Wout van Aert wins level 9 as Isaac del Toro packs pink jersey in Giro d'Italia, Primoz Roglic Leaks time after the gravel chaos

The expected return of Giro d'Italia back to the white streets of Tuscany lived the hype when chaos, slaughter and confusion almost the moment the drivers reached the chalk roads. A big crash, when the peloton reached the gravel, smashed the peloton into pieces.

Good luck and good legs left two survivors, Wout van Aert (Visma lease a bike) and Isaac del Toro (VAE team Emirates-XRG), and fought against the well-known Strade Bianche-Finish in Sienas Piazza del Campo. The experienced Belgian forced the young Mexican to lead the steeply via Caterina slope before slipping past and negotiating the last bends to win an unforgettable, redeeming victory.

Del Toro could be satisfied with claiming his first Maglia Rosa and over a minute in general classification. Although his team-mate Juan Ayuso lost the GC time, he won more than a minute over his large rival Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe), which settles on his Spanish rival for more than a minute.

Although the Strede Bianche stage started uncomplicated with five sectors and a total of 28 km of Sterrato, it was probably never that way. The early runaway formed particularly efficiently when Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) sprinted out of the blocks in the company of teammates of teammates. They teamed up with Dries de Bont (Decathlon AG2R) and Milan FROTIN (Cofidis) to make four on the street before the latecomers Taco van der Hoorn (Intermalarche Wanty) and (Soudal-Quickstep) went through.

This proved to be a satisfactory composition on Q36.5 Pro Cycling, the team of the stage favorite Tom Pidcock, who took responsibility for the control of the stage. Pidcock's colleagues were ready to give the break no more than a three-minute lead, although the gap for most of the first 100 km less than two was.

The pressure increased because both the break and the bundle were closed in the first sector. After several stages as headmistress as headmistress, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) became Mathias Vacek and Giulio Ciccone Equipler for teammates and drove hard across the narrow chalk roads, the early splits. Van Aert worked for Simon Yates, while Egan Bernal, among others, supported Josh Tarling, including the teammates of Ineos. At the end of the first route of Strade Bianche, the peloton was dismantled to around 30 drivers.

Just a few short kilometers later it was in fragments when a local crash came down Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) before a larger one in the main part of the bunch took both Roglic and Pidcock and Ayuso disabled. This wasolated Roglic when Del Toro, Bernal, Thymen Arensman, Brandon Rivera (all Ineos Grenadiers) and van Aert were the main beneficiaries and were driven by the steam of the British outfit, which they wanted to take in full position. Van Aert and his team leader Simon Yates continued to play back the role of the passenger in a group.

These five quickly made it to the remains of the original break, the Grove and Hermans, before they drove from the bikes with the Alpecin couple. Arensman also fell off when Rivera did the most to build the group for stage and overall success. Behind it did their best to restrict the losses, but when Del Toro switched to virtual pink, Roglic and Pidcock hopes quickly faded under the Tuscan sky. Ayuso and Company almost seemed to be in contact until they were not. From an impressive effort from Vacek, it enabled him to connect the front five.

When the stage entered the last 20 km, del Toro received full permission from his team for his own chances, and did his best to give the rest and go to the goal alone. Although he was able to fall uphill in the last gravel, the 2.4 km, Colle Pinnzuto, van Aert, like glue, put on his bike. After del Toros GC competitor Yates in his team, the Belgian was able to oppose the appointment and to turn.

With the final in Siena, a precise replica of Strade Bianche knew that he would win the stage that he needed every ounce of energy that he could save. There was nothing between them on Via Caterina. Del Toro led most of his 600 meters when Van Aert came out shortly before the top. In the narrow, winding streets he led the run-in to the Piazza del Campo to get a famous 50th road victory of his career.

Although he has to wait for a first major career win, del Toro could comfort himself by becoming the first Mexican man to announce the Maglia Rosa. He now leads the race from his team -mate Ayuso for over a minute, with Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain victorious) in third place. Roglic came home for more than two minutes and is now almost in 10th place and on 2'25 '' back on the guide.

“It had to be here,” said an exhausted van Aert, “because my street career began in 2018. To win this phase after a long time without delivering, it finally feels so good.”

He also paid tribute to del Toro's efforts throughout the stage:

“Isaac made such a great journey. I felt a bit so as not to pull too much with him because he is obviously almost a competitor for my teammate Simon Yates. I had to leave the work to him, but it was still close. “