Before his 2025 feat completely fades, Joo dae Yeong sent a reminder.
The 29-year-old South Korean provided a glimpse of his old magnificence as he ruled yesterday’s Stage 11 that started in Candon City in Ilocos Sur and ended in the town hall here.
Joo clocked three hours, 19 minutes and 16 seconds in topping the relatively flat 151.7-kilometer lap, 11 seconds ahead of Malaysian national team’s Saniy Syahmi Mohd Safiee.
Pangasinan’s Dominic Perez edged Standard Insurance’s Ronald Oranza, Go for Gold’s Aidan James Mendoza, 7-Eleven’s Mervin Corpuz and Excellent Noodles’ Joseph Javiniar to claim third place, 12 seconds off the pace.
But none shone brighter than Joo. And he made sure everybody remembers.
Upon reaching the line, he pointed a finger to the adoring, wood-thumping crowd, dismounted from his bike and dropped a curtsy before giving high five to every fan he saw.
He ended up being fined by race officials for his ‘harmless but technically unsafe celebration.’
But it’s just his way of showing appreciation to the crowd who cheered for him. ‘It was for the fans,’ said Joo.
While he conceded he’s out of the overall individual race, Joo said he’s content achieving two goals in this Tour – wearing the king of the mountain jersey, which he accomplished once, and winning a stage.
‘I’m done, my leg is done,’ said Joo. ‘Last year I was very lucky. This year, I only want the KOM jersey and become a stage winner.
‘I’m still happy,’ he added.
The general classification leaders simply rode it safe with Nikita Shulchenko of LCW UAE remaining untouchable on top with an aggregate clocking of 32:57:30, 3:41 and 3:54 minutes ahead of teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai and 7-Eleven’s Antoine Huby, respectively.