Wikipedia

Tour of Luzon

The Tour of Luzon (TOL; also known as MPTC Tour of Luzon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Luzon, Philippines since 1955 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It is held in April every year. While the course changes every year, the tour traditionally ends at Rizal Park, Manila, although recently the tour has ended in Baguio after being licensed by the UCI. Established as the Tour of Luzon, the stage race was previously known under various names including the Marlboro Tour, Tour of Calabarzon, Tour Pilipinas and Padyak Pinoy, and Le Tour de Filipinas.

Tour of Luzon
Race details
RegionPhilippines
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionUCI Asia Tour 2.2
TypeStage race
OrganiserDuckworld PH
Web sitetourofluzoncycling.com Edit this at Wikidata
History
First edition1955 (as Tour of Luzon)
First winner Antonio Arzala (PHI)
Most wins Antonio Arzala (PHI) (3 wins)
Most recent Nikita Shulchenko (RUS)

The current iteration is organized by Duckworld PH and is sanctioned by the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling).

History

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1955 – 1976: Tour of Luzon

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In 1955, the Tour was launched as a four-stage race from Manila to Vigan race won by Antonio Arzala. But, a year later, the race was renamed as the Tour of Luzon and carried the name until 1976 (there was no tour held in 1968, 1970–1972).

The prominent riders included two-time Tour champions Cornelio Padilla, Jr. of Central Luzon and Jose Sumalde of Bicol. However, in 1977, a rift within the PCAP (see below) led to a split of two tours during the said year. However, according to the Padyak Pinoy website, the event organized by Geruncio Lacuesta is recognized on their official list. The tour's name ended by 1978 as Marlboro entered the scene.

1979 – 1998: Marlboro Tour

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By 1979, Philip Morris became the official sponsor of the tour and the event was named as Marlboro Tour after its cigarette brand Marlboro, a name that is commonly familiar to ardent racers and fans. During these times, the tour expanded its routes, by including cities from Visayas in the leg, with the final laps regularly held at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

From 1997-1998, the tour allowed riders from Asia to compete in the event and was sanctioned by the UCI. It also led to Wong Kam-po of Hong Kong to become the first non-Filipino to win the event in 1997, after overtaking 1996 winner Victor Espiritu for the lead in the latter stages.

The format used for the teams are based on provinces with the national team included in the race. It was also the same format when Asian riders participated in the event beginning in 1997.

The 1998 tour was known as the Marlboro Centennial Tour and was organized in line with the Philippine Centennial observances.[1]

In 1999, Marlboro backed out as sponsor following a trend of discouraging tobacco sponsorship of sports events. In 2000, a race under the name Millenium Tour was attempted to be held in May but was cancelled due to budgetary concerns and inability to meet the standards set by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).[2]

2002 – 2007: Revival

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In 2002, the tour was revived after Airfreight 2100 of Bert Lina and Lito Alvarez financed the tour.[3] A four-leg race was held in late-May known as Tour of CALABARZON won by Santy Barnachea. A year later, the tour was renamed as Tour Pilipinas, and held a 17-leg race, the longest since 1998. The tour was won by Arnel Quirimit of Pangasinan.

Ryan Tanguilig won in 2004 in a 10-stage tour. In 2005, the tour was renamed as the Golden Tour 50 @ 05, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Tour. 1998 champion Warren Davadilla, who won the last edition of the Marlboro, was the champion. In 2006, several disputes within the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines led to a short eight stage event dubbed with the Padyak Pinoy name, won by Barnachea.

2009 – 2019: Le Tour de Filipinas

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The Padyak Pinoy Tour of Champions was held in 2009.[4] This race was later retroactively designated as the first Le Tour de Filipinas (LTdF)[5]

The first race to be actually be called as the Le Tour de Filipinas was the 2010 race. The event was also reincluded in the UCI Asia Tour. It was last included in the UCI calendar 12 years ago when it was still known as the Marlboro Tour.[6][7] The Le Tour de Filipinas was still backed by Alberto Lina.[8]

The tour was held annually continuously until 2019.[8] The 2020 iteration considered by its organizers as the 11th LTdF was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10][11]

2025 – present: Return of the Tour of Luzon

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The tour was returned in 2025 under its old name Tour of Luzon.[10] This was due to the partnership of Duckworld PH with the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC).[12][13]

The event dubbed as The Great Revival started on April 24 and will end on May 1, 2025. It is an eight-stage race starting from Laoag and ends in Baguio.[10][13] The organizers aim to have Tour de Luzon reincluded in the UCI calendar.[14]

Stages

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Marlboro Tour days

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These were the stages in 1996:

  1. Davao City to Carmen, Davao del Norte
  2. Tagum, Davao del Norte to Butuan
  3. Butuan to Cagayan de Oro
  4. Cebu City to Cebu City (individual time trial)
  5. Cebu City to Cebu City via Santander
  6. Dumaguete to Bacolod
  7. Iloilo City to Iloilo City via Pototan, Iloilo (team time trial)
  8. Iloilo City to Iloilo City via San Jose de Buenavista, Antique
  9. Pasay to Lucena
  10. Lucena to Marikina
  11. Marikina to Olongapo
  12. Olongapo to Alaminos, Pangasinan
  13. Alaminos, Pangasinan to San Jose, Nueva Ecija
  14. San Jose, Nueva Ecija to Banaue, Ifugao
  15. Banaue, Ifugao to Tuguegarao, Cagayan
  16. Tuguegarao, Cagayan to Vigan, Ilocos Sur
  17. Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Baguio
  18. Rosario, La Union to Baguio (individual time trial)
  19. Baguio to Baguio

Le Tour de Filipinas days

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These were the stages in 2019:

  1. Tagaytay, Cavite to Tagaytay, Cavite via Lemery, Batangas
  2. Pagbilao, Quezon to Daet, Camarines Norte
  3. Daet, Camarines Norte to Legazpi, Albay
  4. Legazpi, Albay to Legazpi, Albay via Sorsogon City
  5. Legazpi, Albay to Legazpi, Albay via Donsol, Sorsogon

Tour of Luzon days

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These were stages in the 2025 revival:

  1. Paoay, Ilocos Norte to Paoay, Ilocos Norte
  2. Paoay, Ilocos Norte to Vigan, Ilocos Sur (individual time trial)
  3. Vigan, Ilocos Sur to San Juan, La Union
  4. Agoo. La Union to Angeles City
  5. Mabalacat, Pampanga to Mabalacat, Pampanga
  6. Mabalacat, Pampanga to Lingayen, Pangasinan
  7. Lingayen, Pangasinan to Labrador, Pangasinan
  8. Lingayen, Pangasinan to Baguio

Past winners

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Tour of Luzon

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YearDateStagesDistanceWinnerTime
1955[a]28 April–1 May4418 km Antonio Arzala (PHI)
195623–27 May51,057 km Antonio Arzala (PHI)33:45:08
195728 May–7 June61,155 km Rufino Gabot (PHI)51:45:22
195814–20 April71,517 km Mamerto Eden (PHI)61:14:08
195912–19 April81,634 km Antonio Arzala (PHI)59:44:50
196014–22 May91,648 km Rodrigo Abaquita (PHI)57:51:02
196125 April–7 May122,167 km Jose Moring Jr. (PHI)59:44:50
196226 March–8 April121,870.23 km Edmundo De Guzman (PHI)61:04:50
196321 April–5 May142,334.38 km Gonzalo Recodos (PHI)78:27:54
196419 April–3 May141,967.60 km Jose Sumalde (PHI)60:22:09
196525 April–9 May142,049.31 km Jose Sumalde (PHI)65:13:19
196623 April–8 May151,999.82 km Cornelio Padilla (PHI)60:45:31
196712–19 April81,634 km Cornelio Padilla (PHI)70:34:57
1968Cancelled
1969[b]18–27 April101,208.40 km Domingo Quilban (PHI)37:50:29
1970–1972Cancelled
197311–20 May101,214 km Jesus Garcia Jr. (PHI)34:38:38
1974[c]23 April–12 May182,540.95 km Teodorico Rimarim (PHI)78:35:19
197519 April–4 May152,207.87 km Samson Etrata (PHI)66:18:48
197621 April–9 May62,200 km Modesto Bonzo (PHI)66:31:10

Tour of the Philippines

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YearNameDateStagesDistanceWinnerTime
1977Tour ng Pilipinas2 May–5 June244,000 km Manuel Reynante (PHI)106:57:20
Marlboro Tour ng Pilipinas[15]7–26 June31,697 km Jesus Garcia Jr. (PHI)55:37:52
1978Perk Speed Tour[16]9–12 February4405.8 km Rumin Salamante (PHI)10:11:10
1979Marlboro Tour18–30 April111,900 km Paquito Rivas (PHI)60:01:06
1980Tour of the Philippines15 April–11 May212,780.83 km Manuel Reynante (PHI)83:08:00
1981Tour of the Philippines17 March–12 April213,058.81 km Jacinto Sicam (PHI)87:25:43

Marlboro Tour

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YearNameDateStagesDistanceWinnerTime
1982Marlboro Tour22 April–9 May152,192 km Jacinto Sicam (PHI)61:29:17
1983Marlboro Tour16 April–1 May142,313.11 km Romeo Bonzo (PHI)63:54:31
1984Marlboro Tour26 May–10 June142,464 km Ruben Carino (PHI)68:08:49
1985Marlboro Tour18 April–12 May213,668.97 km Pepito Calip (PHI)97:04:42
1986Marlboro Tour26 April–11 May102,900.77 km Rolando Pagnanawon (PHI)77:39:53
1987Marlboro Tour21 May–7 June173,282 km Reynaldo Dequito (PHI)88:06:50
1988Marlboro Tour28 April–15 May173,544.53 km Armando Catalan (PHI)94:44:03
1989Marlboro Tour26 April–14 May183,539.47 km Gerardo Igos (PHI)95:40:23
1990Marlboro Tour18 April–6 May183,317.42 km Manuel Buenaventura (PHI)95:58:38
1991Marlboro Tour25 April–12 May172,373.61 km Bernardo Llentada (PHI)63:33:17
1992Marlboro Tour21 May–7 June172,731.38 km Renato Dolosa (PHI)71:21:49
1993Marlboro Tour17 April–9 May213,480 km Carlo Guieb (PHI)91:41:54
1994Marlboro Tour17 April–9 May203,563 km Carlo Guieb (PHI)91:24:13
1995Marlboro Tour18 March–8 April193,280.33 km Renato Dolosa (PHI)83:43:39
1996Marlboro Tour14 April–5 May193,257.29 km Victor Espiritu (PHI)80:50:46
1997Marlboro Tour[17]16 April–4 May162,472 km Wong Kam-po (HKG)62:06:28
1998Marlboro Centennial Tour15 April–3 May162,494 km Warren Davadilla (PHI)64:58:57
1999Cancelled
2000Millennium TourMayCancelled

FedEx/Air21 Tour / Padyak Pinoy

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YearNameDateStagesDistanceWinnerTime
2002FedEx Tour of CALABARZON30 May–2 June4517.7 km Santi Barnachea (PHI)12:41:13
2003Air21 Tour Pilipinas16 April–11 May152,849.8 km Arnel Quirimit (PHI)55:29:20
2004Air21 Tour Pilipinas15 April–2 May172,849.8 km Rhyan Tanguilig (PHI)70:28:59
2005Golden Tour 50@0526 May–5 June101,492 km Warren Davadilla (PHI)37:20:55
2006Padyak Pinoy Tour Pilipinas12–18 May81,219.4 km Santi Barnachea (PHI)31:10:03
2007Padyak Pinoy17–29 May101,500 km Victor Espiritu (PHI)33:02:38

Le Tour de Pilipinas

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YearNameDateStagesDistanceWinnerTimeRef.
2009Padyak Pinoy Tour of Champions[d]8–15 May81,070 km Joel Calderon (PHI)29:52:33[19]
2010Le Tour de Filipinas12–20 April4468.8 km David McCann[e] (IRL)11:29:20[20]
2011Le Tour de Filipinas16–19 April4468.8 km Rahim Emami (IRI)12:15:34[21]
2012Le Tour de Filipinas14–17 April4502 km Baler Ravina[f] (PHI)13:20:26[22]
2013Le Tour de Filipinas13–16 April4616 km Ghader Mizbani (IRI)16:38:37[23]
2014Le Tour de Filipinas21–24 April4614.8 km Mark Galedo (PHI)17:12:05[24]
2015Le Tour de Filipinas1–4 February[25]4532.5 km Thomas Lebas (FRA)13:40:49[26]
2016Le Tour de Filipinas18–21 February[27]4691 km Oleg Zemlyakov (KAZ) 17:36:23[28]
2017Le Tour de Filipinas18–21 February4726.55 km Jai Crawford (AUS)17:33:07[29]
2018 Le Tour de Filipinas 20–23 May 4 638.37 km  El Joshua Cariño (PHI) 12:25:23[30]
2019 Le Tour de Filipinas 14–18 June 5 822.3 km  Jeroen Meijers (NED) 20:38:07[31]
2020 Le Tour de Filipinas1–5 MayCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

In the 2016 edition, race organizers had to stop the stage 1 event due to unprecedented road repairs, followed by traffic jams in Tiaong, Quezon, the first in the history of Le Tour de Filipinas.[32]

Tour of Luzon

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YearNameDateStagesDistanceWinnerTimeRef.
2025Tour of Luzon: The Great Revival[13]24 April–1 May81,074.9 km Dae Yeong Joo (KOR)22:21:08[33]
2026Tour of Luzon[34][35]29 April–13 May141,900 km Nikita Shulchenko (RUS)41:11:10[36]

Jerseys

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Like other bicycle races, the tour also hands out specific jerseys:[37]

  • Yellow: General classification
  • Purple: Stage Winner
  • Green: Best sprinter
  • Red polka dot: Best climber
  • White: Young rider

Notes

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  1. ↑ Known as the Manila–Vigan Bicycle Race
  2. ↑ Tour ng Filipinas
  3. ↑ Tour of Luzon–Visayas
  4. ↑ Retroactively known as the 1st Le Tour de Filipinas[18]
  5. ↑ David McCann is the first European cyclist to win the Tour. Non-Asian riders were allowed to participate in 2010.
  6. ↑ Baler Ravina was the first Filipino overall winner in Le Tour de Filipinas that was sanctioned by UCI.[22]

References

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  1. ↑ "Marlboro Centennial Tour rolls off April 15". Manila Standard. 10 February 1998. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  2. ↑ De la Vega, Chito (23 April 2000). "Millenium Tour off". Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. B3. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  3. ↑ "Sponsors reiterate passion". The Manila Times. 11 May 2007. p. A8. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  4. ↑ "Sembrano tops first stage of 'Padyak Pinoy'". GMA News. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  5. ↑ "Le Tour de Filipinas 10th edition kicks off". Rappler. 13 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  6. ↑ "Foreign riders vie in Padyak Pinoy". The Philippine Star. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  7. ↑ Villar, Joey; Beltran, Nelson (17 April 2010). "Tour de Filipinas hits road today". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Le Tour de Filipinas celebrates 10th year with five-stage race". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  9. ↑ Villar, Joey (25 May 2020). "Philippine cycling body plots return to competition". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Terrado, Reuben (7 March 2025). "Multi-stage cycling finally returns with Tour of Luzon revival". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Cycling: Le Tour de Filipinas supports use of bicycles in 'new normal'". ABS-CBN News. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Villar, Joey (8 March 2025). "MVP Group brings Tour back to life". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 "117 riders, 17 teams set for course as Tour of Luzon returns". ABS-CBN News. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  14. ↑ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (24 April 2025). "'Tour of Luzon' returns after a long hiatus — Know more about this major Philippine cycling race". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  15. ↑ Staged by the Geruncio Lacuesta, acknowledged father of Philippine bikathoning, after a split among the cyclists and the formation of the Professional Cycling Association of the Philippines (PCAP) with Matias Defensor as president. Garcia won the Mindanao stage, Casta the Visayas stage and Gorospe the Luzon stage. It was Lacuesta's last tour as the PCAP took over center stage two years later in 1979. This tour is considered official by the current organization.
  16. ↑ No regular tour held; instead the perk speed tour was run Feb. 9-12 over four laps aimed at producing the first cyclist(s) to achieve an average 40 km/h. Starting in Manila and winding up in Olongapo City, the speed test measured 405.8 km.s. Rumin Salamante won the event in 10 hrs. 11 mins., 10 secs.
  17. ↑ In 1997, the Tour allowed cyclists from the neighboring Asian countries to participate in the event. Wong became the first foreign cyclist to win the event. Asian riders were allowed to participate in 1998.
  18. ↑ "Le Tour de Filipinas 10th edition kicks off". Rappler. 13 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  19. ↑ "Calderon, kampeon sa Padyak Pinoy". The Philippine Star (in Filipino). 16 May 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  20. ↑ "Calderon secures Tour team crown for Pinoys". GMA News. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  21. ↑ Villar, Joey (20 April 2011). "Emami caps mighty Iranian tour sweep". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  22. 1 2 Navarro, June (17 April 2012). "Ravina breaks thru in Le Tour". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  23. ↑ Quinto, Aldrin (16 April 2013). "Peerless Mizbani rules Baguio stage to wrap up Le Tour de Pilipinas title". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  24. ↑ Balbuena, Mae (25 April 2014). "Galedo hari ng 2014 Le Tour de Filipinas". Pilipino Star Ngayon (in Filipino). The Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  25. ↑ "13 continental teams, two national squads vie for honors in le Tour de Filipinas".
  26. ↑ Sacamos, Karlo (4 April 2015). "Frenchman Thomas Lebas steals Le Tour de Filipinas title with gallant last-lap blitz". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  27. ↑ "2016 Le Tour kicks off Feb. 18". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  28. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (23 February 2016). "Le Tour winner Oleg Zemlyakov sets sights on Tour de France as he joins Astana". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  29. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (21 February 2017). "Whitehouse down as Jai Crawford steals Le Tour title with daring final-lap attack". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  30. ↑ Leyba, Olmin (24 May 2018). "Pangasinan churns out another hero in El Joshua Cariño". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  31. ↑ Go, Beatrice Lauren (18 June 2019). "Dutch cyclist Meijers wins 10th Le Tour de Filipinas; top Pinoy finishes 11th". Rappler. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  32. ↑ "Road repairs ruin Le Tour's kick-off leg". Manila Bulletin. February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  33. ↑ "South Korea's Joo Dae Yeong crowned MPTC Tour of Luzon king". One Sports. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  34. ↑ Villar, Joey. "Search for Tour de France-bound Filipino cyclist continues". Philstar.com. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  35. ↑ "2026 Tour of Luzon: A thrilling 14-stage race across 13 provinces". The Manila Times. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  36. ↑ "Nikita Shulchenko holds firm in final stage to rule Tour of Luzon". Tiebreaker Times. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  37. ↑ "Le Tour de Filipinas: Oranza wins chaos-free Stage 2". ABS-CBN SPORTS. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
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