Giro d’Italia race organizer RCS Sport welcomed spectators and fans around the world to a great spectacle on the gravel roads of Tuscany. Sunday’s stage 9 of Giro d’Italia 2025 was much anticipated by the Classics specialists, as it offered them a significant opportunity to take a memorable stage victory in a Grand Tour. The stage was, however, much-feared by the general classification favorites, as the gravel sections could potentially cause much havoc in the peloton – thereby causing significant time losses. 

Stage 9 would take the riders on a 181-kilometer ride through Tuscany on a challenging and technical course from Gubbio to Siena, which featured gravel sections known from the famous Strade Bianche race. Stage 9 could prove to have a decisive influence on the general classification of this year’s Giro.

Diego Ulissi had taken the general classification lead from Primoz Roglic after his long breakaway effort in yesterday’s stage. The Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe general classification favorite would possibly be able to reclaim the race lead after today’s stage 9 and spend the second rest day of this year’s Giro in the pink jersey. 

Riders were eager to engage in breakaway efforts from the very beginning of stage 9. Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Dries de Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R), and Milan Fretin of Team Cofidis formed the first viable breakaway group, while Luke Lamperti (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty) formed a chase group.

With 160 kilometers left of the important stage of this year’s Giro the front quartet merged with the two chasers and the six riders joined their forces, while hoping to be able to keep the main peloton at bay. At this point the advantage of the sextet was approximately 02:30 minutes.

130 kilometers remained and the riders in the Giro were passing by the Rocca di Pierle fortress, which was erected in the 10th century to protect the Tuscan and Umbrian areas. The peloton was now 02:18 minutes behind the breakaway sextet while being headed by riders from Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on the La Cima climb, which was a minor Category 3 bump before the gravel sections later in the stage route.

The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team was still spearheading the main peloton when 100 kilometers remained. The breakaway optimists were 01:30 minutes ahead at this point. The riders were thirty kilometers from the first gravel section of today’s stage.

The front of the main peloton was being reshuffled when the riders were eighty kilometers from the finish line in Sienna. Riders from Ineos-Grenadiers, Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe, Visma-Lease a Bike, Bahrain-Victorious, and UAE Team Emirates were fighting for positions before the first gravel section. The riders were passing by scenic rural villages on the hillsides next to the roads.

The front sextet reached the first gravel section when 67.5-kilometers of the stage remained. Meanwhile, the action was hectic at the front of the main peloton as several teams were eagerly fighting to position their classics specialists and GC captains optimally. Current GC leader Diego Ulissi was dropped from the main peloton in his pink jersey.

While the advantage of the front group had been reduced to less than a minute, Mads Pedersen and Mathias Vacek from Lidl-Trek moved to the front of the main peloton on the gravel. Pedersen appeared to love the dirty racing conditions while racing with his internal batteries full of energy in today’s important stage.

Quinten Hermans and Kaden Groves left the other breakaway companions behind on the dusty gravel. 

The hard work done by Pedersen had caused a reduced peloton group to be formed on the gravel. The group now left the first gravel section while reeling in some of the riders from the breakaway. The Alpecin-Deceuninck Groves-Hermans duo was still in the lead at this point, but with a lead of just thirty-eight seconds.

Groves and Hermans entered the second gravel section while all other participants from the original breakaway had been reeled in by Pedersen and the other chasers in the reduced main peloton group, where Ineos-Grenadiers riders were leading the action.

Tom Pidcock and Primoz Roglic crashed while cornering on the gravel. Both riders returned to the action, though bruised and battered.

Isaac del Toro attacked from the peloton. He was caught by other strong riders. A group featuring Antonio Tiberi, Egan Bernal, Giulio Ciccone, Wout van Aert, Simon Yates, Juan Ayuso and del Toro were now chasing Groves and Hermans.

Primoz Roglic was in serious trouble following his crash. He appeared unable to catch up with the front group while riding on a spare bike from a teammate. 

The first chase group caught Groves and Hermans. The two Alpecin riders continued together with Bernal, Thymen Arensman, Brandon Rivera, van Aert and del Toro. A chase group featuring Antonio Tiberi, Richard Carapaz, Giulio Ciccone, Simon Yates, and Juan Ayuso were 44 seconds behind on the gravel with 42 kilometers left to the finish line and warm showers in Sienna.

The race had been split into several smaller groups with forty kilometers to go. The narrow gravel roads were dry and dusty. 

Bernal, Arensman, Rivera, van Aert and del Toro were now forming a five-man front group on the gravel hills. What a scoop for the Ineos-Grenadiers team to have three men in the front group. The Ineos-Grenadiers team, however, ran out of luck when Arensman suffered a mechanical and had to seek help.

The first chase group was 43 seconds back when 35 kilometers remained. The Roglic-Pidcock group was 01:25 minutes behind, while Thomas Pidcock was doing his utmost to reduce the time deficit. The man from Great Britain appeared determined and unstoppable.

Thirty kilometers remained and the race was still hectic. Only a few gravel sections remained at this point, but it would take a while for the cyclists to reach it. Egan Bernal was leading the race in a four-man group with Ineos-Grenadiers teammate Brandon Rivera as well as Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates). Chris Harper (Jayco-Alula) was chasing thirty seconds behind together with Mathias Vacek.

Vacek left Harper behind and initiated a solo chase, hoping to fight for a stage victory for his Lidl-Trek team. The strong Czech rider was closing in on the front group. 

In the first chase group Brandon McNulty was racing with blood running from his left leg and elbow. The American rider from UAE Team Emirates had been involved in a serios crash on the gravel. 

While Rivera was dropped from the front group, Vacek joined the group and pressed on. Wout van Aert attacked, and del Toro and Bernal responded. Vacek bridged the gap on a short steep hill. Colombian Egan Bernal was doing brilliant work for his Ineos-Grenadiers team while improving his chances of general classification success in a way we hadn’t seen him do for a long time following his serious crash.

The riders entered the next gravel section. Now would not be the time for bad luck. Bernal was running on fumes and del Toro and van Aert attacked. Vacek was chasing the front duo, while Bernal was chasing Vacek.

Van Aert and del Toro were chasing a stage victory with ten kilometers to the finish line in Sienna. Bernal was chasing solo 46 seconds behind. Bernal was lacking energy and was now at risk of getting caught by the chasing GC competitors. 

Bernal decided to wait for the Ayuso group when six kilometers remained as the competitors were closing in on the Colombian rider. It was now van Aert and del Toro in front with a lead of 01:15 minutes over the first chasing peloton group, which featured Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Tiberi, Arensman, Ciccone, Vacek, the Yates brothers, as well as other riders. Roglic, Pidcock were 02:15 minutes behind the front duo at this point.

Van Aert was not contributing at all in the front duo. Del Toro had long been doing all the hard lead work. A potential stage win for van Aert did not appear fair, though Del Toro had a chance of taking the pink jersey and become leader of the general classification. 

Isaac del Toro led the duo on the home stretch into Sienna. Wout van Aert had saved all his energy. The Dutch rider attacked and passed del Toro.

Wout van Aert was the first rider to cross the finish line in 04:15:08. Isaac del Toro finished second, while Giulio Ciccone finished third, 58 seconds later. 

Richard Carapaz was fourth, while Simon Yates finished fifth. Juan Auyso fiished seventh, 01:07 minutes behind the winer, Thymen Arensman was eighth, Egan Bernal ninth, and Adam Yates tenth. Thomas Pidcock finished fifteenth, 02:22 minutes back after crashing, while Primoz Roglic also suffered serious consequences from his crash when was the nineteenth rider to reach the finish line.

“To win this stage after such a long time without delivering feels so good for me,” stage winner Wout van Aert told Roadcycling.com after the stage finish. “Del Toro did an amazing ride and he’s a competitor to my teammate Simon Yates, so I had to make him do as much work as possible and wait with my attack until the final meters. My experience from the Strade Bianche race was of benefit to me in today’s stage,” van Aert explained.

Isaac del Toro is the new general classification leader for UAE Team Emirates, while teammate Juan Ayuso is second, 01:13 minutes behind. Antonio Tiberi is third, Richard Carapaz fourth, Simon Yates sixth, Egan Bernal seventh, Adam Yates ninth, while Primoz Roglic completes the GC top ten.

Monday will be the second rest day of this year’s Giro d’Italia. The Giro will resume on Tuesday with stage 10 – an individual time trial to Lucca.

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