Nikita Shulchenko relied on a commanding early lead and a resilient final climb to secure the 2026 MPTC Tour of Luzon title Wednesday, surviving a relentless late-stage surge from French rider Antoine Huby at Camp John Hay.
The 26-year-old Russian, representing the Filipino-owned LCW UAE Cycle team, finished the 14-stage, 1,815.8-kilometer marathon with an aggregate time of 41 hours, 11 minutes, and 10 seconds.
Despite Huby’s victory in the final stage, Shulchenko held onto the yellow jersey he first donned in Stage 3, concluding the race with a 1-minute, 34-second advantage in the general classification to claim the P1 million top prize.
“It’s a new experience and I’m very happy about this. Thank you guys and thank you to the fans,” said Shulchenko.
The final 177.8 kilometer leg, which began in Lingayen, Pangasinan, and ascended the iconic Kennon Road, saw Huby launch a desperate breakaway past the landmark Lion’s Head.
Huby, racing for 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, crossed the finish line in 4:26:42, but Shulchenko’s second-place finish in the stage—trailing by just over two minutes—was enough to protect his overall lead.
Huby’s spectacular performance over the final week, which included three stage wins in the last five days, earned him the “Eagle of the Mountain” title.
“I did my best to get the yellow jersey but his time lead was just too much,” said Huby, who also topped the mountain stages of Candon to Cervantes (Bessang Pass) and the Agoo – Mangatarem (Daang – Kalikasan).
His efforts also propelled 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines to the team general classification title and a P2 million purse, finishing 18 minutes ahead of Go for Gold Philippines.
Nash Lim of MPT DriveHub emerged as the top-performing local rider, finishing fourth overall and 9 minutes, 13 seconds behind Shulchenko.
Other notable finishers included LCW’s 19-year-old Ibrahiem Alrefai in third place and Filipino Ronnilan Quita in fifth.
Shulchenko admitted to feeling the pressure as Huby narrowed the gap in the final kilometers, noting the danger of the high-altitude ascent.
However, the Russian remained the unshakable force of the tour, marking his second major career victory following a similar multi-stage win in Russia two years ago. Roderick Osis
