Russian rider Nikita Shulchenko held his nerve in a tense final day of racing to capture the overall crown of the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026, despite a stage win from French challenger Antoine Huby in the 14th and final leg on Wednesday.
Huby produced a strong finish in the 173.9-kilometer final stage, clocking 4:26:42 to take the stage win and finishing 2:12 ahead of Shulchenko at the line.
However, the gap was not enough to overturn the general classification standings.
Shulchenko sealed the yellow jersey with a cumulative time of 41:11:10, successfully defending a 3:50 advantage entering the last day.
The LCW UAE rider had led the race since Stage 3 and managed to withstand repeated attacks across the grueling final leg.
The Frenchman, racing for 7-Eleven, made his biggest move in the closing kilometers along Loakan Road, breaking away from the main group and briefly building a gap of nearly two minutes with just three kilometers remaining.
(C) Roy Domingo/Tour of Luzon
Despite the late surge, he ultimately fell short of the overall victory, finishing second in the general classification at 1:34 behind Shulchenko.
The final stage capped a punishing route that spanned Calatagan, Tagaytay, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao, the Ilocos provinces, Isabela, Pangasinan, La Union, and Baguio City, testing riders across varied terrain and relentless elevation.
Despite missing out on the yellow jersey, Huby remained positive after the finish, acknowledging both his stage win and the effort to chase the title.
Behind the leaders, Shulchenko’s teammate Yousef Ibraheim Alrefai finished 6:45 back, while MPT Drivehub’s Nash Lim emerged as the best Filipino finisher in the stage, placing fourth at 9:13 off the pace.
In the general classification, 7-Eleven riders also made a strong showing, with several finishing inside the Top 10 as the race concluded.
Defending champion Joo Dae Yeong ended his campaign in 46th place, 49:01 behind the winner.
7-Eleven also claimed the team classification title and the accompanying P2 million prize, capping off a dominant overall performance across the multi-stage race.
