Cycling champ Ruben Cariño basks in nostalgia watching Tour of Luzon ‘Great Revival’

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Now just a quiet spectator among hundreds in Pangasinan, 1984 Tour of Luzon champion and Marlboro Tour legend Ruben Cariño relives his glory days and wishes the future of Philippine cycling well

LINGAYEN, Philippines – Pangasinan, the acknowledged hotbed of Philippine cycling, hosted a scorching finish on Tuesday, April 29, as Stage 6 of the 2025 Tour of Luzon concluded with a plot twist on the ongoing race for the individual championship and its P1 million prize.

Unmindful of the burning seaside heat, spectators young and old flocked to the finish line near the Pangasinan provincial capitol, all eagerly craning their heads to catch a seconds-long view of weather-beaten cyclists sprinting to the finish.

One observer, however, stood out, calmly waiting a few steps behind the wooden, the barriers, but had a fixed, stoic gaze on the bright white Tour of Luzon finish arch.

As it turned out, the unassuming figure was a pillar of Philippine cycling, the 1984 Tour of Luzon champion Ruben Cariño, who held the lofty distinction as the undisputed king of the roads back when the competition still had its legendary name, the Marlboro Tour.

Great times on rough roads

It didn’t take long for the cycling legend’s mysterious aura to show welcome cracks, as he relaxed when asked to recount his prime, back when roads were unforgivingly uneven and the race routes stretched on for weeks instead of days.

“I remembered the uphill climb and the rough roads. Back in my day, all the roads were rough, and there was a lot of climbing,” Cariño said in Filipino.

“The races have changed today. All their bikes are nice. Back then, we rode steel bikes. Now, they ride on cemented roads.”

Make no mistake, Cariño is not critical of the current state of competitive cycling, but rather proud of the sport’s advancements since his heyday that involved grueling near-month-long slogs across the entire Philippine archipelago.

“It was much more difficult in my time. The roads were rough and your wheels would fall off when you pass bridges. Back in 1981, we took longer than a month. Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao. We rode on our own ships,” continued Cariño, who is the brother of fellow former cycling champion Samson Cariño and is related to 2018 Le Tour de Filipinas champion El Joshua Cariño.

“Our bodies ached a lot, but what we did, our secret routine, was we jogged below the (bilge) compartments, so that when we reached the next starting line, we’d be ready. While others were up top, we worked out below the ship. That was our secret.”

The fire still burns

Far, far past competitive shape, Cariño now just enjoys watching the next generations of cyclists grow and compete, all with the same fire he once blazed on the same routes he passed through decades ago.

Though from gravel they now have fine asphalt, and the heavy steel bike frames have turned to light carbon, the races remain ever difficult. And Cariño hopes that the “Great Revival” indeed brings back to life the country’s love for cycling with the same intensity of the years past.

“I hope they keep the tours coming, so our cyclists can earn their living.”

Meanwhile, Mervin Corpuz, despite finishing second to Malaysian Muhammad Wahhi in Stage 6, moved closer to individual general classification leader Dae Yeong Joo of South Korea in the standings. Corpuz shaved two minutes off the lead of Joo, who was unchallenged in the last four stages.

Likely giving Corpuz the adrenaline boost was the news that Tour 2025 bankroller Manny V. Pangilinan announced a huge increase to the prize pool on Monday, April 28. This year’s overall individual champion is now set to win P1 million — double the initial P500,000 bounty. – Rappler.com