VIGAN, Philippines – In a finish rivaling the sweltering Vigan City heat, Standard Insurance Philippines claimed the 2025 Tour of Luzon Stage 2 team time trial race with a time of one hour, 22 minutes, and 31 seconds in front of the Ilocos Sur provincial capitol building after an official recount.
In a race that counts toward the P1 million team classification bounty, Standard Insurance captain Ronald Oranza, George Ocaner, Junrey Navarra, and Jeremy Lizardo raced ahead of their teammates to take the top finishes, as only the four fastest per team count in the collated time trial results.
Fellow cycling powerhouses Go for Gold Philippines and 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines completed the podium at second and third, respectively, with a 1:24:39 finish, with Go for Gold taking the tiebreaker with faster top three riders than 7-Eleven.
7-Eleven was initially told it was the Stage 2 winner, but was eventually dropped to third on the final and official recount, garnering stunned looks from the youth-laden squad coached by former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Mark Galado.
MPT DriveHub had the second-fastest team finish at 1:24:18, but was penalized a yet-undisclosed amount of time due to feeding team members outside the designated feeding zone at the Ilocos Norte arch, 30 kilometers away from the Paoay Church starting line of the 68.5-km route.
“When we approached the tent, we were surprised because we knew we were only second,” Oranza said in Filipino after the race. “We weren’t expecting to win. But we were happy that we got the championship.”
Oranza, also the Stage 1 second-place finisher after South Korea’s Dae Yeong Joo, also revealed that they even lost a teammate, Dave Cangayao, in the first three kilometers due to a loose bike chain.
“We just recovered gradually. Whoever is in condition, just lead for a longer time, so we can still run as one,” he said.
Standard Insurance riders continue to be the top names to watch out for as the tour turns further south to the famous beaches of San Juan, La Union, as the 130-kilometer Stage 3 out of eight begins on Saturday, April 26, 8 am, from the Ilocos Sur capitol building. – Rappler.com