Carapaz blames Giro loss on Del Toro after wild tactical battle on the Finestre: “He lost the Giro, not me”

Carapaz was the first to attack on the early slopes of the Finestre. For a moment, it looked promising, but the man in pink quickly closed the gap. What followed was a fascinating tactical battle, with both riders hesitating and watching each other. Yates took advantage and rode clear, while neither Carapaz nor Del Toro was willing to do much chasing. After the stage, the Ecuadorian insisted it wasn’t a question of strength. “I think Isaac and I were probably the strongest, but in the end the smartest rider won today,” he told Cycling Pro.

At the summit of the Finestre, the gap to Yates was still manageable. Even though Del Toro was no longer in virtual pink, there were still more climbs ahead on the run to Sestrière. Everything was still to play for, but thanks to a powerful ride from Wout van Aert, Yates continued to pull away. In the valley, the chasers completely marked each other, almost coming to a standstill, and were soon caught by the third group. The final deficit at the line: more than five minutes.

It was a gamble that didn’t pay off for Carapaz. After the Finestre, the EF Education EasyPost leader’s tactics could no longer be called poker. Did he feel Del Toro was racing more against him than against Yates? “I don’t know, but in the end he lost the Giro, not me. I think he did not ride well today and Yates was the smartest out there.”

Sports director Juan Manuel Garate saw that his rider was unable to take control of the race. The final 15 kilometers were especially frustrating for EF Education EasyPost. “Richie knew Del Toro was in trouble, but Del Toro wanted to wait for his teammates,” Garate explained. “He still had Majka and McNulty behind, but they weren’t close enough to fix everything on the run to Sestrière.”

It was a case of playing the game and losing for Carapaz. With the race so wide open, his sports director couldn’t fully guide him from the car. “It was hard to stay informed in the car, and I imagine it was the same for UAE. We played our strategy and it resulted in third place. That is very good, but we came here with the mentality to win.”

It was not a matter of Carapaz lacking the legs, Garate explained, but Del Toro also had to make a move at some point. “Richie could definitely follow him. He had already followed Yates three times. But every time Richie attacked, Del Toro was glued to his wheel. There came a moment where you had to decide: if Yates goes, let him go. If Del Toro doesn’t follow, he loses the GC. To win, you have to play the game. And with that comes the risk of losing.”