Isaac Del Toro fully lived up to his favorite status in the Gran Piemonte. Initially forced to chase in the finale, the Mexican turned the situation around, left his rivals behind, and then soloed impressively to victory. Bauke Mollema finished third after a sprint duel with Marc Hirschi. It was his first podium since 2022.
Two days before the Giro di Lombardia, riders like Isaac Del Toro, Christian Scaroni, Lenny Martinez, and Egan Bernal lined up at the start of the Gran Piemonte. Between Dogliani and Acqui Terme, a tough course was once again laid out, featuring three challenging climbs in the last eighty kilometers. First came the Rocchetta Palafea (2.7 km at 8.4%), followed by two ascents of the Castelletto d'Erro (6.1 km at 5.2%). From the summit of the final climb, it was still 15 kilometers to the finish line.
Hermans in strong breakaway
Many riders wanted to be in the early break. It took some time before a breakaway actually formed, but when it did, it was a very strong selection. The attackers included Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Victor Langelotti (INEOS Grenadiers), Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla), Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility) and Odd Christian Eiking (Unibet Tietema Rockets).
The seven didn’t get much space from UAE Emirates XRG. Two minutes was all they were allowed. With that advantage, the breakaway riders started the Rocchetta Palafea, where the break split apart. Hermans, Holter, and Tratnik remained and continued together. They started the first ascent of the Castelletto d'Erro with just over a minute and a half lead. On that climb, UAE riders first Pablo Torres and then Pavel Sivakov increased the pace.
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Van der Lee keeps attacking, Mollema joins
When things briefly calmed, Jardi Christiaan van der Lee accelerated, but Del Toro immediately followed his wheel. The others also came back, but at a second attack from Van der Lee, no one responded right away. The Dutchman managed to open a nice gap. However, Eddie Dunbar soon bridged across, and then Del Toro himself also jumped up. Behind the Mexican, several riders followed, creating some uncertainty. Van der Lee took advantage and tried once more.
This time, the Dutchman was joined by Marc Hirschi, Einer Rubio, Ion Izagirre, Lorenzo Milesi, and Bauke Mollema. The six then gradually opened a gap on the peloton with Del Toro. Entering the 33-kilometer final lap, they had a 30-second lead over the chasers, where UAE had now gained support from XDS Astana. Meanwhile, the group with Mollema and Van der Lee approached Hermans, Holter, and Tratnik. Within the first few kilometers of the Castelletto d'Erro, the groups united.
Mollema catches up to Del Toro
Del Toro started the climb 30 seconds behind Mollema and company. No time to hesitate for the Mexican, who immediately pushed hard. He blasted off the wheels of the others and reeled in the breakaway riders one by one. The penultimate rider Del Toro caught was Mollema. The Dutchman latched onto the UAE rider’s wheel, and together they rode up to Hirschi. Two kilometers from the summit, there were three leaders.
However, this situation was short-lived. Del Toro had held back slightly for about a minute but then accelerated again. Hirschi conceded immediately, Mollema tried to follow but soon dropped back himself, allowing Del Toro to launch a solo of just over 17 kilometers. Behind him, Hirschi managed to return to Mollema. Could the two still challenge the Mexican on the run to Acqui Terme?
🚴🇮🇹 | Del Toro mercilessly drops Hirschi and Mollema. "Pogacar light" are the words of @jeroenvanbelle 🚵
📺 Watch the race live on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/nUegrN7jzZ
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) October 9, 2025
No, as it turned out. Del Toro crested the summit with a 25-second lead and then extended it further. This was his fifteenth win of the season and his sixth victory since September.
Behind Del Toro, Mollema and Hirschi sprinted for second place. Hirschi won the sprint, leaving Mollema to finish third. The last time Mollema stood on a podium was in 2022. On August 24 of that year, the Dutchman placed second in the prologue of the Deutschland Tour. That same year he also finished second in a Giro d’Italia stage (Koen Bouwman won, Tom Dumoulin came fourth) and won the Dutch national time trial championship (ahead of the same Tom Dumoulin).
Gran Piemonte| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04:08:24 | |
| 2 | + 40 | |
| 3 | + 44 | |
| 4 | + 01:07 | |
| 5 | " | |
| 6 | " | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
