Young Mexican Isaac Del Toro Romero yesterday swept to a surprise stage two win to claim his first UCI World Tour victory and grab the overall lead in Australia’s Tour Down Under.
The 20-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider launched a daring attack inside the final kilometer to snatch victory in Lobethal to win the 141.6km stage and take possession of the leader’s ochre jersey.
Del Toro Romero had enough to spare to throw his arms in the air in triumph crossing the finish line ahead of Israel-Premier Tech pair, New Zealand’s Corbin Strong and Welshman Stephen Williams.
Photo: AFP
The first Mexican to win a stage at the Tour Down Under holds a two-second lead over Strong and seven seconds over Eritera’s Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) in the general classification with four stages of the season opener left.
“I’m so happy. I’m so tired, but I enjoy every moment. The last kilometer was so hard, but I tried to finish,” Del Toro Romero said. “The final climb was crazy for the team, and then I tried to catch the gap from Narvaez and Plapp, but later I stayed in the back. Then, you know, I’m out and, well, the last chance was the little climb in the final bit and I needed to finish the work.”
Del Toro Romero took off around breakaway pair American champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Frenchman Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) and set sail to the finish line.
Australia’s champion sprinter Caleb Ewan finished just outside the podium in fifth for Team Jayco-AlUla to lie eighth overall 10 seconds behind Del Toro Romero after changing bikes mid-race and having to make up ground on the peloton on several sharp hill climbs.
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