From disappointment to triumph: Giro leader Isaac Del Toro claims statement win on stage 17

BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Not content with being the first Mexican cyclist to lead the Giro d’Italia, Isaac Del Toro claimed a statement win on one of the race’s trickiest stages to add some precious seconds to his slender advantage.

The 21-year-old Del Toro had time to raise his arms over his head and then bow as he crossed the line at the end of the 17th stage four seconds ahead of Romain Bardet and overall rival Richard Carapaz.

It was Del Toro’s first stage victory in a Grand Tour and might assuage some of his disappointment from the previous day, when he lost nearly two minutes to Carapaz and barely managed to hold onto the leader’s pink jersey.

Del Toro was the youngest rider in 46 years to win in the maglia rosa, since Beppe Saronni — who was also 21 — won a time trial back in 1979.

“It’s incredible, everybody wants this and today I realized I will never give up,” Del Toro said. “And I will always stay one step in front, and I will always try it.

“I don’t have anything to lose and today was not easier than yesterday but for sure I had a better mentality.”

With the bonus seconds, Del Toro extended his lead to 41 seconds over Carapaz, the 2019 champion who leapfrogged above Simon Yates into second. Yates is 51 seconds behind Del Toro.

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It is Del Toro’s second Grand Tour. He finished 36th in the Spanish Vuelta last year.

The 155-kilometer (96-mile) leg from San Michele All’Adige to Bormio featured three climbs, including the Mortirolo, one of the Giro’s toughest and most famous climbs.

It was there that Carapaz attacked but the Ecuadorian cyclist only had a 12-second advantage at the summit and was caught by his rivals on the descent.

Del Toro made his move about nine kilometers from the finish, on the toughest section of the category three ascent of Le Motte.

Carapaz managed to stick to his wheel but the young Mexican pulled away inside the final two kilometers and kept his small margin on the technical finish.

“I predict with the team something like this will happen and of course you don’t want to let go all the GC riders,” Del Toro said. “And I went to them, I take it easy, I put a little bit of pressure on the other ones after the descent and then I just tried to relax and recover because obviously it was a hard stage, to try to do the last kick and the last climb.

“We make this plan with the team and the team gave me all the confidence to try full gas.”

Del Toro became only the second Mexican to win a Giro stage, after Julio Alberto Pérez Cuapio claimed one stage victory in 2001 and two more the following year.

Thursday’s 18th stage is a 144-kilometer (89-mile) route from Morbegno to Cesano Maderno that features three classified climbs before a relatively flat finale that should end in a bunch sprint.

The Giro ends in Rome on Sunday.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling