Russian pads Tour of Luzon lead going into Stage 14 finale in Baguio

PANGASINAN, Philippines – Barring any surprises or accidents, Russian rider Nikita Shulchenko is on track to become the champion of the 2026 Tour of Luzon.

Shulchenko of LCW UAE Cycle padded his lead in the individual general classification (GC) and tightened his hold on the yellow jersey going into the Stage 14 finale after he finished second in Stage 13, a 20-kilometer individual time trial at the Lingayen Baywalk here on Tuesday, May 12. 

With a cumulative time of 36 hours, 42 minutes, and 22 seconds, Shulchenko is 3 minutes and 50 seconds ahead of Frenchman Antoine Huby of 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, and 5 minutes and 37 seconds ahead of Syrian teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai. 

“It’s a very big gap,” said Shulchenko, who made the podium for the fifth time following his win in Stage 7 and his runner-up finishes in Stage 1, Stage 10, and Stage 12. “I protect the yellow.”

Although far behind in the individual GC race at 24th, Korean rider Min Kyeong-ho of the Seoul Cycling Team accomplished one of his goals in this Tour of Luzon to rule an individual time trial as he topped Stage 13 with a time of 25 minutes and 39 seconds.

Min, a former Tour de Korea champion, was 22 seconds faster than Shulchenko as he redeemed himself from his third-place finish in Stage 7, an individual time trial in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

“Last time I got third place, so a little bit disappointed. Finally, this time, I took a stage win. So proud of myself,” said Min, who shone in the shortest and longest routes of this Tour of Luzon as he claimed victory in the 223.7-kilometer Stage 6 from Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, to Pagudpud. 

A Filipino completed the Stage 13 podium, with Joseph Javiniar of the Excellent Noodles Cycling Team nailing third, 30 seconds behind Min. 

Javiniar made a stage top three for the first time in this edition after falling short in the previous races, placing 10th in Stage 7 and seventh in Stage 11. 

“I’m very happy that I got into the podium this Stage 13, especially since it’s an individual time trial,” said Javiniar in Filipino. “At least, I was able to make the podium even just once.”

As three foreigners fight for the yellow jersey, a Filipino looks to shake up the top three at the end of Stage 14 — a 173.9-kilometer race from Lingayen to Baguio City on Wednesday, May 13 — as Nash Lim of MPT Drivehub ranks fourth in the individual GC.

Lim is 8:05 minutes behind Shulchenko, 4:15 minutes behind Huby, and 2:28 minutes behind Alrefai. 

“I’ll do my best to become the best Filipino in the [individual] GC. But nothing’s impossible, let’s see if we can reach third or even second place,” said Lim. 

Stage 14 poses a difficult challenge to the remaining 71 riders as it features a punishing final stretch — a 38.6-kilometer “hors categorie” ascent to Baguio City. Hors categorie is used to describe steep climbs that are “beyond categorization.”

The individual GC champion will pocket P1 million, while the winner of the team GC, which is contested by 7-Eleven, Go For Gold Philippines, and Standard Insurance Philippines, will bag P2 million pesos. – Rappler.com