The Giro d’Italia was turned upside down again on Tuesday. Richard Carapaz dealt a blow to pink jersey wearer Isaac del Toro, while top favorites Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso had to abandon their ambitions for the overall victory.
For more than two weeks, Del Toro showed no sign of weakness. The 21-year-old Mexican from UAE Team Emirates moved mercurially through the peloton and seemed on his way to a sensational overall victory. On the final climb of the arduous sixteenth stage, that was suddenly different.
Carapaz launched a vicious attack and Del Toro stayed put. The pink jersey wearer even had to let Simon Yates go later. At the finish in San Valentino di Brentonico, Carapaz had a lead of about one and a half minutes over Del Toro, who thus barely retained his leading position.
Just before that, things still looked so favorable for Del Toro. Roglic dropped out earlier in the day after falling again. A little later, Ayuso turned out not to be well. Del Toro’s Spanish teammate tumbled out of the top of the standings.
The stage victory was a prey for Christian Scaroni. The Italian from XDS Astana, along with teammate and compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato, was left over from a breakaway group. The two crossed the finish line arm in arm, Scaroni a few decimeters earlier than Fortunato.
The Giro is in the arduous final week. Mountain stages are on the program again on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The stages on Thursday and Sunday are flat.