"We will be consistent, he has earned it" - Matxín confirms Isaac Del Toro may be protected on final Giro week
Cycling
In the middle of the rest day before the decisive week of the Giro d'Italia 2025, UAE has returned to attend the media in a press conference. CiclismoAlDía and CyclingUpToDate were present at the statements of Isaac del Toro and Joxean Fernández Matxín.
The Mexican is the main protagonist before the 6 stages that will decide the final general classification. Del Toro defends the maglia rosa, and does so with a 1:20 advantage over Simon Yates. In addition, Juan Ayuso is 3rd, 6 seconds behind the British rider.
This leaves Isaac del Toro as the rider best positioned to win the overall out of the two UAE Team Emirates - XRG riders. For this reason, the question to Matxín, the Emirates team manager, was inevitable: who will be supported in the final week?
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"Isaac has shown so far that he is the strongest cyclist in the Giro d'Italia. We will defend and help him," Matxín began by stating, making it clear that there will be no surprises like Sunday's on stage 16.
Last Sunday, UAE pulled the peloton when Ayuso stayed with Roglic and Yates on Monte Grappa, while Del Toro went with Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz. They could have left the overall very difficult for the rest if the Mexican had been allowed to go, but to save Ayuso they ended up closing the gap to catch them at the end of the descent.
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But Matxín ends up confirming that the UAE team has made the logical decision to support the Mexican: "We will be consistent with the position Isaac is in. He has earned it on his own merits," the Spaniard said.
This Tuesday, Isaac del Toro will face a gigantic challenge. Stage 16 will have the second summit finish (the first since he became overall leader), plus a total of 4,700 meters of elevation gain. Without a doubt, if del Toro benefits from this day, he will be reinforced as the top favorite to win the Giro.
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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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