PAOAY, Ilocos Norte — Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio bared a bold plan of creating a bigger and even more competitive cycling competition.
Gregorio has pushed for the creation of the Southeast Asia Pro Cycling Tour (SEA PCT), which aims to elevate the competitiveness of cyclists in the region.
The local sports agency chief raised the creation of the new flagship competition during the successful summit of SEA sports leaders held earlier this week in Bali, Indonesia.
“I pushed for the creation of the Southeast Asian Pro Cycling Tour. Like this (Tour of Luzon). This is part of what I’m pushing for,” said Gregorio as he graced Stage 8 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026 on Thursday here.
According to Gregorio, the SEA PCT seeks to attract elite cyclists worldwide and provide a pathway for Southeast Asian riders to one day compete in cycling’s grand tours, including the Tour de France.
The competition will be a series of events around the SEA region.
“Imagine, now we have this Tour of Luzon. Then, you have the Tour of Langkawi and then there is also the Tour of Timor. If we can combine those, then it is a great cycling program,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gregorio was satisfied with the traction and interest that the Tour of Luzon has generated on different social media platforms just halfway through the 14-stage event.
“Last year, we had 103 million views, if I am not mistaken. But when I checked yesterday, we already had 90 million views. We are only at Stage 8. We are still going to Pangasinan, we are still going to Baguio,” he said.
“As I said, my target, my challenge to everyone, is 100 million views. But compared to last year, maybe this is three times more,” Gregorio added.
“So, I am really very happy with this result.”