Photo: Tour of Luzon

By Nate Castillo

He finished the 124.2-kilometer race that started in Candon City Arena and ended with an exciting Hors category uphill crawl in three hours, 32 minutes and one second.

“It was really important for me and also for a proof to the team that I'm strong on the climb,” Huby said.

Huby and still-yellow jersey holder Nikita Shulchenko engaged in their own version of the World War 2 Battle of Bessang Pass with a neck-and-neck ascent to the summit.

Huby broke away from Shulchenko in the lung-busting climb in the last three kilometers for the solo finish.

Huby was 50 seconds ahead of second-placer LCW UAE Cycling Team ace Shulchenko while 7-Eleven’s Ronnilan Quita, who fell short of a podium on Friday after a missed turn, finished third, two minutes and 26 seconds back.

Shulchenko, who came from behind and caught up with the lead pack to form an eight-rider breakaway at the start of the King of the Mountain Stage over the final 26.3 km, bolstered his case for the individual general classification title by increasing his lead.

The Russian rider has now accumulated a time of 29:34:44 and built a three-minute, 44-second gap in front of teammate Yousef Ibrahiem Alrefai – an over two-minute increase from his advantage in Stage 9.

Huby’s mountain heroics propelled him to third, three minutes and 56 second back of Shulchenko but just 12 seconds behind Alrefai.

Quita moved to fourth with a five-minute, 57-second gap from the leader while his teammate Mervin Corpuz slipped from third to sixth, nine minutes and five seconds back. 
        

7-Eleven dislodged Go for Gold from the top spot in the team general classification with a total time of 117:37:57 –- five minutes and 28 seconds ahead of the erstwhile leader.

LCW UAE pulled up from sixth to third with a 13-minute and one second gap behind 7-Eleven.