The biggest cash pot ever in Philippine cycling history of P12 million will be up for grabs in the 2026 MPTC Tour of Luzon with the rider wearing the yellow jersey at the end of the 14-stage race bringing home P1 million, and the team that stands atop the podium rejoicing its way to the bank with P2 million.

“Expect the battle for victory to rage on until the checkered flag waves,” said Arrey Perez, chief organizer and CEO of the Tour on Easter Sunday.

“With the peloton neck-and-neck, every pedal stroke counts, and only the strongest will claim the top spot!”

“The race is expected to be tight and exciting to the very end,” he said.

“‘Get ready for a heart-stopping, adrenaline-fueled ride!”

The general classification winner, or individual champion, bags P1 million, and the runner-up gets P500,000, a significant half-a-million difference.

The same with the race for the Tour of Luzon perpetual trophy — the team champion’s purse of P2 million is pegged at P500,000 more than the second placer of the race that kicks off in 25 days on 29 April at CaSoBe in Calatagan.

“The goal is to be the champions — individual and team — because getting second place are miles and miles behind (in terms of cash prizes),” Perez said.

The total pot and champion’s purse are the biggest in the Tour that had its humble yet historic beginnings in the Manila-Vigan Race in 1954, with the richest being the 1995 race where Renato Dolosa won the second of his two trophies and P500,000 and a brand new car.

“Surely this Tour of Luzon will be a battle,” said Dolosa, now a road race commissaire.

“Look at the difference in prizes between the champion and the runner-up, that’s a lot to fight for to the end.”

Dolosa went down in Tour history as a champion who didn’t win any stage in the 1992 Marlboro Tour and ruled only one — Cabanatuan City to Santiago City (Isabela) — in 1995.

The Marlboro Tour went on to hike the prize money to P500,000 for the individual champion in its last three years from 1996 to 1998, after which the champion also got P500,000 in the summer sports spectacle’s Alberto Lina era.

The pot hit P1 million in the inaugural edition of the Ronda Pilipinas.

The prizes for both team and general classification are scaled down in the race supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, MVP Group, title sponsor MPTC, and raced under International Cycling Union regulations through the sanctioning national federation PhilCyling.

The third-placed rider after 14 stages in gets P400,000; fourth P300,000; fifth P250,000; sixth P200,000, seventh 175,000; eighth P150,000; ninth P125,000; and 10th 100,000

The team prizes from third to 10th place are pegged at P1,000,000; P500,000; 400,000, P300,000; 250,000;, P200,000; P150,000; P150,000; and P100,000.

The Eagle of the Mountain — the climber with the most King of the Mountain (Polka Dot) points — will clinch P350,000; the Sprint King (Green) P300,000; and the Best Young Rider (White, U23) P200,000.

The Stage Winner (Purple) will be rewarded P10,000, Most Combative (Red) P3,000 for 11 stages, and the Yellow jersey is worth P15,000 each day.