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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Shulchenko dominates Pagudpud time trial, widens Tour of Luzon lead

Shulchenko dominates Pagudpud time trial, widens Tour of Luzon lead

Published May 5, 2026 02:33 pm

At A Glance

  • The 26-year-old Russian, who has held the yellow jersey since Stage 3 in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, was the last rider off the ramp and delivered a blistering effort by clocking 30 minutes and 6 seconds.
Stage 7 and overall leader Nikita Shulchenko of the LCW UAE Cycling Team.
Stage 7 and overall leader Nikita Shulchenko of the LCW UAE Cycling Team.
PAGUDPUD, Ilocos Norte -- Nikita Shulchenko turned in a powerhouse ride to rule the first individual time trial and stretch his overall lead after seven stages of the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026 on Tuesday, May 5.
The 26-year-old Russian, who has held the yellow jersey since Stage 3 in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, was the last rider off the ramp and delivered a blistering effort by clocking 30 minutes and 6 seconds.
Yousef Ibraheim Alrefai, Shulchenko’s teammate at the LCW UAE Cycling Team, finished 49 seconds behind for second, while Stage 6 winner and Korean track specialist Min Kyeong Ho of the Seoul Cycling Team came in third with 1:26 minute off the pace.
National time trial champion Nash Lim, meanwhile, delivered a strong effort but had to settle for fourth place, finishing 1:40 behind. The result put him inside the overall top 10 in seventh, though his deficit grew to 4:58.
The mostly flat 22.9-kilometer course favored strong riders and Shulchenko made it count, blasting through the route and even reeling in a rider ahead of him on the run to the finish.
Still, the young darkhorse remained humble in victory.
“I don’t think much about this win because there are too many strong riders out there, but it’s amazing,” said Shulchenko.
With the latest triumph, Shulchenko widened his overall lead over Alrefai from 49 seconds to 1:38, clocking an aggregate time of 19:31:20.
Alrefai, who took Stage 1, said their recent victories have boosted the team's confidence heading into the second half of the race.
“We keep doing the best and increasing the gap and taking each win as much as we can, so I’m really happy with our team,” said 19-year-old Syrian.
“We know it’s going to be tough and the days are going to be hard on the next stages, but we have a big gap now in the GC (general classification). We will keep on pushing,” he added.
7-Eleven’s Mervin Corpuz, who has been working to climb the overall standings, finished eighth in the stage at 1:58 down but moved up from fifth to third overall, 4:15 behind.
Corpuz’s teammate Ronnilan Quita was 4:46 back in fifth overall, closely followed by Excellent Noodles’ British rider Douglas Tyler Hannay, who was 4:49 down.
The race, co-presented by MPTC and the Philippine Sports Commission and supported by the MVP Group and Pagcor, takes a rest day on Wednesday before resuming with Stage 7 on Thursday, May 7, where the remaining 77 riders will tackle a 148.4-kilometer route from Pagudpud to Paoay, Ilocos Norte.

Related Tags

Nikita Shulchenko Yousef Ibraheim Alrefai LCW UAE Cycling Team Tour of Luzon Nash Lim
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