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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider All eyes on Korean Joo as Tour of Luzon hits the road on Wednesday

All eyes on Korean Joo as Tour of Luzon hits the road on Wednesday

Published Apr 28, 2026 02:40 pm

At A Glance

  • The first stage is set to start at 9 a.m. in Casobe in Calatagan with riders expected to traverse the 150.1-km through quaint local towns all the way to Tagaytay City.
CALATAGAN, Batangas -- Korean Joo Dae Yeong returns to defend his individual title when the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026 hits the road on Wednesday, April 29, here.
The top rider from the Gapyeong Cycling Team banners the 89 cyclists from 13 local and foreign teams embarking on a thrilling 14-stage race, which will start in Calatagan and will go north in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley before heading westward in the Ilocos Region and Cordillera Autonomous Region until the May 13 Stage 14 finale at Scout Hill inside John Hay Hotels in Baguio City.
The first stage is set to start at 9 a.m. in Casobe in Calatagan with riders expected to traverse the 150.1-km through quaint local towns all the way to Tagaytay City.
Joo will be joined by teammates Cha Dong Heon, Jang Jun Hyeok, Lim Ye Seo, Jung Dae Ho and Jung Moon Soon in challenging the field that has team defending champion MPTC Drivehub, powerhouse Standard Insurance, and continental teams 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike PH and Go For Gold PH leading the local crew.
Rustom Lim leads MPTC Drivehub while Standard Insurance remains one of the teams to look out for in this race dubbed as “A Heritage in Motion” with a talent-laden veteran squad composed of notable riders Ronald Oranza, Junrey Navarra, Ronald Lomotos and Jeremy Lizardo.
Eleven Cliqq Roadbike, for its part, will parade with Jonel Carcueva and foreign reinforcements Antoine Huby, Jonty Harris and Cormac McGeough Breffni.
Also competing in the race are local bets Excellent Noodles Cycling Team, DReyna Orion Cement and Pangasinan Cycling Team, along with Seoul Cycling Team from South Korea, LCW UAE Cycling Team, the National Team of Malaysia, the Ponti Wuaya Racing Team from Indonesia and the CCN Factory Racing in Hong Kong.
After the Calatagan-Tagaytay Stage 1, the 1,821.1-kilometer race continues on Thursday, April 30 with the 43.40-km team trial Stage 2 from Clark to New Clark City, followed by the 145.40-km Stage 3 from New Clark City to Palayan City, 165.80-km Stage 4 from Palayan City to Bayombong, and the 130.60-km Stage 5 from Santiago City to Tuguegarao City.
The riders will then be put to test in Stage 6, a treacherous 228.80-km race from Tuguegarao City to Pagudpud, before the 22.80-km Stage 7 Team Time Trial around Pagudpud.
The race takes a break after that on May 6, before resuming action on May 7 for the 157.40-km Stage 8 from Pagudpud to Paoay, followed by the 142.60-km Stage 9 from Laoag City to Candon City, the 131.20-km Stage 10 from Candon City to Cervantes, the 158.70-km Stage 11 from Candon City to San Juan, and the 146.40-km Stage 12 from Agoo to Mangatarem.
The penultimate 20-km Stage 13 individual time trial will traverse along Lingayen, while the final 181.80-km Stage 14 will start in Lingayen and finish in Baguio City.
The race offers the richest prize pot in Tour history at P12 million, with the individual champion pocketing P1 million and the team titlist P2 million.

Related Tags

Joo Dae Yeong Tour of Luzon Standard Insurance 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike MPTC Drivehub
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