Pogacar, Philipsen and now Del Toro: Agent Carrera sees Mexican winning the Giro: "Tadej already said he was amazing"

Carrera represents some of the biggest names in cycling, including Tadej Pogacar, Jasper Philipsen, and Biniam Girmay. Since winning the 2023 Tour de l’Avenir, Del Toro has also been under the wing of the super-agent. But Carrera had noticed the current maglia rosa holder even before that. “He already had good results in pro races like the Sibiu Tour and Valle d’Aosta. And I knew his story too: in his first year in Europe, he had a bad crash that kept him out for six months. If you want to discover a rare bird like Pogacar or Del Toro, you’ve got to do more than just sit in a chair looking at Pro Cycling Stats,” Carrera laughs.

“One of the first things I did for Isaac was find him an apartment in San Marino,” the agent recalls. That’s where Del Toro now lives, alongside Antonio Tiberi and Giulio Pellizzari, two of his main rivals in this Giro. “They all live in the same apartment block. Tiberi on the fourth floor, Isaac and Pellizzari on the third. Of course, they know each other well. Isaac and Giulio often go out to eat together when they’re alone. That’s why you sometimes see them ‘playing’ and bumping fists during the Giro.”

With a 41-second lead over his closest rival, Richard Carapaz, the Mexican heads into the final two mountain stages on Friday and Saturday. Does Carrera believe Del Toro can take the pink jersey all the way to Rome? “If you have a lead of more than forty seconds with three days to go, you have to believe in it. But Carapaz is in really good form and he’s a gutsy rider. When he’s at the start line, anything can happen in a stage.”

“On top of that, we have a very, very tough stage on Saturday over the Colle delle Finestre,” the Italian continues. “Strange things always happen there in the Giro’s history, but Isaac is a smart rider. He’s only 21, but he already knows very well where he’s vulnerable and where he can make the difference. Tuesday was a tough day for him, but he still managed to keep the pink jersey.”

If Del Toro manages to win the Giro, he would follow in the footsteps of his teammate Tadej Pogacar. The young Mexican has already been compared to the Slovenian world champion multiple times, and according to Carrera, that’s not entirely a stretch. “There are three similarities. One: they both always ride with a smile on their face. Two: they both have a girlfriend who also rides. And three: Urška Žigart and Romina Hinojosa ride for AG Insurance Soudal and Lotto respectively. So in both cases, there’s a Belgian link,” laughs the agent.

It turns out Pogacar himself spotted Del Toro’s talent early on. “After Isaac’s first training camp with UAE at the end of 2023, Tadej already sent me a message saying, ‘He’s an amazing rider.’” According to Carrera, Del Toro also resembles his Slovenian teammate in terms of versatility. “That’s modern cycling. A GC rider who’s fast and agile can also win one-day races. If you ask me today whether Isaac can win Strade Bianche, Liège, or Lombardy one day, the answer is yes. Just like I said that about Tadej back in 2019.”