PRESS CONFERENCE | Isaac del Toro: "Yesterday we wanted to have a better day, Brandon and Ayuso crashed hard"
Cycling
Isaac del Toro will enter the second week of the Giro d'Italia in the pink jersey, a surprise for the Giro d'Italia as a whole, and in a press conference with UAE Team Emirates - XRG he has talked about his ambitions, feelings towards his performance thus far and the team's overall perspective of the race.
It was one where he avoided directly talking about his own personal ambition of winning the race, but instead shifted the focus towards the team's collective victory. Nevertheless, it is possible to see the pressure is not yet being felt by the young Mexican, much due to the team's depth in the fight for the overall classification.
Question (Luca Bianchin): I wanted to know, this is your first Giro, have you had a particular strategy for what you're thinking about and how you try to maintain your focus day to day during the Giro so far.
Answer: It's my first Giro, I'm so excited to be here with the team. it's such a strong team and I'm so proud to be in this position right now, it's like a dream. I'm trying to do all the best of myself to give to the team and always with one go. It's incredible to be in this position, and I can't be more happy with this it's like a dream for me.
Q: Is there anything particular you've done to maintain the stress levels as low as possible, or maintain as calm as possible for the rest of the race?
A: Of course I want to be a normal guy, it's a great result personally and also for the team. But yes, for sure it's just like a dream. I'm living this everyday and I try to give my all everyday. I don't know, I'm so excited. Sometimes I'm more nervous, sometimes I'm nervous, I'm only 21 years old but it's ok I don't have too much pressure now.
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Q (Nathaniel Parish Flannery): The plan was 'we are good friends, Isaac can help me in the Giro and maybe in the future I can help him', and now this different situation: Isaac is in the pink and Ayuso is second. How do you look at this situation as teammate but also as friends - because you are happy with each other I can imagine.
A: The race situation is good at the end. Yesterday we wanted to have a better day, Brandon and Ayuso crashed hard and of course we want to be safe, but at the end for the team it was not that bad and we just keep going for sure. We will keep going like we did, doing all the best for the main result and we will try the best for sure and we will try.
Q (Vasco Serrano): What impresses me the most about your performance yesterday was your technique, because it was impecable. I want to ask you if you believe this Giro d'Italia can be decided on technical sections with so many descents coming in the second and third week.
A: I don't know to be honest, I don't think it'll be that important. Yesterday I felt pretty comfortable on the bike and I always feel myself and I believe in me. Technically it's important but I don't think it'll be super super important for the Giro. For sure, we will see, I hope to have the same skills.
Q: Wearing the maglia rosa is a new high for your still young career, and because we can get nowhere without the people who support us I wanted to highlight if you could highlight two people that are very important to you who are your brother Angel and your coach Freddie.
A: I have so many people around me, I can't put one over another one. My family is there for me, I have great people that I know they want the best of me, they want to see me at my best version and it's incredible. I just can say thank you to everybody, my teammates my family my country. Everyone I know just wants to see me better and it's incredible. My life now in the last year has changed a lot and it's amazing, my highlights are everyday.
Q (Gabriel Martínez): Everybody in Mexico is excited about the competition, what do you think about this result?
A: For sure it's a great result, I think my country knew about the result that happened yesterday and I can't be more proud about my performance and the things we did as a team. I just want to believe it and keep going the way I go. It was crazy how it was yesterday and how my body is reacting day by day, I'm super proud to be Mexican and have this support around me.
Q: What's the next step for you in the rest of the Giro?
A: With the strategy for the rest of the Giro is to maintain the pink jersey in the team and take the overall GC win. We will try as a team and will give our all to maintain this.
Q: What's the feeling to wake up in the maglia rosa?
A: It's incredible, I cannot realize what's happening. The problem was to get in bed and try to sleep, the easy thing was to wake up. It's incredible, it's insane.
Q: The fact that you started Strade Bianche this season, did you need special advice from Tadej? Because we know what he did when he started Strade Bianche. Did you get any advice at all?
A: He just sent me a message that if I have the position to try, give all to try and win the stage because I think he believes in me.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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