Belgian Wout van Aert produced a magnificent sprint finish to win stage nine of the Giro d’Italia.
Van Aert, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, held off Mexican Isaac del Toro – who narrowly finished second but took the lead in the general classification.
Del Toro launched his attack along the gravel with just under 50km to go, forming a breakaway which also included Van Aert and Ineos Grenadiers’ Egan Bernal.
Bernal slipped back with around 20km left, but Van Aert overtook Del Toro on the steep finish at Piazza del Campo with 400m remaining.
The stage winner was visibly emotional, having endured a difficult period out with a knee injury.
“This victory means a lot to me. I almost cannot explain it,” said 30-year-old Van Aert.
“To win this stage after a long period without delivering, it feels so good.
“I had to fight all the way to the top, to the streets of Siena. I know the final stretch pretty well, I needed to do the move in the last three corners.”
British rider Simon Yates finished fifth on the stage and sits sixth in the overall standings.
But there was disappointment for 2023 Giro champion Primoz Roglic and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock, as they were involved in a minor crash with around 51km to go and suffered punctures.
Olympic mountain bike champion Pidcock, 25, was a contender to win the stage with its tricky gravel sections along the 181km route from Gubbio and through the Tuscan countryside to Siena.
Both finished the stage, with Pidcock 15th and Roglic in 19th place, but the latter – one of the pre-race favourites – lost significant time in the general classification.
The Slovenian fell to 10th, some two minutes and 25 seconds behind Del Toro, having begun the day just 17 seconds off the lead.
The riders rest on Monday, with the race resuming from Lucca to Pisa on Tuesday.
