Giro d'Italia, new attack by the pink jersey in Bormio. But Carapaz doesn't give up

It's the blow you don't expect, the blow of the champion served up at the finish line, complete with bow. On the day of the Mortirolo, the Sacred Mountain of cycling that foreshadows further upheavals in the rankings, the pink jersey emerged and Isaac Del Toro conquered the 17th stage with a finesseuér dart, attacking on the last ramp three kilometres from the finish in Bormio.

Mexico and clouds and a sprinkling of rain. The only one who resisted him was Richard Carapaz but even the Ecuadorian, who had previously attacked him on the Mortirolo, had to surrender to the Mexican's final sprint, finishing third behind also Romain Bardet.

Stop everyone: we had better revise some hasty judgments. And re-evaluate, once again, this young rider who with crystal-clear class, but also with a lot of heart, reaffirms that he does not give up. That he has no desire to step aside. And that although he suffers on the long climbs, he is immediately ready to return to the attack in fast finishes such as Bormio, where his explosiveness allowed him to burn tough veterans like Carapaz and Yates.

"I learned to race with my head," said Del Toro after his exploit. "On the Mortirolo, during the attack by Carapaz, I struggled, but I conserved my strength to bring myself back under in the descent. Then on the last climb I sprinted. I'm happy both for my teammates and because I was able to defend the pink jersey well, there is still a long way to go...".

Nothing to say, the boy is growing. And he leaves those who already thought he was struck and sunk in awe. It's true that Richard Carapaz remains his great challenger, especially in view of the last two mountain stages, but Del Toro confirms that his rivals will still have to work hard to take the pink jersey from him.