"My 5 year old son would know" - Geraint Thomas gobsmacked with Isaac del Toro's tactics on decisive Giro stage
Cycling
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".
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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.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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