Pink jersey Isaac Del Toro explains why he chose not to follow Carapaz’s counterattack

Where UAE Emirates-XRG had seemed hesitant to pick a clear strategy in recent stages, there was now some sense of structure within the team. Once key domestiques Igor Arrieta, Jay Vine, Rafal Majka and Filippo Baroncini had done their work, it was up to top-ten riders Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates to take turns at the front. Both lost a few seconds in the finale, but that was part of the deal.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect the race to unfold this way,” Del Toro said in the mixed zone. “I figured there would be a big fight for the breakaway and that the move would eventually stick. Still, I think we handled the situation well as a team.”

Despite his impressive second-place finish, Isaac Del Toro admits that confidence isn’t yet his strongest suit. “But I want to learn how to build that as quickly as possible. During the time trial it started raining and only got worse, but that’s cycling. Even if I had lost more time, I wouldn’t have been angry. I’m okay with those kinds of situations,” he said when reflecting on his performance against the clock.

“Could I have won today? I don’t know,” he said after stage twelve, where he once again finished runner-up. “For me, it’s fine. It was a good day for the team and we rode as one. The plan was to avoid losing time in the GC and to limit any damage. And hearing that Egan Bernal said I could win the Giro? Wow... he’s one of my idols and someone I’ve always looked up to.”

As the man in pink, Isaac Del Toro joins the daily press conference routine. “I just wanted to race smart. Do I want to stay in the lead? Maybe, yes, but it’s my first time wearing a leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour. It could all be different in half an hour. I’m trying to learn as much as I can,” said Del Toro. When asked why he looked back as he crossed the line, his answer was brief. “Maybe that’s something I shouldn’t do again.”

Carapaz’s late move was not part of UAE Emirates-XRG’s script. “He’s a really strong rider and we know he’s not someone you can just let go. He went all-in and Rafa couldn’t hold the pace, so he got dropped. I noticed that my teammates weren’t around me in the chaos and when I made my move and looked back, I saw I didn’t have anyone with me. Our goal is to keep as many guys as possible up there in the GC and in the end we all finished without losing time. That’s important because we want to keep playing the numbers game.”

On the San Pellegrino climb, Del Toro showed he could hang in there on the first long, tough climb of this Giro. “But to be honest, I didn’t feel great. My shorts were a bit tight, haha, so next time I’ll wear a bigger size. From the summit it was still a hundred kilometers to go, so going all-out after Bernal’s attack wouldn’t have been smart either. All in all, I’m happy with the day. These big mountain stages in a Grand Tour are pretty special.”