Mexican Del Toro bolts to overall lead in Tour Down Under

ADELAIDE (AFP) — Young Mexican Isaac Del Toro Romero swept to a surprise stage two win to claim his first WorldTour victory and grab the overall lead in Australia’s Tour Down Under on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The 20-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider launched a daring attack inside the final kilometer to snatch victory in Lobethal to win the 141.6 kilometer 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.

The first Mexican to win a stage at the Town 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.

Ausralia’s champion sprinter Caleb Ewan finished just outside the podium in fifth for 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.

“It was progress on yesterday and I am happy with where my form is at, hopefully during the week I will get better,” Ewan said.

There were some earlier attacks off the peloton with Australia’s Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) and Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narvaez (INEOS Grenadiers) breaking clear before Plapp followed team orders not to cooperate with the speedy Narvaez which closed down the move.

Luke Burns (Australian National Team) and Dutchman Jardi Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost) led a breakaway from the peloton for the first 112 kms before they were reeled in with just over 7km to the finish.

The first four stages of the TDU are better suited for the sprinters before the final two weekend stages featuring the testing Willunga Hill and Mount Lofty finishes. — Agence-France-Presse