Mexico's Del Toro completes a full week in pink. He's got 1 more week to go to win the Giro
Now he's got one more week to go as the 21-year-old attempts to beat all of the pre-race favorites and claim his first Grand Tour victory.
And what a final week it will be, with all of the biggest climbs in this year's race grouped together before the Giro ends in Rome next Sunday.
Del Toro closed down attack after attack on the two climbs of the 15th stage Sunday and maintained his advantage of 1 minute, 20 seconds over Simon Yates.
Notably, pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic, the 2023 champion who was fifth overall, was dropped on the second climb and lost about 90 seconds in the standings.
Spanish rider Carlos Verona got into an early breakaway and won the stage on his own for the biggest victory of his career.
The 219-kilometer (136-mile) route from Fiume Veneto to Asiago included a big climb up Monte Grappa at the stage's midpoint.
Egan Bernal, the 2021 champion, attacked near the top of Monte Grappa and Del Toro was quick to follow. As was Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion, before all of the leaders came back together following the descent.
There were more attacks on another, shorter climb to Dori, with a summit 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the finish. But Del Toro, the first Mexican rider to wear the pink jersey, was the first to react to all of those attacks, too.
Monday is the race's third and final rest day.
Stage 16 on Tuesday is one of the race's toughest, a 203-kilometer (126-mile) leg from Piazzola Sul Brenta to San Valentino that includes four major climbs across the Dolomites — including an uphill finish.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
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