Adam Yates watched his team leader suffer a big loss but quietly cheered for his brother: “If it had to be anyone…”

Very early on the Colle delle Finestre, Del Toro was left on his own. Yates, along with Rafal Majka and Brandon McNulty, could no longer support him. “I’m not exactly sure what happened, but we can’t be disappointed,” the British climber said in his flash interview. “We rode really well for three weeks, and Isaac is still very young. I don’t even know how old he is, maybe 21 or so. It’s his first Giro, and he’s got many years ahead of him.”

Meanwhile, twin brother Simon rode clear, and for a long time Del Toro seemed to be playing poker. But after the Finestre, the gap ballooned from two to five minutes. Still, Adam Yates wasn’t about to point fingers. “We raced well, but when someone rides like that, whether it is Pogacar or my brother, that is just how it is. Someone had the better legs today. You take it on the chin and move on. We did not win, but there is no reason to be disappointed.”

The 32-year-old Brit could also take some joy in his brother’s triumph, especially on the very climb where his own pink dream had fallen apart in 2018. “If it had to be someone, I am glad it was my brother. I am happy for him and I will congratulate him and celebrate a bit. Tomorrow we will celebrate with the team and look back on what has been a great three weeks.”

Rafal Majka was Del Toro's most important domestique during the final week. After Juan Ayuso and Jay Vine dropped out, much of the burden fell on the shoulders of the experienced Pole, who looked extremely strong, especially in the second-to-last mountain stage. However, on the Finestre and in the valley that followed, he could not guide his leader to the pink jersey. The 35-year-old super domestique on social media said he was incredibly proud of the youngster. "We wrote a cool story, Isaac!"

Of course, there was a lot of criticism of the tactical choices made by UAE Team Emirates - XRG because they didn't send a pawn forward in the large leading group. This meant they couldn't help their leader, whereas Wout van Aert could. The Mexican rider also faced much criticism, but Majka defended him. "Don't listen people who say 'You lost...' With this experience, one day you'll become a Champ."

Sport director Joxean Matxín was obviously very disappointed with losing the Giro d'Italia, but he was also full of praise for his young rider. According to the Spaniard, losing the pink jersey was perhaps unavoidable. "He said on the podium that there was a moment when, if Carapaz hadn't stopped, he would have thrown in the towel," Matxin said about Del Toro to El Maillot. "He was at his limit and kept trying to neutralize those attacks. The constant pushing and holding back was good for him in the end."

Afterward, there was a lot of criticism about the racing tactics of UAE Team Emirates - XRG. The team had no rider in the early breakaway, which cost them dearly. Matxín dismisses the criticism. "We did it every day. We understood we had to maintain a long, sustained pace today." Even with all his teammates around Del Toro, the pink jersey wearer quickly ended up alone. "EF made the first kilometers explosive, and from then on, it was basically a one-on-one situation between the three best riders in this Giro d'Italia."