23-yr.-old cyclist awarded 2025 Eagle of the Mountain in the 178.23km MPTC Tour of Luzon

Baguio City, Philippines – A young cyclist from Nueva Vizcaya was the fastest to complete the 8 stages of the 2025 edition of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation Tour of Luzon, an 8-day bikeathon which concluded in Baguio City.

The Tour of Luzon is an annual professional cycling race that requires participants to go through gruelling routes and scenic landscapes. For this year’s edition, cyclists started the journey in Laoag City and navigated across Luzon’s diverse terrains up to Baguio City.

Joshua Pascual, number 14, hailing from Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, clinched the Eagle of the Mountain award after reaching the dreaded stage 8 with only 4 hours, 16 minutes, and 14 seconds in the most difficult leg of the competition on May 1, 2025.

In an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, Joshua said he did not expect to win the race at all, knowing that strong contenders were out there.

“Madami din po talaga malalakas, nagkataon lang po talaga na nasa kundisyon po ako,” he claimed.

Joshua shared the competition’s last stage was the most challenging, saying, “para sa’kin po, pinaka-challenging yung mountain stage—yung last stage talaga. Yun din po kasi yung goal ko para sa sarili ko: makuha yung last stage. Grabe yung pagod, pero sabi ko sa sarili ko, ‘recover, kaya natin to.”

Meantime, other cyclists who received awards included Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance Philippines (SIP), who logged a time of 22:21:14, placing second, and Jonel Carcueva of MPT Drive hub with 22:22:00 time bagging third place.

Joshua’s cycling journey

Talking to GURU Press, the young blood recounted that he has been cycling for 8 years now. He added that he started with a BMX bike and fuelled his passion by joining local races.

“Habang tumatagal, nag-evolve ito lalo na nang nagsimula na akong sumali sa mga karera dito sa Aritao. Eventually, lumayo na rin kami para makipag-compete sa iba’t ibang lugar,” shares Joshua.

His first national race was the Ronda Pilipinas, the country’s most prestigious cycling event, in 2022, where he clinched 2nd Best Young Rider and 2nd Best Rookie Rider. In 2023, he grabbed two gold medals in the Under-23 Road Race and Individual Time Trial (ITT) categories.

In 2024, he garnered a silver medal in ITT, this time under the Men Elite category.

To those who wish to join bicycle races, among Joshua’s advice is to be disciplined, train hard, and keep a clear mind—both in racing and in life; keep going and don’t stop pedalling because everything will be worth it.

“Hindi lang laging lakas ang laban, minsan mas mahalaga kung paano ka mag-isip at mag-react sa pinakamahirap na sitwasyon. Keep doing what you love. Keep pedaling. Keep chasing your goals.Huwag kayong titigil—kahit minsan parang ang bagal ng progress, tuloy lang. Trust the process. Learn from every ride, every race, at kahit sa mga pagkatalo.Stay humble, stay hungry, and always ride with purpose,” Joshua stated.