"My only goal was to keep the Maglia Rosa" - Isaac del Toro retains Giro d'Italia lead after challenging time trial

The second individual time trial of the 2025 Giro d’Italia proved to be a formidable challenge for race leader Isaac del Toro, who was forced to contend with worsening weather conditions. Heavy rain began to fall just as the general classification contenders hit the course, compromising their performance — though Primoz Roglic managed to avoid the worst of the storm.

Despite losing time to both Roglic and teammate Juan Ayuso, Del Toro successfully defended the Maglia Rosa for UAE Team Emirates - XRG. At the finish, he retained a slender 25-second advantage over Ayuso, who now sits second overall.

Speaking to the press after the stage, Del Toro expressed his satisfaction at surviving the day without significant damage to his lead.

“I knew it was going to be very hard, so my only goal was to finish the time trial while keeping the maglia rosa,” he said. “I didn’t want to take too many risks with the rain. But it was fun—and I’m really happy to still be leading the Giro.”

The rain significantly impacted the GC contenders’ ability to push through corners, often the critical sections for gaining or losing time. Both Del Toro and Ayuso arrived at the finish line under increasingly heavy rain, which added to the stage’s difficulty.

“As soon as I saw the rain, I thought, ‘I need to ease up a little and not push too hard through the corners,’” Del Toro explained. “It was just too risky.”

With Ayuso now just 25 seconds behind and Roglič lurking close as well, UAE Team Emirates finds itself in a strong tactical position—one that could shape the coming mountain stages. When asked whether the team might pivot its support toward Ayuso, Del Toro remained diplomatic.

“It’s great for the team to have multiple riders at the top—like Juan,” he said. “We’ll definitely look to take advantage of that over the next few days.”