Mixed feelings for winner Isaac del Toro: "It’s never easy to beat a friend"

“It’s not easy to beat a friend, but that’s part of the sport. I’ve been very lucky this week,” Del Toro said after the stage, in which he defended his blue leader’s jersey and moved one step closer to overall victory.

During the decisive phase of the race, Del Toro briefly found himself slightly out of position when Giulio Pellizzari launched his attack. However, the Mexican remained calm and trusted the work his team had done earlier in the stage.

“At one point when Giulio attacked I wasn’t in the best position,” Del Toro explained. “But I never panicked, because the team had done such a great job that everyone was already suffering a bit. If I was tired, they had to be tired as well. I was just thinking about the different scenarios and how I should react to them.”

“When we caught Pellizzari, I tried to make the decisive move,” he said. “I try not to panic and just ride on instinct. It would have been fantastic if Pellizzari had won in his home town, but I’m doing this for my team.”

Despite the emotional element of the battle, Del Toro was proud of the collective effort from UAE Team Emirates-XRG throughout the stage race.

“It’s not easy to beat a friend, but that’s part of it,” he repeated. “I’ve been very lucky this week. We did a fantastic job as a team and I’m incredibly proud of that. I’m very happy to be in this position with only one day to go.”

With the blue leader’s jersey still on his shoulders, Del Toro now heads to the final stage in San Benedetto del Tronto with the overall victory within reach.