Under steaming conditions, Huby rises as Shulchenko challenger

Antoine Huby pushes his way 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 final 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 up to second in the general classification after dominating the stage that began at the Eagle of the North landmark in Agoo, La Union, clocking three hours, 17 minutes and 37 seconds while slicing more 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 New 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 different challenge because of the heat.

Psychological edge

“It was hot. Very hot,” Shulchenko said ahead of Tuesday’s penultimate stage, an individual time trial around nearby Lingayen, and Wednesday’s final stage from the Pangasinan capital to Baguio via Kennon Road.

“I will still try to protect my yellow jersey,” added Shulchenko, who will head into the ITT with a psychological edge after topping the first time trial in Stage 7 in Pagudpud.

The 26-year-old Shulchenko won that stage in 30:06, while Huby placed ninth, more than two minutes behind.

The climb to Baguio, however, could set up 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 came in second, 50 seconds back.

“I don’t know if I can still catch up in the GC, but I will do my best,” said Huby, who hovered in the top 10 during the early stages before steadily climbing the standings in the second half of the race.

His second-stage win, this time in what is considered the “Cycling Capital of the Philippines,” allowed Huby to leapfrog Shulchenko’s teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai, who dropped to third 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 up to 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 at the halfway mark. The first 56 riders, starting from the bottom of the standings, will 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 in the King of the Mountain race.

Huby was part of a seven-man lead pack before Shulchenko caught up, though not enough to overhaul the Frenchman.

Like Shulchenko, Huby had to gut it out to the finish.

“My legs were saying, ‘Hey, you need to stop,’ but I just wanted to continue for my team,” said Huby, who competed in the UCI World Tour in 2024 and 2025 before joining 7-Eleven for the Tour of Luzon. INQ