[HOMESTRETCH] Ascent to greatness: Inside the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2025

Get to know the people behind the scenes of the races

BAGUIO CITY – As the 2025 Tour of Luzon came to an end, we saw more than a hundred cyclists from 17 teams and seven regions go through eight stages in Luzon’s northern regions, pedaling relentlessly at 60-70 kilometers per hour under a 40ºC heat index.

But what we didn’t notice were the hundreds of motorcycles and cars in front of the peloton and behind – carving the cyclists’ path and protecting the race bubble.

Who are the people behind the scenes? In this episode of HOMESTRETCH, show host Pató Gregorio catches up with two-time tour champion and Eagle of the Mountain Carlo Guieb, who – after all these years – still share the same passion he had for cycling.

Gregorio also sits down with Sunshine Vallejos, the first Filipino UCI-accredited woman race commissaire, to take us through how it was inside the races.

Co-presented by Rappler and Duckworld, HOMESTRETCH aims to tell the stories of people that inspire us with their struggles and triumphs, and the places that help define our spirit as a nation.

Watch on Sunday, May 4, at 8 pm on Rappler’s YouTube and Facebook accounts. – Rappler.com