“In two days the GC will probably be decided” - UAE keep the faith despite Isaac del Toro losing Tirreno-Adriatico leader’s jersey

UAE Team Emirates - XRG are refusing to panic after Isaac del Toro surrendered the Tirreno-Adriatico leader’s jersey, with teammate Jan Christen insisting the decisive moments of the race are still to come.

The Mexican rider slipped from the top of the standings after the latest stage, handing the race lead to Giulio Pellizzari. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe climber now sits first overall in 15:27:00, holding a slender two-second advantage over Del Toro.

Behind them, the general classification battle remains tightly packed. Primoz Roglic sits third at 21 seconds, while Matteo Jorgenson and Ben Healy round out the top five at 34 and 39 seconds, respectively.

With such narrow margins, Christen made clear that the race is far from decided. “In two days, the GC will probably be decided,” he said after the stage to Cycling Pro Net.

Christen himself had been active during the finale, briefly appearing in the decisive group after clawing his way back into contention following the key climb.

The Swiss rider admitted afterwards that he is still feeling the effects of a crash earlier in the race, which has made finding his best form difficult. “I still haven’t found my best legs yet,” he explained. “I’m still feeling a bit of the crash from two days ago.”

Despite that, he managed to rejoin the front of the race on the descent and even considered launching a late attack. “I came back on the downhill and I spoke with Isaac,” Christen said. “He told me to try something about 1.2 kilometres from the finish. Maybe I could get away. But it was still a sprint in the end.”

Although losing the jersey is never ideal, the overall standings show just how little separates the leading contenders as Tirreno-Adriatico moves toward its decisive stages.

Pellizzari’s advantage over Del Toro is just two seconds, with Roglic the next serious threat, less than half a minute behind. Jorgenson, Healy and several others remain close enough to capitalise if the race fractures in the coming days.

Christen made clear that UAE are fully aware that the race will likely be decided on the tougher stages still ahead. “We’ll just take it day by day,” he said. “And we are ready for the last hard stages that are coming.”