UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s rising star Isaac Del Toro continued his sensational form by claiming victory at the Coppa Sabatini, his third triumph in Italy in as many days, further solidifying the team’s remarkable run.
On the demanding Peccioli circuits, Del Toro broke away from a three-man lead group in the final kilometres. With 7 km remaining, he launched a decisive attack and powered through the uphill finish to outpace Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Ben Granger (MG.K Vis Construzioni e Ambiente), sealing another emphatic win.
The 197.6 km course, with its rolling terrain and selective climbs, set the stage for aggressive tactics and relentless racing, perfectly suiting Del Toro’s style.
Meanwhile, at La Vuelta a España, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s João Almeida intensified the fight for the Maillot Rojo. Starting the day 50 seconds behind race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), the Portuguese rider clawed back 10 seconds in the stage 18 individual time trial, setting up a thrilling showdown for the general classification on Saturday.
Almeida finished third on the 12.2 km course, as Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) took the stage win. UAE Team Emirates-XRG shone collectively, with Ivo Oliveira securing his first-ever Grand Tour top 5, and Jay Vine delivering a stunning ride to claim second, missing out on victory by just one second.
The Australian specialist came within a second of beating Ganna, but ultimately fell just short of the Italian’s stage-winning time. Of course, Vine continues to wear the King of the Mountains jersey, and will be pivotal to Almeida’s plans to take the race to Vingegaard on stage 20.
(Inputs from WAM)
