How to ride the Tour

While I wrote a not so kind review of the Tour of Luzon last week, there are also bright points regarding what the organizers are doing now. I don't have any insider views on the matter but I have a pretty good understanding of how a cyclist can join the Tour.

- Jose Vicente 'JV' Araneta

During the Marlboro Tour, and most multi-stage races prior to 2000, the only way to be able to race was to join in an elimination race.

Most of the time, these eliminations were held in Luzon, and that's because the majority of the cyclists are from the area. So if you are from the Visayas or Mindanao area, then it would take a lot of money to go and join the race. Finances, familiarity of the route, collusion between cyclists, collusion between cyclist and race officials were a known hurdle from aspiring athletes outside of Luzon.