Leader Isaac Del Toro seems to crack, but then strikes hard in the queen stage of Tirreno–Adriatico

Isaac Del Toro claimed victory in the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. The UAE Emirates XRG GC leader seemed to struggle briefly on the final climb but conserved energy for the last kilometer, where he decisively dropped his rivals. Tobias Halland Johannessen finished second, Matteo Jorgenson came in third.

On the penultimate day, the general classification was expected to be shaken up once more. Stage six’s route was brutally tough. Early in the race, there was the ascent to Sassotetto (13.1 km at 7.3%), followed in the finale by three ascents of Camerino (3.2 km at 8.9%).

Breakaway with Ganna and Kielich
Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Thymen Arensman contested the early break attempts, but no one got away in the opening kilometers. Just before Sassotetto, a break finally formed, featuring Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) and Timo Kielich (Visma | Lease a Bike).

Ganna and Kielich were joined by Guillermo Thomas Silva (Caja Rural), Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5), Gregor Mühlberger (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Clément Braz Afonso (Groupama-FDJ United). The escapees built a maximum lead of roughly four minutes.

[caption id="attachment_1269652" align="alignnone" width="1200"] photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

Carapaz tries to bridge
Thanks partly to Julian Alaphilippe working hard at the front of the peloton for his teammate Michael Storer, the gap was reduced to one and a half minutes before the first ascent of Camerino. The breakaway shattered on that climb. Mühlberger and Braz Afonso proved the strongest climbers, cresting the summit together. Meanwhile, Richard Carapaz launched an attack from the peloton, closely marked by Albanese.

Carapaz briefly had support from his Italian teammate but had to push on alone afterward. After roughly ten kilometers of pursuit, he joined Ganna, Kielich, Calzoni, and Silva with 45 kilometers remaining. However, compared to Mühlberger and Braz Afonso, he barely gained ground: the gap remained over a minute. Thanks to the efforts of UAE Emirates XRG and Bahrain Victorious, the peloton also had the leaders back within one and a half minutes.

Van Aert asserts himself
At 35 kilometers to go, Carapaz realized his move was futile and dropped back with the earlier escapees. Only Mühlberger and Braz Afonso remained ahead. They held out for a long time, but the battle behind them was intense. Visma | Lease a Bike took charge to support Matteo Jorgenson and increased the pace. With assistance from Wout van Aert, the favorites’ group was significantly thinned out.

[caption id="attachment_1269676" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Carapaz failed to bridge – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

Del Toro was briefly isolated but soon reunited with teammate Jan Christen from UAE. Christen then took the front and closed the gap to Mühlberger and Braz Afonso. The riders then approached the final ascent of Camerino (3.2 km at 8.9%). Just before the steep climb began, Van Aert launched an attack, starting the climb with about ten seconds of advantage.

Pellizzari attacks but fades
That gap was clearly insufficient. After a few hundred meters on the climb, Ben Healy passed Van Aert. Among the favorites, Giulio Pellizzari launched two attacks. On the second attempt, Del Toro didn’t respond immediately, allowing the Italian to open a gap. But the Mexican received unexpected help: Uno-X Mobility set the pace up front for Tobias Halland Johannessen. Despite this, Pellizzari—who had joined Healy—started the final kilometer with a lead.

[caption id="attachment_1269675" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Van Aert is reeled back in – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

Del Toro did not seem to have his best legs but launched a chase on Pellizzari 800 meters from the finish, by then Healy had already been dropped. Two hundred meters later, he caught back up. Del Toro then took the front, with Jorgenson on his wheel. The American counterattacked soon after. Pellizzari faded, while Del Toro hooked onto the wheel.

Del Toro seals the deal
The Mexican wasn’t yet at his limit, as shown in the sprint. He dropped Jorgenson and powered to the stage win. That victory all but secures him the overall title, with only a flat closing stage remaining on Sunday. Jorgenson was narrowly passed at the line by Tobias Halland Johannessen, who claimed second place.

🚴🇮🇹 | Isaac Del Toro grijpt de dubbel in Tirreno-Adriatico. Hij wint namelijk de zesde etappe en verovert bovendien - hoogstwaarschijnlijk - het eindklassement! 🇲🇽

Wielrennen 👀 HBO Max pic.twitter.com/WrNTuXQM0p

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