Who is the best Filipino rider in the 2026 Tour of Luzon?

MANILA, Philippines – Foreigners dominated the 2026 Tour of Luzon, but Nash Lim of MPT DriveHub shone as the best Filipino rider.

Lim came close to cracking the top three of the individual general classification (GC) as he ranked fourth at the conclusion of the grueling 14-stage summer spectacle that started in Calatagan, Batangas, and ended in Baguio City, Benguet, on Wednesday, May 13. 

One of the Philippines’ brightest cycling talents at 23 years old, Lim posted a cumulative time of 41 hours, 20 minutes, and 23 seconds, just 2 minutes and 28 seconds off the pace of Syrian third-placer Ibrahim Alrefai of LCW UAE Cycle. 

Russian Nikita Shulchenko of LCW UAE Cycle captured the individual overall crown at 41 hours, 11 minutes, and 10 seconds, while French rider Antoine Huby of 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines came in at second place, 1 minute and 34 seconds behind. 

“I’m really happy. I made sure to secure fourth in the GC to finish as the best Filipino,” said Lim, who beat out more experienced local riders in Ronnilan Quita (5th), Mervin Corpuz (7th), Rustom Lim (8th), and Rench Michael Bondoc (10th).

Before becoming a professional cyclist, Lim said he was simply a teenager hooked on computer games like Valorant and Counter-Strike.

Lim already rode bikes at a young age, but he took the sport more seriously when the pandemic triggered a global cycling boom.

“I was already into biking. During the pandemic, I joined people who were into mountain biking, and I realized that racing was actually fun. I just kept at it,” said Lim. 

Lim’s talent has opened doors internationally.

The standout from Caloocan races for Factor Racing, a UCI team based in Slovenia, and he has competed in Europe and in the Middle East.

Lim, the reigning two-time national champion in individual time trial (ITT), was brought in by MPT DriveHub coach Mark Galedo for the Tour of Luzon. 

Although Lim fell short of making the podium in all of the 14 stages, he was consistently in the mix in the individual GC with four top-five finishes. 

Lim placed fourth in the 22.9-kilometer ITT Stage 7 in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; fifth in the 148.4-kilometer Stage 8 from Pagudpud to Paoay, Ilocos Norte; fourth in the 141.4-kilometer Stage 12 from Agoo, La Union, to Mangatarem, Pangasinan; and fourth again in the 20-kilometer ITT Stage 13 in Lingayen, Pangasinan, where he climbed to fourth in the individual GC.

A top-three spot in the individual GC, however, proved elusive for Lim as he finished sixth in the 169.9-kilometer Stage 14 from Lingayen to Baguio City, with Alrefai closely behind at seventh. 

Still, it was a massive improvement for Lim, who ranked 15th at the Tour of Luzon in 2025, when he raced for D’Reyna Orion Cement. 

As the Tour of Luzon crowned back-to-back foreign champions, with Korean Joo Dae-yeong of the Gapyeong Cycling Team ruling in 2025, Lim aims to win someday. 

“Everybody dreams to be a champion,” he said. – Rappler.com