Target the top: Corpuz shaves Joo lead in Tour of Luzon as ‘MVP’ sweetens pot to P1M

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The scorching-hot 2025 MPTC Tour of Luzon takes a pivotal turn in Lingayen, Pangasinan, as Filipino cyclist Mervin Corpuz rises as a credible threat to longtime leader Dae-yeong Joo of Korea, mere hours after main sponsor Manny V. Pangilinan doubled the champion's bounty

LINGAYEN, Philippines – “Kung ang makina nag-o-overheat, ang tao pa kaya?” (If machines overheat, what more people?)

That was the ominous warning of MPT DriveHub captain Mervin Corpuz to the individual general classification (GC) leader Dae-yeong Joo after he shaved the Korean rider’s four-minute, 30-second lead down to just a minute and 56 seconds in a pivotal Tour of Luzon Stage 6 finish on Tuesday, April 29.

Corpuz clocked in at three hours, 31 minutes, and 12 seconds as a runner-up to the stage’s pack leader Muhammad Zahin Wahhi of Malaysia, while Rench Michael Bondoc of 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines completed the podium at third after a 168-kilometer ride from Clark, Pampanga, to Lingayen.

The stage result, however, was in some ways just a side story to the real battle for the indivdual GC crown, especially after chief Tour bankroller Manny V. Pangilinan announced a huge increase to the prize pool on Monday, April 28.

The individual GC champion is now set to win P1 million — double the initial P500,000 bounty — while the second to tenth placers also get significant boosts to their prizes.

PACK LEADER. Korean cyclist Dae Yeong Joo (yellow jersey) leads the peloton in Stage 6 of the 2025 MPTC Tour of Luzon spanning from Clark, Pampanga to Lingayen Pangasinan. Photo by PhilCycling.

Corpuz is dead-set on taking the lead by the eighth and final stage, featuring the dreaded King of the Mountain uphill war through the zigzagging Kennon Road leading to Baguio City.

“My targets are the difficult routes. Baguio. That’s where we will find out [the real contenders],” Corpuz said in Filipino. “My climbing is at 100%. Matira matibay sa Baguio talaga.” (Only the strong survive at Baguio.)

Quietly watching among the huge crowds at the Lingayen finish line was 1984 Tour of Luzon champion Ruben Cariño, who once competed in cross-country tournaments that lasted close to a month when Philippine cycling was at its golden age and was competed under a legendary name, the Marlboro Tour.

“My advice to these cyclists is just keep training well. If you don’t train well, you won’t win. Training is the only way,” the soft-spoken legend said in Filipino.

Standard Insurance Philippines still holds the inside track to the P1-million team GC prize, as it increased its precious lead over MPT DriveHub to 32 seconds, up from 19 in the previous three stages.

Standard Insurance rider Jeremy Lizardo is also a credible threat in the individual GC, as he just trails Joo by two minutes and 22 seconds, while Corpuz’s teammate Jonel Carcueva is behind by two minutes and 27 seconds.

The eight-stage Tour of Luzon Great Revival now approaches its penultimate leg with the 15.2-kilometer individual time trial from Lingayen to Labrador, Pangasinan, before finally wrapping up in Baguio City.

New cycling legends will be named very soon. – Rappler.com