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Young Syrian Ibrahiem Alrefai gets the coveted yellow jersey to start the Luzon 2026 Tour as the visitors dominate a challenging first leg.
CAVITE, Philippines – The pressure is on for local travelers in the 2026 Tour of Luzon.
This after the visitors dominated the opening stage of 143.7 kilometers while the young Syrian Ibrahiem Alrefai of the UAE club Life Cycle Works got the yellow jersey on Wednesday, April 29.
Alrefai, 19, took an early lead in the individual general classification (GC) after crossing the finish line at Praying Hands in Tagaytay here first with a time of 3 hours, 36 minutes and 35 seconds.
Life Cycle Works scored a one-two coup with Russian Nikita Shulchenko finishing behind Alrefai – the pair holding hands on the final stage after breaking away from a group led by defending champion Joo Daeyeong of Korea’s Gapyeong Cycling Team.
Alrefai enjoyed the first Tour of Luzon, also wearing the white jersey for the Best Young Rider, the red jersey for the Most Competitive Rider, the green jersey for the race classification, and the polka dot King of the Mountain jersey awarded to the best stage rider.
“I am very happy today to be in the Philippines. We came from the UAE to win. We finished the first stage with first and second place. I have no words to express my feelings. I feel good today,” said Alrefai.
All eyes were on Joo as he tried to replicate his poor start to his 2025 title race – the 29-year-old Korean forming a breakaway trio in the middle of a tough stage that started at Calatagan South Beach in Batangas.
Joo gained a minute’s advantage before being passed by Life Cycle Works’ Ivan Anisimov, who paved the way for teammates Alrefai and Sulchenko to take the lead and hold it for the rest of the time.
With a big target on his back, Joo completed the podium two minutes later in 15th place.
“I don’t know the level of riders here. I felt good in the last kilometers and my partner was in front. I just attacked and we went together to the finish line,” said Alrefai.
Great Britain’s Tyler Hannay of local club Excellent Noodles Cycling Team was third less than two minutes later, preventing the Filipino from joining the podium with Go For Gold Filipino Jericho Lucero finishing close behind in fourth.
“We made a mistake when (the visitors) broke up, we couldn’t follow them immediately,” said Lucero in Filipino.
But with 13 stages remaining, there is hope for the Filipinos to close the gap with the leaders.
“We know the race is long and there is still a chance for us to take the yellow jersey from the visitors,” Lucero said.
Veteran Ronald Oranza of Standard Insurance Philippines led an initial six-man breakaway that included riders from Excellent Noodles, Life Cycle Works, Go For Gold, and the Malaysian National Team before being swallowed up by the peloton.
Oranza, one of the most accomplished Filipino riders in the field, placed 37th.
Go For Gold led the team with a time of 14 hours, 34 minutes and 32 seconds followed by Best Noodles and Standard Insurance.
The Tour of Luzon will travel to Clark, Pampanga, for the second stage team time trial on Thursday, April 30, and will continue until May 13 for the finals in Baguio City.
A prize of P1 million is up for grabs in the individual GC, while a purse of P2 million is at stake in the team GC. – Rappler.com
