MANILA, Philippines — The Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team (VSPC) will embark on a European journey next month, but the ultimate goal still resides at home when it attempts to conquer the dreaded mountains of Luzon.
Tagged as one of the title favorites, VSPC vowed to leave no stone unturned in the much-awaited revival of Tour of Luzon on April 24 featuring eight stages around Northern and Central Luzon with the Summer Capital of Baguio serving as the finale leg.
“Ang aim namin ay ‘yung top spot talaga. ‘Yun ang priority, sa Tour of Luzon,” Pako Ochoa — founder, team leader and rider himself — told The STAR as the 18-strong squad VSPC wrapped up its training camp in Batangas Tuesday.
“We’ll see kasi syempre, while kaya namin mag-prepare the best way we can, ganun din ‘yung ibang teams lalong-lalo na sa Pinoy teams na matagal na nag-abang sa Tour of Luzon. Matinding challenge ito.”
VSPC, founded by Ochoa in 2023 as one of the few continental teams in the country that flies the flag high in UCI tourneys abroad, spent a week in Anilao to rev up for four to five races in Spain, Turkey, Greece, Taiwan and the Philippines from March to April to start the UCI season.
Guided by former Spanish pro cyclist Hector Carretero as sports director as well as former local champions El Joshua Cariño and Arjay Peralta as assistants, VSPC dominated the PhilCycling National Championships for Road earlier this month in Tagaytay as a good momentum entering the season.
VSPC team captain Marcelo Felipe ruled the Men Elite Road Race, Nichol Pareja won silver in the Individual Time Trial (ITT) while its developmental riders Rush Camingao and Darius Villaseñor topped the U-23 Road Race and Junior ITT, respectively.
From there, the team figured in a four-hour training every day in Anilao, traversing challenging routes around Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Quezon to ensure an in-form bearing with hopes of surpassing their international achievements in their first full-season last year.
And of the target is the crown in Tour of Luzon, unarguably the country’s most prestigious race since 1955 that had been in and out of circuit before its ‘Great Revival’ this year made possible by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation and DuckWorld PH led by sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan.
Majority of the 18 riders, who also includes foreigners, will travel abroad for Tour of Taiwan, Tour of Hellas, Tour of Turkey and Tour of Asturias; while seven locals led by captain Felipe, Pareja, Camingao, Ean Cajucom, Daniel Ven Cariño, Miguel Obmerga and Kenneth Maramba spearhead the team in Tour of Luzon.
Cariño and Peralta will serve as sports directors for VSPC in the Tour of Luzon as Carretero and Ochoa headlines the delegation overseas with foreign riders Edgar Nieto and Eugenio Sanchez from Spain, Jeroen Miejers from the Netherlands and Nicolas Sessler from Brazil.
“Ready naman kami. Malayo pa ang laban pero naghahanda na kami para sa Tour of Luzon,” said the decorated Felipe, who’s looking at 7Eleven Roadbike Philippines, Standard Insurance Philippines, Excellent Noodles and Go For Gold Cycling Team as their biggest challengers.
Up to 15 teams, including domestics and LGU squads from Iloilo, Nueva Vizcaya, Davao, Cebu and Tagaytay along with foreign clubs from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, will vie in Tour of Luzon that will have stops in Laoag, Vigan, Clark, Lingayen and Baguio.
More than the success in Tour of Luzon though, VSPC’s giant leap in the European circuit is all for the benefit of Philippine cycling sooner than later – individual growth, team performance and country culture-wise.
“Masaya kami na nakabalik ang Tour of Luzon for the longest time. Para ito sa Filipino riders at Philippine cycling community. Sa Victoria naman in European circuit, kaya pa natin mangarap nang mataas. ‘Yun ang nakikita naming maganda in 3-5 years na magkaroon ng positive influence ‘yung team hindi lang sa riders kundi sa culture,” beamed Ochoa, a pro cyclist in Portugal before founding VSPC.
“The priority is the Tour of Luzon. That’s very important to us because it’s at home but we will not forget the races in Europe. Hopefully in 3-4 years, we can see some Filipinos fighting for stages in Europe. It’s difficult in one year but soon everybody will climb that European level. We have to go step by step,” added Carretero.
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