23 hours Ago By Rob Andrew Dongiapon
window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "middle-1" );window.
rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );MANILA, Philippines – One of the most fabled Philippine sports summer traditions is back on the road. The Tour of Luzon returns on April 24 in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, before voyaging through eight different stages across seven Northern and Central Luzon provinces, culminating at Camp John Hay in Baguio City.
Launched in 1955, the Tour of Luzon was revived this year after being shelved in 2019. With its return, the Tour of Luzon promises to recapture its lost glory. Here are things to expect from “The Great Revival.
”Uphill battlesThere will be eight stages, covering a total of 1,074.90 kilometers from Paoay to Baguio. The opening stage will commence in the 190.
70-kilometer Paoay-Paoay (via Pagudpud) on April 24.It will then go from Paoay to Vigan in the 68.39km Stage 2 on April 25, before going from Vigan to San Juan, La Union on Stage 3, which runs for about 130.
33km. From La Union, the race will continue toward Clark for Stage 4 in a 162.97km route.
Stage 5 will then go from New Clark City to Tarlac, which has a distance of 166.65km. Lingayen will be the next stop in Stage 6 in a 168.
19km path, before a 15.14km individual time trial Labrador-Lingayen Stage 7 on April 30.For those who will survive the weeklong battery tests, the race will culminate in a 172.
53km route from Lingayen to a top-of-the-hill finish at the Scout Hill section inside Camp John Hay, where the ultimate winner will be determined. Kennon Road will be the highlight of the final race as its all-uphill 32km final part, with gradients that go beyond 20 percent, awaits the survivors. Top local, international riderswindow.
rapplerAds.displayAd( "middle-2" );window.rapplerAds.
displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );The Tour of Luzon has been home to some of the country’s biggest cycling stars since its inception. This year’s edition will be no different. A total of 119 cyclists — 17 teams of 7 riders each — will take the road in the punishing Luzon routes.
These riders come from all over the nation, along with some teams from neighboring Asian countries, to make up the star-studded cast. Local teams include 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, Standard Insurance Philippines, Go For Gold Philippines, Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team, Philippines Under-23-Tom N Toms Coffee, 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.On the other hand, CCN Factory HK from Hong Kong, Malaysia Pro Cycling, Bryton Racing Team from Taiwan, and Gapyeong Cycling Team from South Korea will be the foreign squads in the tour.
Hefty prize potA hefty prize purse also awaits the top finishers of the race made possible through the partnership of Patrick “Patò” Gregorio, president of DuckWorld PH, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), and Cignal TV.The champion team will bring home the race’s Perpetual Trophy on top of a P1 million prize purse, while individual champions will get P500,000 in each leg. According to Gregorio, the Tour will also revive the “Eagle of the Mountain” title, which will be given to the winner of Stage 8 in Baguio City.
“From start to finish, from Stage 1 to the queen final Stage 8 in Camp John Hay, it will not only be a race about who’s the strongest, but also about who’s the smartest,” said Gregorio. – Rappler.com.
