Juan Pedro Lopez defended his maglia rosa in the Giro d'Italia, but as the high Alps appear on the horizon, the talented young Spaniard and his Trek-Segafredo team realize that the pink spell could soon be over.

But they both promise to fight to the bitter end, and they are determined to defend the Spanish rider's good form and claim a stage victory in the final week of the Giro d'Italia.

"We are happy that Juanpe still holds the maglia rosa. Luca Guercilena, Trek-Segafredo's team manager, told Tuttobiciweb.

"This Giro is hard and suitable for pure climbers. Juanpe climbed with pride and showed that he can fight. He prepared for this Giro, took his chance in Etna and took the pink jersey. His talent and courage paid off."

The 24-year-old Spaniard won the Maria Rosa on the day's break to Mount Etna. Leonard Kemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) took the stage win in a two-man sprint battle, but Lopez took solace in a pink sprint. Since then, he and Trek-Segafredo have fought every day to defend the stage, and Lopez fought hard in the Brockhaus mountain finish.

Lopez leads Richard Calapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) by 12 seconds, with fellow overall contender Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) in third place with the same time and the in-form Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 14 seconds behind.

Lopez will wear his maglia rosa for the ninth day on Friday, when the Giro d'Italia races from Sanremo to Cuneo. His young face shows his joy and fatigue as a race leader, but he is ready to face the unknown as he tries to defend his maglia rosa for as long as possible.

"Let's see what happens, one day at a time," he says as a mantra.

"Friday is a day for sprinters. Saturday is a different day and we'll take it one day at a time and see what happens. I feel tired, so I try to rest and recover as much as possible.

Lopez has learned to race as a team leader and is grateful to his teammates. He has made history as the first Spaniard to win the Maria Rosa since Alberto Contador. But he is not about to change.

"Certainly nothing has changed in my life," he said. I'm the same person I was three years ago when I turned pro. Whatever happens in the next few days, I will be just as happy as I am now and I will race with a smile on my face."

If Lopez can stay in the pink, his chances of surpassing his 13th place finish at last year's Vuelta a España will increase, but conversely, fatigue and the weight of the maglia rosa could prevent him from staying in the overall standings in the final week.

"Whatever happens, I will not cry about possible failures and will respond by focusing on the next opportunity," Guercilena promised.

"The time difference on GC is quite small, but I will defend the jersey as long as I can. Friday's stage won't be a big problem, but things will get tougher as the weekend goes on."

"Saturday's stage around Turin may be more worrisome given the way the Grand Tour has been raced in recent years. Week 3 is often about control and defending GC positions, so we believe the riders have the potential to explode on Saturday. On the higher mountains on Sunday, it will be important to see who has the legs for the longer climbs."

Even if Juanpe loses Maglia Rosa, we will race smart for a stage win and possibly a top 10 overall finish.

"Instead of doing everything in our power to defend the jersey, we will balance it so that there are no riders to attack in the final week," Guercilena added.

"We have to enjoy the moment and race smart, like Juanpe did last week.