UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider uses second place on final day to secure second stage race victory of season
Vuelta a Burgos: Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG won the overall of the five-day stage race with runner-up finish on stage 5(Image credit: Getty Images)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) climbed to victory on the fifth and final stage of Vuelta a Burgos atop Lagunas de Nella, dropping Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on the final kilometre of the mountaintop finish.
With his second-place finish, Del Toro gained 45 seconds over Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and so secured the GC title. The Mexican climber came into the final stage trailing Bisiaux by 26 seconds, who would drop to third on GC at 25 seconds back.
Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), who was second on the stage last year and third this year, jumped onto the GC podium and finished second overall, 19 seconds back, scoring vital UCI ranking points.
On one of the steepest sections with three kilometres to go, Ciccone and Del Toro launched an attack from a reduced bunch, which included Bisiaux, the Italian then drilling the pace with 800 metres to go to distance his companion.
Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek celebrates at finish line as stage 5 winner (Image credit: Getty Images)
The 138.2km stage included three categorised climbs on the approach to the mountaintop finale of the stage race at Lagunas de Neila, the 6.4km decisive hors categorie with an average gradient of 9.1%.
During the opening 25km, five riders moved away from the peloton for the break of the day - Nico Denz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Mathijs Paasschens (Bahrain Victorious), Carlos García Pierna (Burgos Burpellet BH), Samuele Zoccarato (Polti VisitMalta), Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5 Pro Cycling).
The group settled into a smooth pace and swept up the KOM points across the first two climbs - Alto del Cerro (5k at 3.8%) and Alto de Arroyo (3.3km at 5.2%).
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Moschetti was the first to be dropped and once on the Alto de Rozavientos (3.3km at 9.7%), the lead was taken over by García Pierna and Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious), with under 15km to go.
Carlos Garcia Pierna of Burgos Burpellet BH, in the Red Mountain jersey, and Afonso Eulalio of Bahrain Victorious compete in the breakaway at the base of the final climb (Image credit: Getty Images)
Before the final ascent of the race and 10km to go, the lead duo held just a 25-second gap to the peloton, the pace driven by Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in support of GC leader Léo Bisiaux, who also held the youth and points classification leads going into the last stage.
With steepest sections approaching of the Lagunas del Neila, the breakaway disintegrated and Del Toro and Ciccone emerged for the head-to-head battle.
Once Ciccone accelerated away on the final metres of the climb for the stage rewards, Del Toro waited at the finish line to see the clock confirm he had overtaken Bisiaux for the GC title, as well as the youth classification.
Overall podium (L-R): Lorenzo Fortunato of XDS Astana Team on second place, overall race winner Isaac Del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG in the Purple Leader Jersey and Leo Bisiaux of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team on third place (Image credit: Getty Images)
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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