Del Toro admits illness during final week of Tour: ‘I said I was okay, but I wasn’t’

After the stage, the 22-year-old confirmed that he had not been feeling well in recent days.

“It is not a secret that there was sickness in the team and I was struggling,” he said in the flash interview. “You try not to let them see that you are weak. You say that you are okay, but it is not like that.”

Del Toro had looked uncomfortable at several points during the final week, but managed to protect third place overall and retain the white jersey on the final mountain stage.

“My third week in this Grand Tour was not easy,” he said. “I came into it in a very good situation, but I was struggling.”

“The last three days were very painful, in different kinds of ways.”

This had not been a problem that was simply exclusive to Del Toro.

UAE had been hit by illness at a crucial stage of the Tour, across multiple riders, Brandon McNultyabandoned the race on stage 18, while Tim Wellens and Adam Yates have both struggled with illness in recent days. Florian Vermeerschhas also admitted that he is being hampered by an injury.

Del Toro started the penultimate stage with a lead of 24 seconds on Seixas in the battle for third place and the white jersey. Seixas’ Decathlon CMA CGM teammates increased the pace on the Col de Sarenne, but the Frenchman was unable to distance his rival.

Instead, Del Toro attacked. Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Lenny Martinez followed, while Seixas lost contact.

Pogačar then took responsibility for setting the pace, helping Del Toro secure his place on the podium. The pair crossed the line together, 1 minute and 5 seconds behind stage winner Richard Carapaz.

“I don’t know why the guys support me so much,” Del Toro said. “They want to see me in places that I am only dreaming of being.”

“They taught me to be resilient. I cannot feel more privileged.”

Del Toro was particularly grateful to Pogačar, who spent much of the stage riding in support of his younger teammate despite being in the yellow jersey.

“Tadej showed what he is like as a friend,” he said.

Crossing the line together proved an emotional moment for the Mexican.

“If you could see through the glasses, I was crying,” Del Toro said. “I was speechless.”

Del Toro now has only the final stage into Paris left to complete. He sits third overall, 9 minutes and 42 seconds behind Pogačar, and leads Seixas by more than two minutes. 

With no time gaps set to be recorded tomorrow, he only needs to finish the stage to secure his place on the podium and officially claim the white jersey.

“The suffering has more or less passed,” he said. “It is the last day now. We will go with the flow and enjoy the moment.”