Spectators take out their phones as Antoine Huby of 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines zooms past during Stage 12 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon.–CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANGATAREM, Pangasinan—Antoine Huby ruled Stage 12 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon at mountainous Daang Kalikasan here to maneuver into second behind overall leader Nikita Shulchenko.
The French rider of local team 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines crossed the finish line in three hours, 17 minutes and 37 seconds to register his second lap win after topping the punishing Stage 10 that ended at Bessang Pass in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur.
Shulchenko of LCW UAE Cycle placed second by 1:20 while Dreyna’s Erickson delos Santos was third, 1:41 behind Huby.
READ: Antoine Huby wins Stage 10, Shulchenko widens overall lead
Huby leapfrogged LCW’s Ibrahiem Alrefai, who finished by 2:02, to shut in on Shulchenko with two stages remaining.
Shulchenko stays on top with an aggregate of 36:16:21, but Huby narrowed the gap to 2:30 following his victory that got here after breaking away from six riders within the lead pack through the ascent to the mountainous area of the country’s cycling hotbed.
Alrefai dropped to 3rd within the standings, trailing Shulchenko by 4:29 and Huby by 1:59.
The last two stages can be a person time trial in Lingayen before the Tour concludes on Wednesday with a decider from Lingayen to Baguio through Kennon Road.
Stage 12 began in Agoo, La Union, exactly on the landmark Eagle of the North, before entering Pangasinan, including twice in Urbiztondo, after also going to Tarlac.