"I suffered a lot, every moment was worse than the previous one" - Isaac del Toro on the suffering to save pink jersey
Cycling
Isaac del Toro has been riding a formidable and next to perfect Giro d'Italia thus far, but today the first crack in his armour appeared. The Mexican and UAE Team Emirates - XRG have lost Juan Ayuso as a card to play for the overall classification, and in the final climb Del Toro himself barely hung on to the pink jersey.
Juan Ayuso cracked in the penultimate climb of the day, and that has confirmed that Del Toro is the sole leader of UAE at this race, and was the ultimate candidate to win the race. But at the Passo San Valentino, in a matter of 6 kilometers, things quickly changed.
"Today I realized that I was the maglia rosa. Today everyone tried to attack me and I couldn't believe I was in that position and I arrived empty at the finish line, I have nothing to regret, I gave it my all," he said in a post-race interview.
Del Toro matched the initial attack of Simon Yates, but couldn't hold the pace anymore with 3 kilometers to go, and subsequently lost almost a minute to the leader of Visma. However perhaps the most dramatic lost was that to Richard Carapaz, who gained over minute and a half on Del Toro on the final climb - both are now sitting within 31 seconds of Del Toro's lead.
"I have suffered a lot, every moment was worse than the previous one, a lot of pain, but I am very happy with everything, the team has been incredible, I really do not regret anything, the team has been by my side, but we go day by day, I have suffered a lot."
The pressure is seriously on now for the youngster if he is to win the race, as the gaps have been closed and UAE's full faith is now in him. With three mountain stages left and a performance to left to be desired today, there will be serious concerns in the UAE camp on whether they can hang on to this lead all the way into Rome.
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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.
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