Tour of Luzon: Nikita Shulchenko keeps lead after Stage 8

Nikita Shulchenko during the individual time trial in Stage 7 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.–CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

LAOAG, Ilocos Norte—LCW UAE Cycle’s Nikita Shulchenko kept the overall leadership after eight stages of the MPTC Tour of Luzon, with two riders moving up to the top five.

The Russian will keep the symbolic yellow jersey for a seventh straight lap after placing 49th in the 157.4-kilometer race that started from Pagudpud and ended in front of Paoay’s San Agustin Church.

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Shulchenko has an aggregate time of 22 hours, 48 minutes and 34 seconds, retaining a 1:38 lead over his teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai and a 4:15 gap from 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines’ Mervin Corpuz.

Alrefai placed 19th while Corpuz was 22nd, but posted similar stage clockings with Shulchenko of 3:17:14.

No changes in the overall leadership as Nikita Shulchenko sustains his one-minute and 38-second lead over LCW UAE Cycle teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai and 4:15 over Mervin Corpuz #TourOfLuzon2026 | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/korjdp0pqD

— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) May 7, 2026

The most significant changes in the individual general classification are the entry of Excellent Noodles’ Tyler Hannay and MPT DriveHub’s Nash Lim into the top five.

Hannay, a British rider from the Isle of Man, is now fourth overall with a difference of 4:34 while Lim is fifth, 4:42 back of Shulchenko.

Ranked sixth to 10th are 7-Eleven’s Ronnilan Quita (+4:46) and Frenchman Antoine Huby (+4:50), MPT’s Rustom Lim (+5:32), Seoul Cycling Team’s Jung Woo Ho (+5:36) and Malaysian national team’s Muhammad Raihan Maulidan (+5:43).

Notable riders in the top 20 are Stage 3 winner Dave Montemayor of Go for Gold Philippines (11th overall at 6:00) and teammates Rench Michael Bondoc (12th, +6:10) and Jericho Lucero (16th, 7:04), Standard Insurance Philippines’ Jexxel Ehd Azur (17th, +7:09) and Ronald Lomotos (18th, 7:16) and Stage 8 winner Ryan Tugawin of Excellent Noodles (19th, +8:17).

Meanwhile, Go for Gold remains on top of the team classification category at 90:22:18, 1:17 above Standard Insurance and 3:04 over 7-Eleven.