RYAN Tugawin took top honors in Stage Seven even as the general classification leaders remained unchanged on Thursday in the Ronda Pilipinas.
Ronald Oranza, Jan Paul Morales and Jonel Carcueva are still the top three overall after staying together in an uneventful 174.5-kilometer ride from the Tarlac Provincial Capitol to Quezon Park in Baler, Aurora.
The 32-year-old Tugawin, riding for Excellent Noodles, clocked four hours, 31 minutes and 16 seconds.
El Joshua Carino of Navy Standard Insurance ended up second with the same clocking while Marcelo Felipe of Team Nueva Ecija was third, two seconds behind.
The GC top three finished a minute behind. Oranza has an aggregate time of 23:18:22, Morales at 23:19:04, while Carcueva is at 23:21:19.
It was the second podium finish Oranza, from Nueva Vizcaya, native after he finished third in the Sorsogon-Legazpi Stage Three on Saturday. It was also Tugawin’s second stage victory since topping the Sorsogon-Legazpi Stage Two in Ronda’s 10th anniversary edition two years ago.
The day’s podium finishers entered the GC top 10, with Felipe climbing to No. 5 from No. 11 (23:28:09), Carino to No. 6 from No. 12 (23:29:28) and Tugawin to No. 8 from No. 13 (23:31:29).

Ryan Rugawin takes his first stage win this year.
Oranza, the 2018 Ronda king, will wear the red jersey in Friday’s 174.4km Baler-Echague, Isabela Stage Eight.
“I expect to the three of us to guard each other closely the next stage,” said Oranza, from Villasis, Pangasinan.
Ronald Lomots of Standard Insurance is No. 4 at 23:27:22, Jeremy Lizard of Navy Standard Insurance No. 7 (23:29:39), Jericho Jay Lucero and Daniel Ven Carino of Go for Gold at Nos. 9 (23:32:13) and 10 (23:33:24).
Navy Standard Insurance still leads the team classification with a clocking of 67:17:49.
Excellent Noodles stayed at No. 2 in 67:31:05 while Go for Gold at No. 3 in 67:43:00.
This annual event stakes a P3.5 million cash pot including P1 million to the champion courtesy of LBC Express, Inc., MVP Sports Foundation, Quad X, Smart, Twin Cycle Gear, Standard Insurance, Print2Go, Elves Bicycles, Elitewheels, Orome, Maynilad, PhilHydro, Garmin, Petron, Boy Kanin, Green Planet Bikeshop, Prolite, Fujiwara, Black Mamba Energy Drink, Lightwater, LBC Foundation, PhilCycling and the Games and Amusements Board.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph