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| (Image Source: Manila Bulletin/Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation) |
A record-breaking total prize pool of Php12M (12 million pesos) is set to elevate the 2026 MPTC (Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation) Tour of Luzon to unprecedented heights, making it the richest cycling event in Philippine history. The coveted yellow jersey winner at the end of the grueling 14-stage race will take home Php1M (1 million pesos) while the top team will secure an even bigger reward of Php2M (2 million pesos).
Tour Chief Organizer and CEO Arrey Perez encourage fans to expect an intense and closely fought competition from start to finish, stating, “Expect the battle for victory to rage on until the checkered flag waves. With the peloton neck-and-neck, every pedal stroke counts, and only the strongest will claim the top spot.” He added that the race is shaping up to be a thrilling spectacle. “It’s going to be tight and exciting all the way to the end. Get ready for a heart-stopping, adrenaline-fueled ride.” The individual general classification champion will receive Php1M (1 million pesos) while the runner-up will earn Php500,000 — a notable half-million gap that underscores the premium placed on winning. A similar prize structure applies to the team competition. The champion squad will pocket Php2M (2 million pesos), which is P500,000 more than the second-place finisher in the race that begins on April 29, 2026 at CaSoBe (Calatagan South Beach) in Calatagan, Batangas. “The goal is to be champions, both individual and team, because finishing second puts you miles behind in terms of cash prizes,” said Perez. This year’s prize pool surpasses all previous editions of the Tour which traces its roots back to the historic Manila-Vigan Race in 1954. Previously, the richest edition was in 1995 when Renato Dolosa claimed Php500,000 and a brand-new car after winning his second title. “Surely this Tour of Luzon will be a battle. Look at the difference in prizes between the champion and the runner-up, that’s a lot to fight for to the end,” said Dolosa who is now a road race commissaire. Dolosa went down in Tour history as a champion who didn’t win any stage in the 1992 Marlboro Tour and ruled only one — Cabanatuan City to Santiago City (Isabela) — in 1995. The Marlboro Tour went on to hike the prize money to Php500,000 for the individual champion in its last three years from 1996 to 1998, after which the champion also got Php500,000 in the summer sports spectacle’s Alberto Lina era. The pot hit Php1M (1 million pesos) in the inaugural edition of the Ronda Pilipinas.
The prizes for both team and general classification are scaled down in the race supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, MVP Group and title sponsor MPTC and raced under International Cycling Union regulations through sanctioning national federation PhilCyling. The third-placed rider after 14 stages in gets Php400,000, Php300,000 for fourth place, Php250,000 for fifth place, Php200,000 for sixth place, seventh Php175,000 for seventh place, Php150,000 for eighth place, Php125,000 for ninth place, and Php100,000 for tenth place. The team prizes from third to tenth place are pegged at Php1,000,000, Php500,000, Php400,000, Php300,000, Php250,000, Php200,000, Php150,000, Php150,000, and Php100,000, respectively. The Eagle of the Mountain — the climber with the most King of the Mountain (Polka Dot) points — will clinch Php350,000, Php300,000 for the Sprint King (Green), and Php200,000 for the Best Young Rider (White, under-23). The Stage Winner (Purple) will be rewarded Php10,000 while Most Combative (Red) gets Php3,000 across 11 stages and the Yellow jersey is worth Php15,000 each day.
Stage 1 on April 29 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon will be from CaSoBe (Calatagan) to Tagaytay City, Stage 2 team time trial from Clark Parade Grounds to New Clark City, Stage 3 from New Clark City to Palayan City, Stage 4 from Palayan City to Bayombong, Stage 5 from Santiago City to Tuguegarao City, Stage 6 from Tuguegarao City to Pagudpud and Stage 7 Pagudpud-Pagudpud the first of two individual time trial (ITT) races. The participants will be in Pagudpud on May 6 for a whole day of rest with Stage 8 set the next day from Pagudpud to Paoay, Stage 9 Laoag City to Candon City, Stage 10 Candon City to a first-ever Tour finish on Bessang Pass, Stage 11 from Candon City to San Juan in La Union, Stage 12 from Agoo to Daang Kalikasan in Mangatarem, Stage 13 ITT on the Baywalk in Lingayen and Binmaley in Pangasinan and the final Stage 14 on May 13 from Lingayen to Scout Hill at John Hay Hotels in Baguio City.
