By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
TAGAYTAY CITY – Foreign riders bared their fangs early as LCW UAE teammates Yousef Ibraheim Alrefai and Nikita Shulchenko completed an impressive 1-2 finish in the 143.70-kilometer Stage 1 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026 that started in Calatagan, Batangas and ended at one of the country’s premier getaways on Wednesday, April 29.
Alrefai, a 19-year-old rider from Syria, launched a tactical move on the uphill stretch inside the final 25 kilometers alongside Shulchenko, first reeling in Korean defending champion Joo Dae Yeong before bridging up to teammate Ivan Anisimov, and the pair held on to kick off their title bids in the thrilling 14-stage odyssey on wheels.
Alrefai clocked 3 hours, 36 minutes and 35 seconds, excluding the 10-second bonus for stage winners to claim the yellow jersey, the overall individual general classification symbol of leadership which he will wear in the team trial Stage 2 on Thursday, April 30, that will start from Clark, Pampanga and end in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
Shulchenko posted at the same time as Alrefai.
“The first stage is just like an open race,” said Alrefai, who captured his first-ever stage win in his young career. “We were chasing the best riders and we made it. When we started the climb, we got to the front.”
“He helped me,” said Alrefai, referring to Shulchenko.
It was true team effort from the LCW UAE squa, with Alrefai and Shulchenko quick to credit teammate Ivan Anisimov, who spent much of the race in a three-man lead group alongside Joo Joo of the Gapyeong Cycling Team and Ariff Danial Noor Roseidi of the Malaysian National Team before easing off to let the duo take control in the decisive stages.
“We were in the breakaway and he (Anisimov) was waiting for us and so we caught him and then we (Shulchenko) went together,” said Alrefai.
Anisimov finished 13:56 minutes later at 71st.
British rider Douglas Tyler Hannay from Excellent Noodles, meanwhile, came in third after crossing the finish line 1:56 minutes later, while Go for Gold’s Jericho Lucero and Rench Bondoc also clocked the same time to become the best Filipino riders so far.
Joo, for his part, checked in with a 24-man pack 2:10 minutes later.
“Everybody is watching me,” was all Joo could say.
Standard Insurance skipper Ronald Oranza, who was part of the early six-rider lead pack that pulled away in the first five kilometers of the race, lost steam but ended up inside the Top 40 after finishing 6:02 later.
The first stage drew 89 riders from 13 teams and passed by towns of Nasugbu, Tuy, Balayan, Payapa and Calaca before reaching Tagaytay.
