The Great Revival
Cycling, both professionally and as a form of exercise or recreation, has been seeing a boom in recent years. On any given weekend, in the designated car-less areas of Metro Manila like in the Mall of Asia complex, Ayala Avenue, and, of course, the University of the Philippines Diliman Academic Oval, you would see a significant number of bikers and cyclists of all sizes and of all ages. Such is the love of the Filipino for the bicycle.
The country has had a premier cycling road race which started way back in 1955 and was a four-stage race from Manila to Vigan. The year after, in 1956, it was named the Tour of Luzon which was carried into 1976. Subsequently, there were no Tours in 1968, and in 1970-1972.
Interestingly, in 1977, there were two Tours: one, the Tour ng Pilipinas; and the other, the Marlboro Tour ng Pilipinas. In 1979, with Philip Morris becoming the main sponsor, the tour was renamed as The Marlboro Tour, and this was carried on to 1998 (except in 1980 and 1981 when they were called the Tour of the Philippines), with some of the stages or legs expanding to the Visayas. During this time, the known commentator and broadcaster of the Tour de France and other world-renowned races, Phil Liggett, MBE, was invited to commentate on the Marlboro Tour.
In 1999, Philip Morris ended its sponsorship of the Tour. In 2002, the Tour was revived by the late businessman and former Customs Commissioner Bert Lina, who sponsored the Tour via his own company Air 21. His support for the Tour ws carried on to 2007.
In 2009, the Tour was again revived as the Padyak Pinoy Tour of Champions, which became the Le Tour de Filipinas in 2010 all the way to 2020 when it was cancelled at the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bert Lina still provided support to Le Tour.
And so, we have now come to The Great Revival, the return of the Tour of Luzon, under the partnership of Duckworld PH of Patrick “Pato” Gregorio with Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., considered as the largest toll road developer and operator in the Philippines, and also the biggest private sector toll road developer and operator in Southeast Asia, chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan, or MVP.
The Great Revival is also presented by Cignal TV, backed by Pilipinas Live, Meralco, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Health, Megaworld, Landco, PLDT and Smart, and organized in partnership with Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Go21, Dongfeng, Victory Liner, DOOH, PSSLAI, Unilab, Huawei, Toyota and supported by Microtel by Wyndham, Gatorade, Drivehub, Homestretch, POC, Philippine Sports Commission, Games and Amusements Board, BCDA and MVP Sports Foundation.
The 1,074-kilometer, eight-stage summer cycling spectacle kicked off with its longest stage — a grueling 190.7-km Stage One that will start and end near the majestic, centuries-old San Agustin or Paoay Church in the historic town of Paoay in Ilocos Norte, home province of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
A total of 119 cyclists from 17 teams will vie not just for the total pot worth P6.1 million including P1 million to the team champion and P500,000 for the overall individual winner (doubled to P1 million by MVP midway of the Tour), but also the distinction as the Tour’s first champion in its much-anticipated return.
No less than the presidential nephew, Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc, kicked off the inaugural race in Paoay, together with Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Philippine Olympic Committee president and Philcycling head.
Gov. Manotoc emphasized that the event supports the province’s vision to become a leading hub for sports development and tourism. “We have long aspired to become the sports tourism hub of the country in the north. The national dragon boat team used to train here at Paoay Lake, and we want to be the go-to destination north of Manila for any sporting events,” he said.
“I believe that Ilocos Norte is the only province that can offer you a slice of Dubai in the sand dunes of the Philippines (in Paoay and Laoag City), a slice of Boracay in the crown jewel of the North in Saud Beach, and a slice of Baguio in Solsona-Apayao Road. We hope you get to enjoy our province, and I hope you will be able to come back,” Manotoc said.
For his part, Arrey Perez, the tour executive director and chief regulatory officer of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., highlighted that the tour is a celebration of athletic excellence and a testament to the growing support for local cycling.
“We open the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2025 thankful for the dream and the work that has led us all here, thankful to be in the company of like-minded people who see the magnificent potential of Philippine cycling and are tireless in making sure that it’s realized,” he said.
The race culminated in the queen stage, Stage 8, a challenging 172.53-kilometer ride from Lingayen to the finish line at Scout Hill inside Camp John Hay in Baguio City.
Pato Gregorio invited Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla to attend the awarding program in Baguio City during the last day of competitions. Impressed by what he saw, Secretary Jonvic guaranteed to Pato and the race bosses that he would lend a hand to the staging of the 2026 races.
“Summer won’t be the same again,” MVP, Metro Pacific chairman, president and CEO, said of the Tour. “Cycling is all about speed, determination and the courage to conquer the elements, much in the same way as what we do in business.”
“Business is like cycling,” MVP said. “You train your body and prepare your mind, you set a goal to be ahead of the rest at the finish line — but in between you face all sorts of challenges.”
Expect the already hot summer to get even hotter every year onwards with the thrill and excitement that the Great Revival of the Tour of Luzon can bring. Pedal on! *
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