BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — Come ride where legends are born. Come find yourself in the Cordilleras, thus stated the Department of Tourism as the revived Tour of Luzon held its finish at Camp John Hay in Baguio City on May 1, 2025.
More than a hundred cyclists kicked off the last stage of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation Tour of Luzon dubbed as the “Great Revival” from the sandy beaches of Lingayen to several municipalities of Pangasinan before heading to the most dreaded climb towards Baguio City. Many spectators lined up the along the 172.53-km route that ended at the Scout Hill inside Camp John Hay.
Joshua Pascual from Excellent Noodles Cycling Team emerged the “Eagle of the Mountain” after registering the fastest time in the stage 8 featuring the dreaded uphill run through the 32-kilometer historic Kennon Road along Tuba, Benguet leading to Baguio City.
Pascual, the pride of Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, clocked in 4 hours, 16 minutes and 14 seconds to win the last and most difficult leg of the competition and a P100,000 cash prize.
In the overall individual category, Joo Dae Yeong of South Korea’s Gapyeong Cycling Team logged the overall best time of 22 hours, 21 minutes and eight seconds to rule the Tour of Luzon 2025. He pocketed the P1 million top purse.
The two-time national Korean champion captured the overall individual title after eight grueling stages that started in Paoay, Ilocos Norte and passed by Ilocos Sur, La Union, Tarlac, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Benguet.
Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance Philippines claimed second place with a time of 22:21:14, merely six seconds difference from that of the Joo Dae Yeong.
Jonel Carcueva of MPT Drivehub logged 22:22:00 to bag third place.
The Tour of Luzon is an annual professional road bicycle race that started summer of 1955. It has been called different names over the yearsbut this year, it took back its old name and tagged the Great Revival.
The Great Revival was participated by a total of 119 cyclists from 17 teams with 13 local and four international teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and South Korea.
Organizers said that the MPTC Tour of Luzon highlighted the celebration of athletic excellence and a testament to the growing support for local cycling in the country.
“This event proved once again that the Cordilleras is more than just a destination—it is a challenge, an experience, and a crown jewel of sports tourism in the Philippines,” the DOT CAR stated in its post. (JDP/RMC-PIA CAR)
