MPTC Tour of Luzon, 14-stage race, kicks off in Calatagan, Batangas

CALM before the storm.

A total of 91 cyclists from seven local teams and six foreign squads will have one day to get everything in order before wading into battle against themselves and everything nature has to offer in the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026 that unfurls on Wednesday in Calatagan, Batangas and ends in Baguio on May 13.

A simple but meaningful opening ceremony and a traditional team presentation have been set on Tuesday at CaSoBe fronting the shore of Balayan Bay where Philippine Sports Commission Chair Patrick C. Gregorio, who is the father of the Tour’s revival last year, Chief Organizer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arrey Perez and MediaQuest CEO and Tour Board Member Ricky Vargas are expected to attend.

Also gracing the festivities unfurling at 5 p.m. are NLEX President and General Manager Luis Reñon, Games and Amusements Board Chair Francisco Rivera, Calatagan Mayor Rico Puno, and Cardinal Santos Medical Center President and CEO Raul Pagdanganan with Philippine Olympic Committee Chief Abraham Tolentino is expected to deliver a message.

And then it will be off to the races.

Joo Dae Yeong will be back to replicate his feat of ruling the individual race of last year’s eight-stage edition as skipper of Gapyeong Cycling Team of South Korea.

Interestingly, there would be two Korean squads with the other one being Seoul Cycling Team.

But compared to last year, this one should be tougher as it is now a 1,821.1-kilometer, 14-stage race that would traverse Tagaytay, Clark in Pampanga, New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, Palayan in Nueva Ecija, Bayombong in Nueva Vizcaya, Santiago in Tuguegarao, Pagudpud, Paoay and Laoag in Ilocos Norte, Candon in Ilocos Sur, San Juan and Agoo in La Union, Mangatarem and Lingayen in Pangasinan and, finally, at Camp John Hay in City of Pines.

Other foreign teams joining are LCW UAE Cycle, Malaysian national team, CCN Factory Racing of Hong Kong, and Ponti Wijaya Racing Team of Indonesia while the host country will have defending team champion MPTC DriveHub, 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, Standard Insurance, Go for Gold and DReyna Orion Cement. — Joey Villar