Antoine Huby pulls to 2nd overall after Stage 12 win

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 move 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 close in on Shulchenko with two stages remaining.

Shulchenko remains on top with an aggregate of 36:16:21, but Huby narrowed the gap to 2:30 following his victory that came after breaking away from six riders in the lead pack during the ascent to the mountainous area of the country’s cycling hotbed.

Alrefai dropped to third in the standings, trailing Shulchenko by 4:29 and Huby by 1:59.

The last two stages will be an individual 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 at the landmark Eagle of the North, before entering Pangasinan, including twice in Urbiztondo, after also going to Tarlac.