By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
SAN JUAN, La Union – Defending champion Joo Dae Yeong dominated the flat Stage 11 of the Tour of Luzon with a long and daring solo breakaway, while Nikita Shulchenko remained firmly in control of the overall standings on Sunday, May 10, from Candon City, Ilocos Sur to the San Juan Town Hall here.
The Korean ace from the Gapyeong Cycling Team launched his decisive attack in the final 55 kilometers near Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur, leaving his fellow breakaway riders one after another on the way to his first stage victory in the summer odyssey on wheels.
As he crossed the finish line in 3 hours, 19 minutes and 16 seconds, the Korean off his bike and took a bow before a huge, energetic crowd braving the 36-degree Celsius searing heat.
However, his decision to stop at the finish line — deemed a “harmless” but technically unsafe celebration under race rules — earned him a 25-euro (P1,950) fine for “dangerous conduct by a rider that endangers himself and other competitors.”
“I always try to attack the stage,” said Joo, who was part of the large 17-rider lead pack during the six-lap Candon by-pass route early in the stage.
Malaysian National Team’s Saniy Syahmi Mohd Safiee finished 11 seconds behind while Pangasinan’s Dominic Perez came in 12 seconds later.
The 151.7-kilometer flat stage served as a welcome respite for the remaining 74 riders after Saturday’s brutal mountain stage at Bessang Pass in Cervantes, where Joo surrendered his polka dot climber’s jersey.
This time, he shifted his focus to the purple jersey instead.
“I had enough of wearing the polka dot jersey for five days, so it’s good to win the stage this time,” Joo said.
He trimmed his overall deficit by five minutes, but he still trails Shulchenko by 13:28 minutes going to the last three stages.
Shulchenko finished 3:30 minutes later than Joo, but held on to the general classification lead with a cumulative time of 32:57:30, 3:41 minutes ahead of LCW UAE teammate Yousef Ibraheim Alrefai.
Antoine Huby of 7-Eleven also remained at third with 3:54 off the pace, while Malaysian Muhammad Syawal Mazlin was fourth with 5:21 behind.
Eleven’s Mervin Corpuz was the best Filipino rider so far at fifth, trailing by 5:47 after finishing the stage 12 seconds behind Joo.
In the team race, 7-Eleven kept its overall lead with 131:05:38, with Go for Gold and Standard Insurance at 2:20 and 13:12 minutes behind.
Monday’s Stage 12 features a 141.4-km flat route that will be highlighted by a steep 7.4-km climb at Daang Kalikasan leading to the finish line in Mangatarem, Pangasinan.
