"They didn't chase me. They did that to stay out of trouble": Isaac del Toro on possible Roglic comeback and UAE tactics

This Giro d'Italia is thus far delivering action, drama and a lot of tension. Into the final week, Isaac del Toro is leading the race but entering unknown territory. He has commented on the possibility of Primoz Roglic making a comeback in the race's most difficult stages and also on the why his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammates chased him down on Monte Grappa.

Del Toro, as has been happening throughout the entire second week, was quick to respond to the attack of Egan Bernal on Monte Grappa. Later they were joined by other GC rivals, whilst UAE paced behind so as to bring the groups back together and keep the race under control so they can keep the overall classification as it is.

However not everyone was happy with this, firstly with lots questioning why Del Toro would not collaborate and the team chased it down - with the likes of Primoz Roglic and Antonio Tiberi behind - but also why UAE did not try to put pressure on their rivals once again despite their immense strength in depth.

After the climb, UAE closed the gap. But Del Toro argues differently: "They didn't chase me. They did that to stay out of trouble and make it down safely," he responded, a response that looked to avoid the topic of internal tension.

"I also crashed because I didn't look at my bike computer properly. Today wasn't the day to try anything. It was still quite far, and the breakaway had already gone. But next week, we can, of course, put our cards on the table."

On stage 16, with a brutal day in the mountains and a difficult summit finish, there should be more clarity when it comes to the fight for the pink jersey, and will be perhaps Del Toro's biggest challenge of the race so far. He does not count out Primoz Roglic, who suffered and lost serious time in Asiago as he is still handling the pain of his several crashes.

"He is one of the best riders and never gives up. He has already shown that and will do so again next week. He is still racing here, so we must watch out for him. Maybe he had a bad day, but he also crashed, of course," the Mexican concluded.