the symbolic red jersey when the race heads to Vigan in Ilocos Sur on Friday for Stage 2, leaving the opposition, composed of close to 120 riders from 17 teams, playing catch-up.

The first leg — the longest in the entire race at 190 kilometers — brought the cyclist to Laoag and the towns of Bacarra, Vintar, Bangui and Pagudpud before turning back to Paoay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for the 300-plus year-old San Agustin Church.

After Vigan, the race, which is being put up by Manny V. Pangilinan’s Group of Companies and organized by Duckworld, heads to La Union, Pangasinan, Pampanga and Benguet.

But nine of the 119-cast won’t make it back to the starting point on Friday after being classified as DNF, including five from Hong Kong and two each from Korea and the Philippines.

While there was concern that the Koreans could end up huffing and puffing, it was not entirely the case as evidenced by Joo’s solid showing.

As it turns out, the Korean club came in prepared.

Joo, who competed in Ronda before the pandemic, revealed that while he felt the hot weather during the first ten kilometers, he knew it was just temporary.

“I trained for this kind of weather,” Joo said.

“I did heat training for two weeks in Korea,” he added.

That’s bad news for the remaining 110 riders.