"Clearly, he can win the race" - Egan Bernal stunned by Isaac del Toro's sterrato prowess

Egan Bernal was one of the riders who was most visible in the very hard ninth stage of this Giro d'Italia 2025. The INEOS Grenadiers leader was in front for a good part of the race, but in the end he lacked the strength to withstand the pace imposed by Isaac del Toro and Wout van Aert.

After crossing the finish line, the Colombian spoke in statements collected by CyclingPro.net about the goal they had in the team at the beginning of the stage: "Well, the plan I think was, I did not have much science, was to enter the first sector ahead and then go full gas to the finish line," said Egan with a touch of humor in his words.

He again stressed the importance of saving the day, making it clear what the main plan was for today: "Yes, today was a day that was really about being ahead and trying to get through the sectors and that's it".

He was frustrated not to have been able to fight for the stage victory: "We saved it, which is important, but in the end I missed a little bit not to have been dropped myself, but I had already spent enough during the whole stage".

He also had words of praise for Brandon Rivera, who had a breakthrough ride, leaving everything to help his leader: "Brandon, I think we all know that he is a very good rider, I think today he was really almost the strongest of the race".

Finally, he was asked about the performance of Isaac del Toro and his chances of winning the Giro d'Italia: "Well, I don't know, surely Del Toro is a great rider. I like him a lot as a rider, he is very intelligent, he moves very well, he descends very well, he is always ahead. For me, he is one of the best riders there is. Clearly, he can win the race, yes".

In the general classification, Bernal is in 7th position, 1:57 behind Del Toro, but only 44 seconds behind Juan Ayuso. He is also 28 seconds ahead of Primoz Roglic, the overwhelming favorite for the final victory before the race.