Cycling: The gravel spectacle at the Giro d'Italia goes to Wout van Aert. The Belgian won the ninth stage to Siena, one of the most exciting and interesting in recent years. Isaac del Toro is the new man in the pink jersey.
Van Aert is back
The 181-kilometer ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia from Gubbio to Siena was the expected spectacle. The early breakaway group had no chance, as the peloton behind them quickly increased the pace. Then, on the gravel roads of Strade Bianche, everything escalated. Finally, wout van aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) in a two-man sprint against Isaac del Toro (UAE – XRG) and thus won a stage of the Giro d'Italia for the first time in his career. The Mexican, on the other hand, can celebrate the pink jersey. The day was bitter for Primois Roglic (RB – Bora – hansgrohe), who lost a lot of time.
Roglic with crash and breakdown bad luck
Today's stage of the Giro d'Italia was all about the motto "you can't win the Giro, but you can lose it." And once again it hit Primois Roglic (RB – Bora – hansgrohe). The captain of the Raubling racing team was first involved in a crash and shortly afterwards suffered a flat tire. His luck in misfortune: His opponent also Juan Ayuso (UAE – XRG) was held up and fought to catch up – but with a group ahead of him. The Ineso Grenadiers team benefited most from this chaos. Alongside leader Egan Bernal were also his teammates Brandon Smith Rivera and Egan Bernal in the first group. On their rear wheels, wout van aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Isaac del Toro (UAE – XRG).
Isaac del Toro gets free rein
The man in pink played no role in the fight for the day's victory. Diego Ulissi (XDS – Astana) was already distanced in the first gravel section and therefore had no chance to defend his leader's jersey. So, in the leading group, it was not just about the stage win, but also about the pink jersey. This is also why Isaac del Toro (UAE – XRG) was given a clear run by his team bosses. In Monteaperti, the Mexican made his first attack, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), wout van aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and the newly added, with an impressive feat of strength, Mathias Vacek (Lidl – Trek). Meanwhile, the spectators behind the scenes saw a fight between the group for Juan Ayuso (UAE – XRG) and the group around Primois Roglic (RB – Bora – hansgrohe) can be seen.
Bernal and Vacek cannot follow
At Colle Pinzuto Isaac del Toro (UAE – XRG) went on the offensive again. The last difficulty of the day should ensure that only wout van aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) was able to stay on his rear wheel. The Mexican secured the six bonus seconds at the Red Bull Kilometer without any resistance. Afterwards, the two rode together towards Siena. While Van Aert had his sights set on the stage win, del Toro fought for every second for the overall ranking. Behind him, Mathias Vacek (Lidl – Trek) to his captain Giulio Ciccone (Lidl – Trek). Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) was completely exhausted and was stopped by the Ayuso group.
Van Aert uses his experience
The final climb to Siena had an average gradient of over nine percent, and in some places even as high as 16 percent. Isaac del Toro (UAE – XRG) tried an early attack but couldn’t get rid of his companion. wout van aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), who hadn't done a single meter of leading work, simply seemed fresher. The Belgian overtook and secured the stage win. Del Toro can celebrate with Rosa – the first Mexican in history. 1:06 minutes later, Juan Ayuso (UAE – XRG) is the target. Primois Roglic (RB – Bora – hansgrohe) even lost 2:21 minutes.
Wout van Aert wins his first Giro stage and completes the set, stage wins in all three Grand Tours!
And Isaac del Toro becomes the first Mexican rider in history to lead the Giro d'Italia! Wow wow! #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/2xpDUJc6dD
— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) May 18, 2025