PAGUDPUD, Ilocos Norte — Filipino riders in the MPTC Tour of Luzon resumed competition on Thursday as the race entered its second half, with Russian cyclist Nikita Shulchenko holding a commanding overall lead after seven stages.
Seventy-seven riders continued from an original field of 89 for a 142.6-kilometer Stage 8 route from Pagudpud to Paoay, Ilocos Norte, where competitors aimed to reduce Shulchenko’s lead of more than four minutes in the general classification.
Filipino rider Mervin Corpuz, who sits in third place overall, acknowledged the difficulty of closing the gap but said he and other local cyclists would continue competing for the overall title.
“It’s going to be tough taking that yellow jersey [from Shulchenko] because they already have the advantage,” Corpuz said in Filipino during a press conference. “But if given a chance plus some added luck, I don’t think it’s an impossible task.”
MPT Drivehub coach Mark Galedo, a former Tour champion, said teamwork among Filipino riders would be necessary to challenge the foreign leaders.
“I’ve said before [this] started that our riders won’t win if they go their own ways instead of helping each other,” Galedo said in Filipino. “Sometimes we need the cooperation of each rider in order to beat these foreign riders.”
Corpuz referred to both Shulchenko and his LCW UAE Cycle teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai, who sits second overall, as the main leaders in the race.
Shulchenko increased his lead after winning the 23-kilometer individual time trial in Pagudpud on Tuesday. He held a cumulative time of 19 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds entering Stage 8.
“I do believe that I can keep my lead and stay on top,” Shulchenko said before the stage.
Galedo, who won the 2014 Le Tour de Filipinas, said earlier race dynamics show the importance of coordinated strategy in stage racing.
Corpuz had briefly joined a lead group in Stage 6 that built a significant advantage before being caught in the final kilometers.