Isaac Del Toro Triumphs in Giro dell'Emilia After Sprint Duel with Tom Pidcock

Isaac Del Toro claimed victory at the Giro dell'Emilia. The Mexican caught Tom Pidcock on the final climb of San Luca and then beat the Brit in a two-man sprint. Lenny Martinez finished third.

The first 65 kilometers of this year’s Giro dell'Emilia were completely flat, but then the San Lorenzo in Collina (5.6 km at 3.5%) appeared as the day’s first climb. This was followed by the Mongardino (2.1 km at 6.9%), the Monzuno (9.1 km at 5.2%), and the Monte Calvo (4.2 km at 5.5%). Once in the finish city of Bologna, riders faced the famous San Luca for the first time (2.1 km at 10%). After that, four laps of nine kilometers each were on the menu, each featuring the San Luca climb. The top of this iconic, punishing hill was also the finish line.

Picnic PostNL chooses to attack
The early breakaway was made up of more than half Picnic PostNL riders. Among the five attackers were Enzo Leijnse, Gijs Leemreize, and Jacob Bush, a 20-year-old Brit from the development team. They were joined by Spaniards Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos BH) and Pablo García (Polti VisitMalta). The group built up almost a five-minute lead, but as the finale approached, the gap quickly shrank. Leemreize and Bush then decided to escape together.

The Picnic PostNL duo managed to hold on bravely, but their chances ended before the first San Luca climb. The top contenders remained calm on the initial climb in Bologna. UAE Emirates XRG set a steady pace and kept it up, even when Mikkel Frølich Honoré threw down a marker on the climb’s run-out. The Dane launched himself into the descent and began the second San Luca climb with a ten-second lead.

Uijtdebroeks makes his move
However, UAE Emirates XRG’s pace was so high that Honoré was reeled back in before the summit. On the third climb, the Emirati team increased the tempo further, thinning out the peloton. Then Adam Yates launched a bomb. Lenny Martinez, Tom Pidcock, and Cian Uijtdebroeks joined the Brit first, followed by Primoz Roglic, Isaac Del Toro, and a cluster of riders. Uijtdebroeks then accelerated twice on the easing section toward the finish line, but he couldn’t create a gap. Not yet.

Jay Vine then took control again for UAE Emirates XRG. The Australian also covered the first part of the penultimate San Luca climb, but soon after Uijtdebroeks struck again. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike, who will race for Movistar next year, was joined by Martinez. After the steepest section, Pidcock, Roglic, Del Toro, and Michael Storer bridged across. Six leaders entered the final lap together, but the action slowed, allowing six more riders to catch back on.

Pidcock counters Uijtdebroeks
Among those was Richard Carapaz, who tried his luck on the run-out. He couldn’t get clear, unlike the also returned Rudy Molard. The Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ started the final climb with a small lead, where Uijtdebroeks pushed on once more from the bottom. However, he was caught by a counterattack from Pidcock. The Q36.5 Brit opened a nice gap, but as the last kilometer began, he started to struggle. At that moment, Del Toro launched a sprint from the chasers.

The Mexican rode straight up to Pidcock. At 600 meters from the line, he bridged across. He settled in the draft before launching a long sprint. Pidcock tried to come around him, but eventually had to sit up. This allowed Del Toro to take the win.