Once the country’s true summer spectacle on wheels, the iconic Tour of Luzon will make a comeback this year after a long hiatus, with an eight-leg race featuring 12 teams signaling the start of the revival.

A 1,050-kilometer journey with the vibrant scenery of northern and Central Luzon as the backdrop will start from Laoag City in Ilocos Norte on April 24 and will end with a backbreaking climb up to chilly Baguio, similar to the treks of old but with far more advanced equipment this time.

UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) continental teams 7Eleven Road Bike Philippines, Standard Insurance Philippines, Victoria Cycling Team and Go For Gold Cycling Team will lead the pack along with three Southeast Asian teams—the Singapore National Team, ASC Monsters Indonesia and a club team from Thailand—which requested for invites.

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Manny V. Pangilinan, the communications tycoon with a deep love for a lot of sports, is spearheading the revival through his Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. together with DuckWorld PH.

And like in ways he helped athletes in other sports reach unparalleled international success, Pangilinan wants to do the same for cycling.

“It has been my lifelong dream to see the first Filipino cyclist compete in the Tour de France. Reviving the Tour of Luzon is a vital step toward achieving that dream,” said Pangilinan.

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Looking for a hero

Domestic teams Excellent Noodles, D’ Reyna and Dandex Multi-Sports have likewise confirmed attendance as well as squads from the local government units of Iloilo, Nueva Vizcaya, Davao, Cebu and Tagaytay City-Tom N’ Toms Toms National Under-23.

Stage 1 is an out-and-back ride of 170 km along the coastline of Ilocos Norte from Laoag all the way to Pagudpud via the Patapat viaduct before returning to the province’s capital on the same route.

The reboot of the classic will also give the country a chance to root for a new hero on wheels, much in the same way in the past when cyclists were revered like basketball and volleyball players are today.

The Tour of Luzon was one of Asia’s oldest and most challenging cycling races since its inception in 1955 and pedaled annually until 1998 as the Tour ng Pilipinas.