There has been a very mixed reaction throughout social media on the tactics of
Isaac del Toro on this final stage of the
Giro d'Italia competitively speaking, and for the most part the Mexican's decision to stop working when Richard Carapaz would not collaborate was criticized - even by
Geraint Thomas.
The Mexican decided to follow the wheel of Richard Carapaz at all times on the Colle delle Finestre, did not want or could not catch Simon Yates and ended up giving up the maglia rosa by far at the finish of Sestrière. He will end the Giro in second place overall after Visma outpowered and outsmarted
UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the queen stage.
Geraint Thomas has shown no mercy to the young UAE rider, explaining that he did not understand what happened when the decision was made: "Do you need experience to realize that the third place is pulling away and that, if you stop pedaling, it's going to take time out of you? Dude, my son Macs would know, and he's 5 years old."
Carapaz refused to work in the valley after Del Toro did not collaborate on the climb, and the two entered a stalemate that quickly saw the gap to Simon Yates grow by minutes and eliminated any chance of fighting for victory again.
However not everyone was as critical of the Mexican, a 21-year old Giro debutant who would've never expected to be in this position when the race started and he was supposed to be a domestique for Juan Ayuso.
Lidl-Trek's Carlos Verona defended him: "With my respects, the perfect decision does not exist and is difficult in a sport where fatigue and momentum play a decisive role. Neither the good guys are that good, nor the bad guys that bad. They are the same with different cards. I hope you enjoyed this Giro d'Italia".
I would agree that del Toro dropped the ball; however, Carapaz consistently works against the people he is riding with. There have been too many times where he is ahead in a small break, and rather than pulling, he attacks, sits on, and attacks again, disrupting the rhythm.