Tour of Luzon: Ryan Tugawin breaks through to win Stage 8

Ryan Tugawin of Excellent Noodles celebrates at the finish line after winning Stage 8 of the Tour of Luzon. –HANDOUT PHOTO

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—Ryan Tugawin got a lap win that eluded him a few days earlier and ruled Stage 8 of the Tour of Luzon in a sprint finish on Thursday here.

The Excellent Noodles skipper emerged ahead of four other riders after making his move in the final 500 meters, crossing the finish line in front of the iconic San Agustin Church at three hours, 16 minutes and 58 seconds.

Tugawin beat out Malaysian national team’s Ariff Danial Noor Roseidi, who settled for third. Go for Gold Philippines’ Marvin Mandac placed third after the 157.4-kilometer stage that began in Pagudpud.

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Ryan Tugawin celebrates with his Excellent Noodles teammates after taking Stage 8 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon here in Paoay. Tugawin is the second domestic rider to win a lap after Dave Montemayor’s Stage 3 triumph | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/QFBDqPuMAU

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It was sweet redemption for Tugawin, who came close to taking Stage 5 last Sunday in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, but lost a few inches to LCW UAE Cycle’s Russian sprinter Ivan Anisimov.

He also became the second domestic cyclist to win a stage in this year’s summer cycling spectacle after Go for Gold’s Dave Montemayor captured the third leg that ended in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

Two riders who joined the three to set up the finish were fourth-placer Charles Ferrer of CCN Factory Racing and Nash Lim of MPT DriveHub.

Three seconds back were D’Reyna Orion Cement’s Erickson delos Santos and Tugawin’s British teammate Tyler Hannay, along with 57 riders, including overall leader Nikita Shulchenko and fellow LCW pedalist Ibrahiem Alrefai and 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines’ Mervin Corpuz.

Stage 8 was a relatively flat race with one hilly section in the town of Bangui where the famous windmills are located.

Riders made two turns at the historic church, with Tugawin eventually catching up with the lead pack led by Mandac and Hannay, plus seven others, coming out of the second group.