PAOAY, ILOCOS NORTE—Under the intense heat of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, South Korean cyclist Joo Dae Young of the Gapyeong Cycling Team powered to victory in the opening stage of the MPTC Tour of Luzon on Thursday.
Joo completed the grueling 190.70-kilometer course, which started and finished in front of the historic 300-year-old Paoay church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a time of 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 45 seconds.
Ronald Oranza from Standard Insurance Philippines finished second, trailing by a huge 4 minutes and 32 seconds, while Aidan James Mendoza of Go For Gold Cycling Team secured third place, 4 minutes and 40 seconds behind the leader.
“I was aiming for a solo victory, and that’s exactly how it played out,” said Joo after his impressive sprint past Jan Paul Morales in Bacarra town, approximately 30 kilometers from the finish line.
Joo’s decisive move ensured him the coveted red jersey, signifying his overall lead in the general classification.
The 28-year-old sprint specialist will wear this jersey in Friday’s Stage 2 team time trial to Vigan City.
“My strategy also included securing sprint points throughout the race,” Joo added, having won all three sprint segments of the stage.
The inaugural stage of the eight-stage race saw the riders from 17 teams traverse through Laoag City and the towns of Vintar and Pasuquin before turning back in Pagudpud towards the finish.
The revival of the historic national cycling marathon is backed by Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Go21, Dongfeng, Victory Liner, DOOH, PSSLAI, Unilab, Huawei, and Toyota, with support from Microtel by Wyndham, Gatorade, Drivehub, and Homestretch.
Morales initially cut loose with Joo midway through the stage and maintained a strong pace. However, the Korean rider eventually pulled ahead, leaving behind the experienced Morales, a multiple race champion from Marikina City. Making things worse for Morales, he suffered a crash roughly 400 meters from the finish line, sustaining cuts and bruises to his left shin and shoulder.
“We’ve competed against him (Joo) in numerous international races before. He’s a formidable rider, just like the rest of his team,” said Oranza, whose Standard Insurance team currently leads the overall team general classification.
The individual general classification winner will be awarded P500,000, while the victorious team will take home P1 million.
The race is also sponsored by Cignal and supported by Pilipinas Live, Meralco, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Health, Megaworld, Landco, PLDT, and Smart, with endorsements from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Games and Amusements Board (GAB), Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), and the MVP Sports Foundation.
The champion of the MPTC Tour of Luzon will be crowned on May 1 at Camp John Hay in Baguio City.
