Antoine Huby pushes his strategy to the finish. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANGATAREM, Pangasinan—Nikita Shulchenko’s hold on the MPTC Tour of Luzon overall lead will come under pressure in the ultimate two days after French rider Antoine Huby positioned himself as a threat following Monday’s Stage 12 that ended at Daang Kalikasan here.
Huby, 25, moved as much as second in the overall classification after dominating the stage that began on the Eagle of the North landmark in Agoo, La Union, clocking three hours, 17 minutes and 37 seconds while slicing greater than a minute off the Russian cyclist’s lead.
Shulchenko placed second in 3:18:57, adding to his aggregate time of 36:16:21 compiled over 11 stages, excluding Stage 2, which was a team time trial at Recent Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
The LCW UAE Team Emirates rider finished 1:20 behind Huby of 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines, seeing his overall lead trimmed to 2:30 after a climb that, while not as steep as Bessang Pass in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, over the weekend, posed a distinct challenge due to the heat.
Psychological edge
“It was hot. Extremely popular,” Shulchenko said ahead of Tuesday’s penultimate stage, a person time trial around nearby Lingayen, and Wednesday’s final stage from the Pangasinan capital to Baguio via Kennon Road.
“I’ll still try to guard my yellow jersey,” added Shulchenko, who will head into the ITT with a psychological edge after topping the primary time trial in Stage 7 in Pagudpud.
The 26-year-old Shulchenko won that stage in 30:06, while Huby placed ninth, greater than two minutes behind.
The climb to Baguio, nevertheless, could arrange a head-to-head showdown for the title. Huby ruled the punishing Stage 10 that ended at Bessang Pass in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, while Shulchenko got here in second, 50 seconds back.
“I don’t know if I can still catch up within the GC, but I’ll do my best,” said Huby, who hovered in the highest 10 in the course of the early stages before steadily climbing the standings within the second half of the race.
His second-stage win, this time in what is taken into account the “Cycling Capital of the Philippines,” allowed Huby to leapfrog Shulchenko’s teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai, who dropped to 3rd overall at 4:29 behind Shulchenko and 1:59 behind Huby.
Malaysia national team rider Muhammad Mazlin sits fourth at 7:06, while 7-Eleven’s Ronnilan Quita moved as much as fifth, 7:19 behind Shulchenko, making him the highest-placed Filipino rider.
Not as steep
The ITT will cover a 20-kilometer straight route along the Pangasinan Baywalk with a hairpin turn on the halfway mark. The primary 56 riders, ranging from the underside of the standings, might be released at one-minute intervals.
The last 15 riders, including Huby and Shulchenko, will start at two-minute intervals.
Daang Kalikasan was not as steep as Bessang Pass, with the climb classified only as a Category 2 within the King of the Mountain race.
Huby was a part of a seven-man lead pack before Shulchenko caught up, though not enough to overhaul the Frenchman.
Like Shulchenko, Huby needed to gut it out to the finish.
“My legs were saying, ‘Hey, you must stop,’ but I just desired to proceed for my team,” said Huby, who competed within the UCI World Tour in 2024 and 2025 before joining 7-Eleven for the Tour of Luzon. INQ