TAGAYTAY—With a rest day up ahead, Ronald Oranza of Navy Standard Insurance dug deep in the punishing Stage Six on Tuesday, topping the 148.3-kilometer journey from Lucena to here as the P3.5-million cycling spectacle toasted a new leader for the second straight day.
Coming back from a busted tire earlier in the lap, Oranza, the 2018 champ, ruled the dreaded Talisay-Tagaytay Road—a difficult 11.7-km uphill climb consisting of 10 hairpin turns—to clock three hours, 40 minutes and 45 seconds at the finish where he was met by an adoring throng that chanted his name.
The 29-year-old Villasis, Pangasinan, native then fell to the ground with cramps on both his legs and was carried by two security men straight to their team.
“I didn’t expect I would take the red jersey, but I’m glad I did,” said Oranza.
El Joshua Cariño, Oranza’s teammate, checked in second in 3:42:39, while former overall leader Jan Paul Morales of Excellent Noodles was third in 3:42:41.
The effort saw Oranza take the lead from No. 6 in the individual general classification race with an aggregate time of 18:46:04 while bumping Jonel Carcueva, who timed in 3:46:09 in the stage, down to third in 18:49:01.
Morales, dislodged at the top by Carcueva in Stage Five, kept his grip of No. 2 at 18:46:46.