2 weeks Ago By Tempo Desk
By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA PAOAY, Ilocos Norte – Gapyeong Cycling Team’s Joo Dae Young pulled away from Standard Insurance’s Jan Paul Morales in the last 30 kilometers to capture the 190.7-kilometer Stage 1 of the 2025 Tour of Luzon that started and ended here on Thursday, April 24. The 28-year-old Korean and the Southeast Asian Games medalist Morales alternated in the lead pack before Joo summoned enough strength in that final stretch that saw the veteran Filipino rider slowly fade away under the sweltering summer heat.
Joo raised his hands triumphantly as he crossed the finish line by his lonesome in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 0.02 seconds before being a drenched with water to the cheers of the fans – all of them overjoyed by the return of the fabled summer bikefest. “That is part of the plan.
I want to cross the finish line solo,” said Joo, who finished fifth in the 2019 Ronda Pilipinas. Joo and Morales actually started strong and broke loose from the pack, leading by almost eight minutes with the Korean prevailing in three sprint mini-races spread throughout the course. Joo eventually made his move in Bacarra town and never wavered since then, claiming the red jersey, the overall individual general classification symbol of leadership which he will wear in the team time trial Stage 2 going to Vigan City on Friday, April 25.
The first of the eight stages drew 119 riders from 17 teams and passed in towns of Vintar, Bangui, Pasuquin before making a U-turn in Pagudpud going back to Paoay. Morales still had a bit of a cushion from the peloton at second before the chase pack slowly caught him up in the last 10 kilometers. A bike crash in the last 400 meters that pushed him back by 5 minutes and 37 seconds.
Morales’ teammate Ronald Oranza, however, came in second after crossing the finish line four minutes and 22 seconds after Joo crossed the finish line, while Go for Gold’s Aidan James Mendoza came in third after four minutes and 27 seconds. Oranza, a double bronze medalist at the Cambodia 2023 Southeast Asian Games, wasn’t surprised with Joo’s strength, but vowed to make up for the remaining stages. “Kaya niyang dalhin yung team.
Malakas talaga siya. Babantayan na lang namin sa paahon,” he said. Rounding up the Top 10 were Exodus Army Cycling Team’s Dominic Perez, Standard Insurance’s George Oconer, MPT Drivehub’s Mervin Corpuz and Rustom Lim, Malaysia Pro Cyling’s Mohammad Faiz Fakhri and Ahmad Syazrin Awang Ilah, and Joo’s teammate, Choi Tae Yeon.
Meanwhile, Standard Insurance led the Stage team classification by 18 seconds over MPT Drivehub Cycling Team..
