What is Pogacar secretly whispering to that sly Del Toro? "Yeah, I do have contact with Tadej"

While intended team leader Juan Ayuso is dealing with a knee issue and Adam Yates has yet to show top form, Del Toro continued to shine in stage 12, picking up two more bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint. He now holds a 33 second lead over Ayuso in the general classification. In every sense, Del Toro looks like far more than a placeholder in pink and nearly two weeks into the Giro, he has not shown a single moment of weakness.

Once again, he was alert on Thursday, even though he and UAE Team Emirates XRG were slightly caught off guard. “In the end, the breakaway was reeled in earlier than expected. I thought the escapees would take all the bonus seconds, but suddenly everyone wanted to be at the front for the intermediate sprint. We had to be ready too. With help from the team, I managed to grab a few more seconds, so I couldn’t be happier.”

He makes it all look easy, just like on Wednesday in stage 11 when he could afford to ease off the pedals in a sprint for second among the GC contenders. “I don’t know why I’m so explosive. I only did my first sprints about a month ago. When I find myself in the position, I just want to do a good job, so I try to play it smart and use just one arrow. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

He says it with the calm tone and attitude of Pogacar, but it is the smiling curly-haired Mexican sitting in front of us each day. “I expected a quiet day, but it is what it is. Right now I mostly just want a good meal and then we will see about tomorrow,” he added, getting a laugh with another sharp response. And is he getting tired of the daily media duties in pink? “My engine is smaller than Tadej’s, so you can imagine I am starting to feel a bit tired by now.”

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On camera there is still no sign of fatigue. Del Toro remains one of the few GC contenders to have made it through the Giro without issues. “I mainly want to avoid crashing and finish the Giro without bad luck. I am riding up front and feeling good, these are good days,” he said. Del Toro has also noticed the growing support from his home country. “I am seeing more and more Mexican flags. I really want to connect with the fans and not come across as arrogant. It is very special, really amazing.”

There is no time to hang around with supporters though and of course it is Pogacar who seems to be mentoring Del Toro from a distance. “Yes, I have been in touch with Tadej. He asked me about my time trial and how I have felt during the stages. We talked before and after the Strade Bianche stage too and that has been nice.”

And to think that Ayuso and Yates are still considered the team leaders. “Even though every rider dreams of winning the Giro one day, my relationship with them has not changed. There are no problems and whatever happens the team is focused on everything. There is no room for egos.”

Until Del Toro rolls into Rome wearing pink, Pogacar-style?

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])