Sure, there’s still the final parade stage in San Benedetto del Tronto tomorrow before we can officially say it’s over, but it’s little more than a formality. Juan Ayuso will get to enjoy the day in the Maglia Azzurra with complete peace of mind. The Spanish prodigy from UAE Team Emirates-XRG didn’t buckle under the weight of favoritism, nor the pressure of being the marked man in the race. On the summit finish at Frontignano (Ussita), he dropped everyone to claim the stage, the jersey, and – at this point – the overall victory in the 2025 Tirreno Adriatico.
This climb was basically the only GC decider of the Race of the Two Seas. The past few days had been thrilling, filled with rain, echelons, breakaways, and tactical battles, yet the general classification had remained largely unchanged from the opening time trial in Lido di Camaiore. Coming into today, the top 30 riders in the standings were separated by just 1’37”, making the climb to Frontignano (Ussita) a high-stakes, all-or-nothing showdown. The peloton rode in anticipation, waiting for the decisive battle to erupt on the final ascent.
One, two, three… on his fourth attack, Juan Ayuso finally broke free from his rivals, pulling clear with 3.3 km to go. The Spaniard had pushed his team to the limit, particularly thanks to a stellar effort from young Isaac Del Toro, already a standout last season. When the moment came to go solo, his initial accelerations were matched by Tom Pidcock, Jai Hindley, and Mikel Landa.
But when his rivals were on the ropes, Ayuso still had more to give. With one final burst of speed, he left them gasping, splitting the Two Seas wide open, throwing the doors to the Trident trophy and the 2025 Tirreno Adriatico victory wide open.
A special mention must go to Filippo Ganna, who, in the Maglia Azzurra, fought like a lion against pure climbers weighing 20 kg less than him. He only conceded 50 seconds at the summit, and barring disaster tomorrow, he will step onto the final podium of the competition. He will likely battle Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) for second place, with bonus seconds potentially making the difference—Tiberi currently holds the edge by just one second. Regardless of the final order, Italy will have two riders on the podium for the first time in 15 years, since Stefano Garzelli won the race ahead of Michele Scarponi.
