Isaac del Toro completes Italian treble with Coppa Sabatini win

Isaac Del Toro added the Coppa Sabatini to his rapidly growing list of victories, taking his third win in Italy in as many days and cementing an outstanding run for UAE Team Emirates–XRG.

Del Toro surged away from a lead group of three riders in the closing kilometres on the challenging circuits around Peccioli. With 7 km to go he launched a decisive move, and in the final uphill charge he outpowered Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Ben Granger (MG.K Vis Construzioni e Ambiente) to cross the line first.

The 197.6 km route featured repeated rolling terrain and select climbs, culminating in a demanding finale that favoured aggressive riding and sharp tactics. Early in the race, a breakaway of ten riders went clear and built a lead of more than four minutes. As the race progressed and the gaps began to close, UAE Team Emirates–XRG positioned Del Toro ideally, with his late attack coming at precisely the right moment, combining strength and timing to take the victory.

Del Toro: “It’s an amazing feeling to finish this week with three wins in Italy. I felt strong in the final and when I saw an opportunity, I committed. The team rode brilliantly—positioning me, keeping me protected, and making sure I could deliver in the finale. To win here in Peccioli, in this race, means a lot.”

Coppa Sabatini results

Isaac Del Toro — UAE Team Emirates–XRG — 4h 46′ 56″

Benjamin Thomas — Cofidis — +0′ 05″

Ben Granger — MG.K Vis Construzioni e Ambiente — +0′ 08″

Meanwhile, over at La Vuelta a España, João Almeida piled on the pressure in the fight for the Maillot Rojo. Beginning the day with a 50-second deficit to race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man earned back 10 seconds in the stage 18 individual time trial, setting up a grandstand finish to the general classification battle on Saturday.

The Portuguese rider finished in third place on Thursday afternoon, with Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers taking the day’s honours. On the 12.2km-long course, UAE Team Emirates-XRG impressed across the board, with Ivo Oliveira taking his first top 5 result in a Grand Tour, and Jay Vine producing an exceptional display to take 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.

Speaking after the finish, Almeida admitted he was disappointed to see the stage route cut short by the race organisers, but remained content with his showing on the roads of Valladolid.

Almeida: “I think I did the best I could, it is not an effort that suits me a lot. It was a pity it was not the 27km [route] but it is what it is.

“We will never know, right? Life is based on ifs, so we cannot really think much about it. I think we can still be pretty satisfied with the outcome, I felt quite strong and I think it was the same for everyone. As a cyclist, we have to adapt to any scenario.

“We just need to be focused, do our best and at the end of the day, that is all we can do. We control what we are able to control.”

Vuelta a España stage 18 (ITT) results

1. Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) 13:00

2. Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +0.009

3. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +7″

5. Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +10″

Vuelta a España general classification after stage 18

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) 65:07:13

2. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +40″

3. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +2:39