Pink suddenly within reach for Del Toro, but UAE star brushes off the pressure: "It’s such an amazing feeling"

Del Toro could easily stay out of trouble, mainly thanks to his strong team. "As a team, we always try to stay at the front," he said in the flash interview. "Even though we are missing two guys, we are still very strong. The big guys try to give me confidence, and for me, it's great. It's the least I can do for them. Right now, I realize once again that I'm doing this; I can't believe it. It's such a great feeling."

However, the pink jersey wearer was tested several times in the queen stage. "The first time was Pellizzari, I think. It was pretty early, with another climb coming up. I just reacted, although I looked at Simon first. I wondered: who's going after him? Then I went for it but saw Rafal (Majka, ed.) approaching." The extremely strong Pole kept everyone at bay for a long time.

Carapaz attempted it twice, and it was only 7 kilometers from the finish that he managed to break away from his opponents. Del Toro was right there with him. "On the last climb, he took off at full speed; it wasn't very steep. I had the legs, but today, it was more about getting the bonus seconds and not crashing. I didn't need to take any more risks, but it was great today." Del Toro ultimately managed to gain 30 seconds on his remaining opponents in the GC.

His words show that stress is not really a thing for the Mexican rider from UAE Team Emirates. He is mainly enjoying the fact that he is still wearing the pink jersey and receiving all kinds of positive reactions from his home country. Even the president has cheered him on. "It's amazing; I can't believe it, to be honest. Everyone in the country now sees how difficult cycling is; it's unbelievable. I can't believe I'm the one representing my country. They should send someone better, I think," he jokes.

The pink jersey in Rome is within reach: just one more challenging stage to survive, and Del Toro can add his name to the Trofeo Senza Fine. But he remains very calm. "As I said before, I have the same chance of winning as before the Giro. I just want to stay calm and be myself. As I said yesterday: a proper dinner, a good night's sleep in the hotel, and then we'll give it another go."