Overall crown in the bag for Nikita?

CERVANTES, Ilocos Sur, Philippines — In a stage that could make or break one’s campaign, a Frenchman and a Russian stood tall.

With no mountain high enough, Antoine Huby of 7-Eleven tamed the dreaded Bessang Pass and ruled Stage 10 yesterday even as Nikita Shulchenko of LCW UAE came in second, and may have sealed his overall victory in the MPTC Tour of Luzon.

Huby, a 25-year-old from Uzel, France, clocked three hours, 32 minutes and one second in claiming his first lap triumph in this 14-stage race while Shulchenko checked in 50 seconds behind.

It was a tour de force performance for both Huby and Shulchenko as they displayed their mountain-climbing skills to the hilt in conquering the 124.2-km stage that started in Candon and ended atop a mountain where a monument stood in honor of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Bessang Pass during the Japanese occupation.

That ascent was the second toughest lap next only to the Lingayen-Baguio 14th and final stage as this one featured a 30 km stretch of steep and long and winding climb.

In fact, most, if not all, had to be pushed up by members of the race staff to reach their designated team tents while some fainted or had to catch their breath while lying down.

Shulchenko came in a little dazed at the finish and sought for his bike to be pushed before regaining his composure. He kept his grip on the overall lead 29:34:44, 3:44 minutes ahead of teammate Ibrahiem Alrefai.

The Russian thinks, unless he runs into a mishap, he has the overall crown in the bag.

“Yes,” he said when asked if he had virtually clinched the title.