LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — South Korean rider Kyeong Ho Min of the Seoul Cycling Team may have dominated the coastal roads of Pangasinan on Tuesday, but the spotlight now shifts to a high-stakes final leg that offers Filipino riders a slim but cinematic window to reclaim the throne on the road to Baguio City.
Min clocked 25 minutes and 39 seconds to capture the Stage 13 Individual Time Trial of the 2026 MPTC Tour of Luzon at the Lingayen baywalk which marked a personal breakthrough after a third-place finish in Stage 7.
The victory by Min saw him finish 22 seconds ahead of current overall leader Nikita Shulchenko of the LCW UAE Cycle Team. Despite the second-place finish, Shulchenko successfully defended his Yellow Jersey, maintaining a consistent gap over his closest rivals heading into the tour’s most brutal elevation changes.
Joseph Javiniar of the Excellent Noodles Cycling Team, the defending time trial stage winner from the previous year, rounded out the podium in third place, finishing 30 seconds off Min’s winning pace.
The general classification standings tightened significantly following the time trial, setting the stage for a dramatic 177.8-kilometer finale from Lingayen to Baguio today, May 13.
French climber Antoine Huby, representing the 7Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines Team, remains the primary threat to Shulchenko’s lead, sitting 3 minutes and 50 seconds behind the Russian.
While the peloton prepares for the final ascent, the focus remains on whether the title will stay in international hands or if the local contingent can orchestrate a historic upset in the mountains.
The Filipino hopes rest largely on the shoulders of Nash Joshua Lim of MPT Drivehub and Mervin Corpuz of 7Eleven Cliqq.
Although the gap to the leader is formidable, the treacherous climb to the summer capital has historically served as the ultimate equalizer, where strategic breakaways and local knowledge of the steep Cordillera terrain could allow the Filipinos to “steal” the overall title from the favored foreign specialists.
Supporting the leaders is Best Young Rider frontrunner Yousef Ibrahiem Alrefai, who continues to bolster the LCW squad’s defensive posture.
This year’s battle concludes in the shadow of the 2025 “Great Revival,” where South Korean cyclist Dae Yeong Joo of the Gapyeong Cycling Team secured the championship in a heart-stopping finish.
Joo won the 2025 title by a mere six-second margin after an eight-stage, 1,074-kilometer grind that also ended in Baguio City, earning the ₱1 million grand prize.
With the 2026 title hanging in the balance, the cycling world watches to see if the grueling slopes of the final leg will crown a new foreign champion or provide the backdrop for a legendary Filipino comeback. Roderick Osis
