Brutal! Analysts rips into Del Toro and Carapaz after Giro d’Italia disaster: "They rode out of fear"

Isaac del Toro’s Giro d’Italia dream came to a brutal end on the slopes of the Colle delle Finestre, as the young Mexican collapsed under the pressure of expectation. While Simon Yates soared to a career defining victory and the maglia rosa, Del Toro and Richard Carapaz were left staring at each other, and into the void of missed opportunity.

It was the penultimate stage of the race, but the decisive one. A vicious mountain showdown that exposed not just legs, but leadership. Chris Harper took the stage win, but it was Yates who wrote history. Behind him, chaos reigned, as EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz and UAE Team Emirates’ Del Toro, locked in a psychological game of chicken, allowed the Giro to slip through their fingers.

Speaking on Eurosport, analyst Jip van den Bos was left stunned by the scenes on the Finestre.

“I have no words for what happened,” she said. “What kind of games did we see between Carapaz and Del Toro? I don't want to take anything away from Simon Yates' victory, but they really gave up. They just gave it away.”

Yates’ attack was bold, but it was the hesitation behind that made it fatal. While the British rider launched into the climb with determination, his rivals refused to act. Carapaz expected Del Toro to close the gap. Del Toro, still defending the pink jersey, expected help. Neither moved.

“What he does with this action... Del Toro just does nothing, but he also had to protect the pink,” van den Bos said. “These men were mainly concerned with each other. Carapaz thought: do something too. He totally underestimated Yates.”

As the battle unfolded, Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s strategy became clear. With Wout van Aert acting as the perfect lieutenant, they capitalised on the lack of cooperation from their GC rivals. Yates’ lead grew relentlessly, while Del Toro seemed caught in no man’s land, neither attacking, nor defending.

“Yates and Visma made a plan. EF did too, but what did UAE do? They just didn't have a plan,” van den Bos added.

At the summit of the Finestre, Del Toro and Carapaz were already 1:40 behind Yates. Even with that deficit, Del Toro delayed. He waited for teammates instead of chasing solo. That wait allowed Van Aert to help his leader build a decisive advantage.

“They just give minutes to Yates,” van den Bos said. “Carapaz was already lost by then, but Del Toro could still win.”

The psychological toll of the race was laid bare. Instead of riding with ambition, both contenders rode with fear, fear of losing, fear of doing too much, fear of being the one to crack first.

“Carapaz was just riding for the pink jersey, and sometimes you have to bluff. But Del Toro was also bluffing... At the same time, he knows: if I react to everything, Carapaz will ride away. They didn't dare to lose, they really rode out of fear.”