BAGUIO CITY ? On his third stint in the Tour, nothing spectacular really could be said about Mark Guevarra.

Until yesterday.

The auto painter from Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, didn?t blink from start to finish to rule the first of two crucial high-altitude stages and seize the overall individual lead in the Liquigaz-LPGMA Tour of Luzon.

The 23-year-old Guevarra made his first decisive move entering the initial ascent in Pugo, La Union, cutting the loose from the lead pack of 16 riders with Ronnel Hualda and Cris Joven of Liquigaz and Batang Tagaytay?s Baler Ravina in tow.

Guevarra then peeled off from his breakaway partners with 15 kilometers left to solo it home to the finish line in fog-covered Burnham Park with a time of four hours, 45 minutes and 50 seconds.

?Taking the overall lead wasn?t really my objective,? said Guevarra of his second Burlington Lap victory after clinching the Tagaytay-Marikina stage.

?But when I felt that I had the chance to win the stage, I grabbed the opportunity.?

Guevarra dislodged Lloyd Lucien Reynante from the overall lead with a total time of 19 hours, 36 minutes and 45 seconds. Reynante, who held the yellow jersey for two straight days, dropped to third overall, 5 minutes and 37 seconds behind.

Batang Tagaytay?s Hilson Mangahis moved up to second overall with a time of 19:41.59 after coming in 4:08 off Guevarra in the stage.

Merculio Ramos of My Photos dropped to fourth overall (6:12 behind Guevarra) followed by Joseph Millanes of 7-11/Road Bike (6:45), DPT Law?s Joel Calderon (8:13), GeoEstate/The Beacon?s Oscar Rendole (8:23), 7-11?s Tomas Martinez (9:20) Dante Cagas (9:38) and Regasco?s Warren Davadilla (12:35).

Guevarra paced the first big peloton that formed along the flat stretches in Nueva Ecija after the decimated 79-man field was sent off in Cabanatuan City.

Guevarra, who trained for four months but only had two days? practice in the country?s summer capital, actually suffered a flat tire 10 km into the 172.8-km ride but teammates Dante Cagas and Sherwin Diamsay came to his rescue and the trio soon caught up with the peloton.

Guevarra, Hualda, Joven, and Ravina began their assault as a heavy downpour hit the Tour in Pugo, La Union, leaving behind by 2:43 minutes the main pack of 21 cyclists led by Reynante of American Vinyl and Ramos.

Despite his victory, Guevarra goes into today?s killer Baguio-to-Baguio stage ? with a pair of treacherous ascents on Naguilian Road and Kennon Road ? still wary of the big guns.

Joven of Liquigaz finished third in the stage, four minutes and 23 seconds behind Guevarra, followed by Calderon (4:39), Ravina (6:03) and the group of Warren Davadilla, Julius Diaz (American Vinyl) and Martinez (7:26).

Guevarra?s stage victory helped push

7-11/Road Bike (78:47:15.3) farther ahead in the race for the P500,000 champion team?s prize, followed by Batang Tagaytay (40:51 minutes behind) and Liquigaz (47:25).