MPTC Tour of Luzon: Korean cyclist wins Stage 1

The MPTC Tour of Luzon: The Great Revival cycling event commenced on Wednesday, April 23, marked by a ceremonial start at Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte.

Thursday, April 24 saw the beginning of competitive racing with eight stages covering 1,074.90 kilometers and featuring 119 cyclists from 17 teams, including local and international squads, vying for a prize fund totaling PHP6.1 million.

Korean cyclist Dae-yeong Joo emerged as Stage 1 winner after completing the Paoay-to-Pagudpud loop with a time of 4 hours, 13 minutes, and 2 seconds.

Ronald Oranza from Standard Insurance Philippines came in second place while Aidan James Mendoza from Go for Gold Philippines secured third. Dominic Perez finished alongside Mendoza but missed out on the podium due to penalty points.

Standard Insurance Philippines currently leads the team classification with a collective time of 17:11:37, followed by MPT Drivehub at 17:11:55 despite none of their riders finishing in the top twenty individually.

Stage 2 is scheduled for Friday, April 25, starting from Paoay Church and heading south to Vigan City's capitol building with a team time trial covering 68.5 kilometers.