Korea's Joo, Standard Insurance 'get the bag' in Tour of Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — Joo Dae Yeung cornered more than P1 million as the individual classification champion, while Standard Insurance Philippines (SIP) banked the most in the team category with P1.63 million from the Tour of Luzon 2025’s total cash pot that sports patron Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) made juicier by raising the bar to more than P7 million.

Joo brought home with him to South Korea a total of P1,022,00 counting the cash he collected in Stage 1 where he clinched the Yellow, Most Combative and Sprint jerseys in the eight-stage race presented by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and organized by DuckWorld PH.

MPT DriveHub (MPTD) hoisted the Tour of Luzon Perpetual Trophy with a P1-million prize, but it was SIP of team principal Ernesto “Judes” Echauz that had the biggest stash underscored by the P500,000 that Jan Paul Morales earned after finishing a mere six seconds behind Joo in the race for individual honors.

“Saying that they smiled their way to the bank isn’t the right phrase for the cyclists in this Great Revival,” said DuckWorld PH chairman and the Tour’s top organizer Patrick “Pato” Gregorio. “The cyclists and the teams didn’t have to wait long to receive their cash prizes.”

Indeed, all 119 riders who started for the 17 teams in Stage 1 in Paoay last April 2024 were all smiles on the night of Labor Day, May 1, as the MPTC and DuckWorld PH disbursed all P7,031,500 in prizes in cold cash right after the Closing Ceremony at the Camp John Hay Convention Center.

“A big night for everyone after the sacrifices and hard work they poured in each of the eight stages of the Tour of Luzon,” said Arrey Perez, Tour of Luzon’s executive director who’s the MPTC’s Chief Regulatory Officer.

It was one night to remember for each of the 400-strong Tour entourage — from a memorable opening night on the holy grounds of the world heritage site Paoay (San Agustin) Church to the celebratory closing ceremony made festive by an electrifying performance by Ben&Ben.

The Tour has overachieved: more than 100.30 million views and engagements in social media and who won’t forget MVP himself making the total cash pot even juicier by personally raising to P1 million the individual winner’s prize originally pegged at P500,000.

“The Tour of Luzon is back, cycling is back … in warp speed,” Gregorio said.

The teams and their earnings were SIP (P1,628,500),  MPTD (P1,557,000), Gapyeong Cycling Team (GPCT, P1,062,500), Go for Gold (G4G, P850,000), Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team (VSPCT, P589,500), 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines (7RP, P399,500), Excellent Noodles Cycling Team (ENCT, P257,500), DReyna Orion Cement-Tatag Na Hindi Natitinag (P135,500), Philippines Under-23 Tom ‘N Toms Coffee (TNTC, P119,000), Malaysia Pro Cycling (P93,000), Dandex T-Prime Cycling Team (P70,000), Exodus Army Cycling Team (P63,000), Bryton Racing Tean Taiwan (P55,000), Crest Forwarder 1Team Visayas (P51,500), Team Pangasinan (P33,500), CCN Factory Racing Hong Kong (P33,000) and One Cycling Mindanao (P32,500).

The top 10 cash earners in the individual general classification were GPCT’s Joo (P1,022,000), SIP’s Morales (P581,000), MPTD’s Jonel Carcueva (P401,000), VSPC’s Nichol Pareja (P239,000), Best Young Rider G4G’s James Paul Ryan Escumbien (P201,000), SIP’s Jeremy Lizardo (P131,000), Eagle of the Mountain ENCT’s Joshua Pascual (P114,000), 7RP’s Rench Michael Bondoc (P113,500), SIP’s Ronald Oranza (P91,500) and G4G’s Jerico Jay Lucero (P82,500).

No entry or registration fee was collected from the teams for the Tour, which implemented doping tests in Stages 5 and 8 through the Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization.