After an eight-stage, 1,074-kilometer race, South Korean rider Joo Dae Yeong emerged victorious in the 2025 MPTC Tour of Luzon.
Joo, who rides for the Gapyeong Cycling Team, defeated Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance by just six seconds to win the title of overall individual champion.
Winning the top prize
Joo's total time of 22:21:08 was sufficient to win the championship and the P1 million top prize from MVP Group of Companies, even though he only placed 22nd in the final stage, which Joshua Pascual won.
During the Benguet climb, Joo lost his two-minute overnight lead to Mervin Corpuz due to a flat rear tire. However, as Corpuz faltered late, the Korean rider rebounded, took the lead again, and dominated the climb.
“I don’t want to climb Baguio one more time,” he joked following his win.
Morales finished in second place with P500,000, just six ticks behind Joo.
Other winners
Jonel Carcueva earned P350,000 after moving up from sixth to third place overall.
James Paul Ryan Escumbien, Jay Jericho Lucero, Ronald Oranza, Rustom Lim, Jeremy Lizardo, Nichol Pareja, and Rench Michael Bondoc round up the top 10.
