For Mauro Gianetti and UAE Team Emirates – XRG, Stage 17 of
the 2025 Giro d’Italia delivered welcome relief. The day before, the team’s GC
prospects looked on the verge of collapse. Juan Ayuso had completely cracked,
and Isaac Del Toro had only just clung to the maglia rosa by a handful of
seconds. But on Stage 17, the tide turned: Del Toro not only defended the
jersey, he won the stage in defiant, attacking fashion.
The 21-year-old Mexican now leads Richard Carapaz by 41
seconds and Simon Yates by 51. With two brutally mountainous stages still to
come, nothing is certain, but Del Toro has now firmly established himself as
the favourite to arrive in Rome in pink.
Yet while Del Toro’s stock is rising, Ayuso’s has taken a
sharp fall. Once billed as a pre-race contender for overall victory, the
22-year-old Spaniard finished Stage 17 in the gruppetto. He now sits 26th
overall, nearly 50 minutes down. For a rider once viewed as Tadej Pogacar’s
heir apparent, it’s a staggering collapse.
Still, Gianetti is standing firmly by his young rider.
“Ayuso hasn't disappointed me,” he insisted to Cyclingnews and La
Gazzetta dello Sport. “When you don't feel well on one of the hardest
stages of a Grand Tour, it's never easy to recover from it. He doesn't feel
100%, he's struggling to recover and is getting more and more fatigued.”
While Ayuso’s GC hopes are over, Gianetti is keen for him to
play a meaningful role in the final days. “Now it's important he stays in the
Giro and stays part of the team. He can perhaps help Isaac in the next few days
and play an important part in the team's race.”
Throughout the Giro, both riders, and the team, have been
quick to deny any tension within the camp, despite mounting speculation. The
shift in hierarchy has been clear: this was meant to be Ayuso’s moment, a
chance to step out of Pogacar’s long shadow. Instead, it is Del Toro, in his
Grand Tour debut, who has emerged as the team’s shining star.
Ayuso remains under contract with UAE until 2028, a
long-term commitment that has now been dubbed a gabbia dorata, a “golden cage.”
Gianetti dismissed any suggestion of a break-up. “He's one of our riders. He's
happy at UAE Team Emirates – XRG. Juan Ayuso has no intention of leaving the
team and we have no plan to let him go.”
Del Toro has turned the tables on pre-race leader Ayuso
The Swiss manager was keen to remind critics that even the
best riders face difficult moments. “Cycling is tough and still unpredictable,”
he said. “Look at riders like Antonio Tiberi of Bahrain Victorious. He was
really ambitious until a few days ago but then crashed and really suffered
today. It's part of cycling. Juan won a lot in the first part of the season and
raced a lot, perhaps he's paying for that.”
Still, for all the difficulties with Ayuso, Gianetti could
not hide his emotion when speaking about Del Toro. “It's a bellissimo
Giro. This was a great and very important day for us as a team. To see a young
guy like Isaac Del Toro, a 21-year-old guy, show his character and ambitions is
special,” he said.
“It's exceptional what he's doing. He took the maglia rosa
in his first Giro when just 21 years old. He's suddenly discovered a totally
new world. He knew it was beautiful but has now also realised that it comes
with responsibility, each day before and after the stage but also towards the
fans and the race.”
Del Toro has grown visibly over the past week, not just
physically, but mentally. “That's all new to him but he's a campione,”
Gianetti said. “He's learning and maturing every day, both mentally and
physically. He's learnt to trust the team, road captains like Rafa Majka and
Adam Yates, and his directeur sportif.”
Gianetti is not getting ahead of himself. “We're taking
every day as it comes, one after the other, as we've always done,” he added.
“There's some hard racing to come but Del Toro's win and his ride today will
definitely boost his and our confidence. Let's see what happens.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments