Van der Poel outlasts Del Toro to claim Tirreno-Adriatico gravel stage

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) showcased his gravel skills to claim victory on stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico after he outsprinted Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in a dramatic finale in San Gimignano.

The trio forged clear on the demanding stretch of gravel on the final approach towards San Gimignano, a move that was triggered by Van der Poel’s initial searing acceleration with 5km to go.

Van der Poel was joined by Del Toro and a defiant Pellizzari a kilometre later, and they would combine to fight out the stage honours. Del Toro attempted to shake off Van der Poel on the final, asphalt slopes in the final kilometre, but the Dutchman held firm.

Pellizzari briefly looked like springing a surprise when he opened his sprint from distance but Van der Poel had just enough power to come past the Italian and fend off a fast-closing Del Toro to claim the stage win.

The finale featured a 5km stretch of gravel that climbed towards San Gimingnano, and Van der Poel was immediately to the fore. After tracking Julian Alaphilippe’s initial effort with 6km to go, Van der Poel took up the reins himself with a long, steady acceleration that broke up the peloton.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) impressed in following Van der Poel’s rhythm, but the American’s challenge for stage honours ended when his front wheel slipped from under him on gravel made treacherous by steady rain. Del Toro narrowly avoided coming down in the same incident, and he would eventually claw his way back up to Van der Poel, bringing Pellizzari with him to form the elite leading trio.

Behind, the peloton had been splintered into shards by a combination of the gravel and the gradient. Much had been expected from Wout van Aert here, but he was marked absent. 

Thymen Arensman (Ineos) was a persistent chaser of the leaders, but he crashed on an especially slippery section of gravel with 3km to go, while his teammate Filippo Ganna battled gamely but unsuccessfully in an attempt to keep the leader’s jersey.

Van der Poel was not immune to the conditions. He narrowly avoided falling when Del Toro skidded in front of him, but he managed to unclip and stay upright before bridging back up the Mexican.

Once off the gravel, Del Toro made one last attempt to shake off Van der Poel on the final climb into San Gimignano, but there was nothing to be done. After skipping Strade Bianche, Van der Poel enjoyed success on the Tuscan gravel here, picking up his second win of 2026.

Tobias Halland Johannsessen (Uno-X Mobility) took fourth on the stage at 15 seconds, while the bulk of the GC contenders – including Jorgenson, Primoz Roglic (Red Bull) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) came home at 17 seconds. Ganna lost just over a minute to cede the blue jersey to Del Toro.

At 206km in length, stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico offered the gruppo the chance to amass some endurance miles ahead of Milan-San Remo, and much like La Primavera, this was a slow burner.

After leaving Camaiore, Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Joan Bou (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Alessandro Iacchi (Solution Tech Nippo Rali) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti VisitMalta) forged clear, and they led through the intermediate sprint in Pomarance and the day’s classified climb to Castelnuovo before they were reeled in.

The tension ratcheted on the approach to San Gimignano and the late stretch of gravel, with Ganna’s Ineos squad stringing out the bunch inside the final 30km. The battle for positions before the gravel sector was fierce, but once the road began to climb, the hierarchy was clear.

Del Toro leads the race by three seconds from Pellizzari, with Magnus Sheffield (Ineos) third at 13 seconds and Roglic fifth at 18 seconds.