OPINION | UAE's indecision will lose Isaac del Toro the Giro d'Italia
CyclingTuesday, 27 May 2025 at 09:30
The Giro d'Italia 2025 has reached its most important moment. This Tuesday, the decisive week of the race begins. In the middle of the rest day, it is time to analyze everything that has happened, and it is impossible not to talk about UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Isaac del Toro.
The Mexican is having an outstanding race. After 15 stages, Del Toro holds the maglia rosa with a lead of 1 minute and 20 seconds over his closest rival, Simon Yates. Primoz Roglic is far behind, 10th at 3:53 behind the UAE Team Emirates XRG rider, and Juan Ayuso is 3rd at 1:26.
The context is unbeatable for an Isaac del Toro who, probably, even in his best predictions would not have imagined being in this situation with 6 stages to finish the Giro d'Italia. But, despite this, the feeling is that the UAE team is going to make him lose the race.
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Despite their clear advantage over the rest of the teams, UAE Team Emirates' insecurities and indecision in the Corsa Rosa are becoming evident in practically every stage. And all because they dare not decide between Ayuso and Del Toro in the fight for the general classification.
The UAE team's performance on Sunday's stage 15 was the best example. When Egan Bernal attacked on Monte Grappa, UAE was presented with a golden opportunity to knock Primoz Roglic out of the race.
The Colombian took off with Isaac del Toro, Richard Carapaz, Thymen Arensman and Derek Gee on his wheel, leaving Roglic, Simon Yates and Juan Ayuso behind. Ahead they had a huge breakaway of almost 40 riders with which they could have continued to increase the advantage in the decisive part of the stage, and greatly reduce the rivalry for the maglia rosa.
Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso. @Sirotti
But, in order not to leave Ayuso behind, UAE began to pull the group where the Spaniard and the Slovenian were, and ended up rejoining the group of Bernal and Del Toro. Simply because of the insecurity of believing that the rider from Mexico is not capable of winning this Giro d'Italia, also reserving the option of Ayuso.
In the end, UAE was lucky because Richard Carapaz decided to attack on the climb to Dori, where Roglic again got dropped, and here Ayuso was able to respond along with Isaac del Toro to the move, although with the Spaniard suffering again.
That's the main detail that seems to be escaping the Emirati team. Juan Ayuso is not well in this Giro d'Italia. At least, not 100%. The Spaniard started by crashing in stage 1, and then in the 9 sterrato where he even received stitches in his knee.
Meanwhile, Isaac del Toro has been virtually the first to respond to all the attacks so far in the mountains, and was even the best of the overall favorites on the climb to the finish of stage 13 where only Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert were ahead of him.
It is true that, so far, only one stage with a summit finish has been raced, and it was won by Juan Ayuso. But it must be said that the climb at Tagliacozzo was not hard at all in comparison to what's to come. It remains to be seen how each rider's legs will respond on a final climb to the finish.
This Tuesday, on stage 16, both will have the first chance to prove themselves. It will be on the ascent to the finish of Passo di San Valentino (category 1 - 18.1km at 6.2% average gradient).
But, from what has been shown so far, everything suggests that the best of the UAE will be Isaac del Toro. The problem, as already mentioned, is that the Mexican could have arrived with more difference over all his rivals to these decisive mountain stages. But it will not be so because of his team's indecision.
If he fails and Simon Yates or Richard Carapaz (or even Primoz Roglic) are better, Del Toro's maglia rosa will be in danger, and very much so.
Original: Jorge Borreguero
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Agree. Del Toro is going to need a team this week to chase down attacks, if they make him do it alone I will no longer respect UAE. The difference between Kuss and Del Toro is a stark one. No one can attack Del Toro in his own team because he will drop them, that wasn't the case with Sepp. I hope this kid, if he has the ability to win in week three, that he wins it emphatically, rubbing it in Ayuso's face.