MARK Julius Bordeos kept his slim lead in the overall classification as Ryan Tugawin took Stage 2 honors on Monday in the Ronda Pilipinas.
Tugawin, riding for Team Tarlac, edged Ismael Grospe, Jr. of Go for Gold at the finish in Legazpi City to claim his first ever stage victory.
The 30-year-old Tugawin finished the 154.5-km ride from Sorsogon in three hours, 50 minutes and 37 seconds, the same time registered for Grospe and third placer George Oconer.
It was the same clocking for the main pack that included former champions Jan Paul Morales and Ronald Oranza of Navy and Mark Galedo of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21.
Bordeos of Bicycology-Army kept the LBC red jersey with a total clocking of 6:56:34 followed by Scratch It’s Jerry Aquino, Jr. (6:56:37) and Oconer (6:56:40).
Rustom Lim was fourth at 6:56:40, with Galedo at 6:56:47, Aidan James Mendoza (6:56:54), Marcelo Felipe (6:56:56) and Mervin Corpuz (6:56:56), Alvin Binosa of Celeste Cycles (6:56:57) and Jester Neil Mendoza of Bicycology (6:57:01).
“I was just sticking with them from behind but when I found a space on the side, I went for it,” said Tugawin, whose previous best finish was second in a stage in Guimaras last year.
7Eleven had five riders in the top 10 as it took the lead in the team classification with an aggregate time of 27:47:23.
Navy slipped to second at 27:49:54, while Bicycology is running third at 27:50.03.
Stage Three of the race presented by LBC and backed by the MVP Sports Foundation is set on Tuesday, a 119km ride from Legazpi to Naga.
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