BUSINESS tycoon and sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan led the return of the Tour of Luzon in 2025 and nearly doubled its scale for 2026—all driven by his vision to soon witness the first Filipino compete in the Tour de France.
Expanding from eight stages in the “Great Revival” to 14 stages in the 2026 edition, leveling up the competition was essential to have a Filipino biker compete in the world’s most prestigious annual multi-stage road cycling race.
“We’re launching Tour of Luzon by April 26, upscaling the scale [it’s] 1,815 kilometers (km). Last year was just around 1,075 km. Maybe we can raise it to more than 2,000 km next year,” Pangilinan told the media.
“Eventually, we want to see one or two Filipino bikers join the premier biking competition, Tour de France,” he added.
During the press launch of the 2026 Tour of Luzon: A Heritage in Motion, Pangilinan expressed how he wants to see a Filipino emerge victorious in the race.
He remembered how South Korean Joe Dae-Yeong of South Korea finished strong, after being six seconds ahead of Jan Paul Morales of the Philippines.
From a total prize pool of 6 million in the 2025 edition, the prize doubled up to 12 million in 2026.
This year’s Tour of Luzon will not only cover the Primary Northern Luzon, but it will also race to 13 provinces (Central to North).
The 2026 Tour of Luzon will kick off on April 29, 2026, in Calatagan, Batangas, and move through provinces, including Cavite, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Cagayan, before finishing in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions on May 13.
The route features 25 categorized climbs, highlighted by a brutal finish at Bessa Pass in Stage 10 and 16 sprint stages.
The sports patron further shared that the reason why he showed his continued support for Philippine sports is due to his belief that sports can change people’s lives.
“Sports is one avenue for a certain segment of our people and the disadvantaged to obtain the material blessings they won’t be able to get by becoming a basketball player, a badminton player, or whatever. It gives them that avenue to improve their welfare,” he added.
NICOLE ANNE BUGAUISAN