By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
PAOAY, Ilocos Norte – Ryan Tugawin stole the thunder from foreign rivals after ruling Stage 8 of the MPTC Tour of Luzon 2026 that started in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and ended in front of the iconic San Agustin Church of Paoay here on Thursday, May 7.
The 36-year-old team captain of Excellent Noodles launched a blistering charge in the final 400 meters, outsprinting six rivals including Malaysian National Team’s Ariff Noor Roseidi and Go for Gold’s Marvin Mandac, who finished second and third, respectively.
All five riders, along with CCN’s Charles Olsen Ferrer and MPT Drivehub’s Nash Lim, timed identical 3 hours, 16 minutes and 58 seconds.
The 148.4-km predominantly flat stage, which snaked through the towns of Bangui, Burgos, Pasuquin, Bacarra, Batac and Currimao, played perfectly into the hands of sprinters like Tugawin, who joined a seven-man breakaway in the final 50 kilometers during the first loop near the Paoay Arch.
“Nag-jump-jump lang,” said Tugawin, who almost claimed Stage 5 but had to settle for the runner-up honors behind Russian Ivan Anisimov in a mass finish.
“May breakaway kasi kanina eh. Dumikit, tapos ayun, nagkabanatan ulit. Nung nakawala na kami, nag-usap-usap kaming mga Pilipino don, umikot lang yung trangko. Para hindi foreigner yung manalo ulit sa stage,” he added.
Since Dave Montemayor’s Stage 3 victory in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, foreign riders had dominated the succeeding stages.
Among them was Stage 7 time trial winner Nikita Shulchenko, who further solidified his hold on the yellow jersey despite finishing 16 seconds behind with the peloton. The LCW UAE rider preserved his overall lead of 1:38 minute over teammate Yousef Ibraheim Alrefai with a cumulative time of 22:48:34, aided by the peloton’s furious chase that trimmed the lead pack’s advantage from 3:46 minutes in the final 40 kilometers in Paoay.
7-Eleven’s Mervin Corpuz still remained at third with 4:15 off the pace, while Tugawin’s teammate Douglas Tyler Hannay, who had been in the original 17-rider lead pack in the first 30 kilometers, improved to fourth with 3:34 behind.
Lim also jumped from seventh to fifth by registering 4:42 off the pace.
In the team race, Go for Gold still kept the overall lead with 90:22:18 with Standard Insurance and 7-Eleven were 1:17 and 3:04 minutes behind.
