'I can do it' - Isaac del Toro takes positives from breakthrough Giro d'Italia despite stage 20 agony

The Mexican rider, who wasn’t initially the GC leader for UAE team Emirates-XRG when the race began three weeks ago in Albania, surprised many by climbing to the top of the general classification on stage 9’s mini Strade Bianche, and held the pink jersey up until the end of stage 20. Speaking to reporters after he had time to reflect on the stage, Del Toro was disappointed as he said, “For sure I feel pain. Every day, I will feel it more. But it’s like this.” However, Del Toro was also able to acknowledge the positives from his breakthrough performance over the last three weeks, stating, “I proved a lot about myself.”

Despite the setback, Del Toro vowed to return stronger, showing respect for Yates and his Visma | Lease a bike team while maintaining his fighting spirit. When asked what he learned from this Giro experience, he simply said, “That I can do it.” Del Toro also showed wisdom and maturity well beyond his years, showing class in defeat despite the raw pain that he was suffering in the moment. "You need to be a great winner, you need to be a great loser. This is also to understand, and I think I'm a good loser," he concluded. "Chapeau for them. Congrats, and we will see in the next race if we can be with them again or not.”

It's easy to forget how young Del Toro is, considering how well he performed over the three weeks. If Del Toro managed to hang on to pink until Rome, he would have become the third youngest winner in 108 editions of the Giro d'Italia. The Mexican has all the tools required to go one step further and become a Grand Tour winner in the future, and the potential that Del Toro possesses is frightening.

There was clear tension between Del Toro and Richard Carapaz throughout the stage, with neither willing to work with the other, and this ultimately helped Yates to clinch the pink jersey. Carapaz is an old-school rider who is willing to lose a race to win it. This sometimes works in his favour and sometimes doesn’t; it’s part and parcel of bike racing. On this occasion, Carapaz missed out and was unable to topple the Mexican in the standings and also lost his 2nd place position on the podium to Yates.

However, things boiled over into the Ecuadorian’s post-race interview. “I think we could have been the strongest, but we weren’t the smartest,” said the EF Education-EasyPost rider. Speaking about Del Toro, Carapaz also said, “In the end, he lost the Giro d’Italia. He doesn’t know how to race properly.”

Carapaz was naturally disappointed with the way stage 20 panned out and had harsh words for his young rival, but it’s important to acknowledge the entertainment that the duo, alongside Simon Yates, delivered in one of the more exciting Giro d’Italia GC battles in recent times. After narrowly missing out on pink, Carapaz will be hungry and motivated to have a successful Tour de France this July.