Isaac del Toro is on stellar form and at this Giro d'Italia he has been on the attack despite his advantagious position in the overall classification. UAE Team Emirates - XRG DS Fabio Baldato has run through stage 11 including the Mexican's attack and why the tram did not put attack Primoz Roglic - despite the major numbers advantage.
"We wanted the break to arrive. For us it was good, we let it go, it was going out to three minutes, but then Trek decided to close," Baldato described in words to Cyclingnews. "I know if you slow down too much, somebody starts to attack again, but for us it was fine. It wasn't really that good a break and then we take a risk at the end".
Richard Carapaz attacked on the final climb and went off the front for an impressive solo victory. Behind UAE controlled the pace, Isaac del Toro attacked and then stopped, whilst Juan Ayuso and Primoz Roglic were both slightly distanced. The team then worked all the way into the sprint, not using Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates for any tactical moves but instead putting them in the wind to control the gap.
"In the end, they tried, they closed, chapeau to Carapaz, he did a really great move. We just tried to close it, not let it go too much. Maybe if we were more aggressive, we would have been able to win the stage with Del Toro, but that was not really the idea – we wanted to go through without problem."
"Teamwork was amazing on the climb, even after [the attack, we were] all together on the front. We are good. Mainly, it was the race we expected, it was going better than expected, and what happened in the end was what we knew would happen if it all came together".
Baldato also commented on the Mexican's attack, which did not manage to close down the gap on Del Toro and stimulated some chaos on the final climb. "He's a young guy. It's not that he closed the gap by himself, he was just going, he's excited, we cannot control everything, also because in the car we understand only 20 seconds late, so it's not that he was closing it down".
Read also
"We still had Majka, we still had Brandon McNulty, we still had Adam Yates, for us it's also good that Carapaz won the stage". Definitely an unusual statement, taking into consideration that Del Toro was second in the sprint, and would've likely won the stage in the pink jersey if it weren't for Carapaz' gap.
"We took second in the end, Del Toro was behind, gaining six seconds on the others, so at the end of the day we are satisfied with what happened."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
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
Write a comment