UAE told Del Toro to chase Yates, but he didn't, says sports director: "It eats away at you"

Friday, 06 June 2025 at 08:37

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Isaac Del Toro received praise and compliments after finishing second in the Giro d'Italia. The 21-year-old Mexican rider lost his pink jersey to Simon Yates on the penultimate day, and sports director Mauro Gianetti said that without making mistakes, this could have been avoided. Fabio Baldato, UAE's sports director throughout the Giro, shared his thoughts in Tutto Bici.

Del Toro said after his Giro podium that he had made mistakes, but the climber did not elaborate further. Gianetti mainly blamed the team. For example, UAE could not send one of its riders into the early breakaway with Wout van Aert as Yates' teammate. The group at the front was then given far too much leeway, allowing van Aert to take control for Yates after the Colle delle Finestre. "And there's only one van Aert, someone who has won a Grand Tour before," was the verdict.

Gianetti dismissed Del Toro's refusal to ride after the Finestre when Richard Carapaz (EF Educaction-EasyPost) did the same, as a case of too little too late. "Someone like van Aert doesn't make the difference on the climbs, but he does in a valley like that and the first kilometers of the Sestriere. It was already decided there because Yates could recover while riding in his slipstream. That made it difficult because it meant you really had to get a collaboration going, and that didn't happen. That's why we lost the pink jersey."

Read more below the photo.

Del Toro (left) finished second in the Giro

Baldato says Del Toro himself made the decision

Del Toro and Carapaz turned the Finestre into a chess game, alternating between full throttle and almost standing still, allowing Yates to pull away by 1.40 minutes. This put him over the top in virtual pink. Baldato says he was heartbroken to see this happen. "We clearly underestimated Yates; he was exceptional on Saturday. The instructions were to follow Carapaz, and Isaac responded well, which was positive."

Baldato then pointed the finger at Del Toro, who he thought let the gap to Yates get too big. "Simon was smart and rode his pace, letting the other two battle it out. We were a bit worried when he was 20 or 30 seconds ahead, and we knew van Aert was still ahead of him. Isaac stayed on his wheel, and they started looking at each other; you know how it goes. Halfway up the climb, we tried to tell Isaac to focus on Yates."

That wasn't mandatory advice, as it turned out. "We said it once because he's the one on the bike, and he knows what legs he has. His goal was to go with Carapaz, and he chose to save his energy for the final. In the end, it was Isaac's decision. Afterward, you think: if only I had told him one more time to go, to follow Yates... It eats away at you, but it's easy to judge and analyze afterward. Isaac is still young; we mustn't forget that."

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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief

Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.

Bram van der Ploeg | Lindkedin | Email

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