"What a pity Del Toro can’t be the alternative to Jonas Vingegaard" - Spanish pundit believes UAE leader could challenge Visma at Giro d'Italia

The cycling week defined by the simultaneous Tirreno–Adriatico and Paris–Nice left two standout names in journalist Javier Ares’ analysis on his YouTube channel. On one side, the definitive breakthrough of Isaac del Toro as an emerging force in the WorldTour peloton; On the other, Jonas Vingegaard’s dominance in the French race.

The Spaniard opened by underlining the significance of Del Toro’s victory at the Race of the Two Seas, a performance that, in his view, confirms the progression he had already shown in recent months. Ares recalled that the UAE rider had left very clear signals of his potential, but that this win marks another step in his consolidation within world cycling.

In his analysis he explained that the Mexican’s triumph was not only about physical strength, but also tactical maturity. As he noted: “Today (stage 6, ed.) Del Toro won because he was the best, without a doubt, on the tough, demanding finish that closed the penultimate stage of the race, but Del Toro also won because he knew how to race with the intelligence needed to let the head guide the muscles and the phenomenal engine he has.”

Ares stressed that the key to the stage lay in the way the young rider managed his rivals’ attacks on the decisive climb. At that point, several riders tried to unsettle the general classification, forcing the leader to cover different moves.

The journalist explained that one of the trickiest moments came when Giulio Pellizzari launched a very powerful attack that briefly seemed to threaten the Mexican’s position on GC. However, far from panicking, Del Toro kept his composure.

Ares put it this way: “He had the patience, the smarts to let Pellizzari take a few meters. It did look worrying—he was 30 seconds down on GC—and with bonuses and so on, just arriving with a few seconds could have jeopardized the Mexican’s maglia azzurra.”

That ability to wait for the right moment proved decisive. As the journalist explained, Del Toro used others’ work to neutralize the move and saved energy for the finale. Once the situation stabilized and his rivals’ accelerations were under control, his moment came.

In the final section of the climb, the Mexican answered another surge, this time from Matteo Jorgenson, and sealed the stage with a decisive attack that allowed him to cross the line alone. Ares described the outcome like this: “Once Pellizzari was brought back, with just over a kilometre to go, he covered a huge attack from Matteo Jorgenson… and when the steepest part arrived, Del Toro kicked, rode to the line, finished solo, won the stage and landed a decisive blow in the general classification.”

For the analyst, the Mexican’s display confirms that he has not only talent but also the strategic capacity to compete at the highest level. He added that past experiences have also contributed to his growth as a rider.

Ares explained it by recalling the difficulties the rider had previously faced: “You learn from that too—from that and any other incident. A professional rider has to rack up wins, has to rack up defeats, has to collect glorious days and also deal with adversity.”

From this performance, the journalist opened the debate on the Mexican’s future and his role within UAE. Ares reminded that the rider is still very young and that his calendar is shaped by the team’s big leaders, especially with the Tour de France in mind.

In that sense, he highlighted that the Mexican will race the French Grand Tour in support of Tadej Pogacar, something that may frustrate some fans given his current level. However, Ares argued that the experience could be fundamental to his development.

The journalist summed it up clearly: “He’s 22. It’s frustrating, because you see him like this and think what a pity Del Toro can’t be the alternative to Jonas Vingegaard when the Giro d’Italia comes around. But it also suits him to do the Tour, and the sooner the better, in service of Pogacar and possibly with a big role.”

In his view, the Mexican’s progression is evident and each season he is taking another step forward. Ares recalled that barely a year ago his role in the team was very different.

“In the end, each season is on the up. This time last year he was helping Juan Ayuso win Tirreno–Adriatico, and then he was a lieutenant at the Giro d’Italia. This year he’s taken that step to winning WorldTour races.”

After the Italian race, Ares shifted to Paris–Nice, an edition marked by extreme weather that forced changes to the penultimate stage.

The journalist explained that the day was effectively de-natured by torrential rain in the Nice region, which forced organisers to cut the route to barely 47 kilometres.

Ares described the start like this: “The forecast was for deluge over southern France and the entire Riviera, but it was even worse. Riders couldn’t even sign on.”

Faced with that scenario, the organisation shuttled the peloton by bus over much of the course before racing the final section. The result was a day that was almost anecdotal in sporting terms.

“The stage was cut to just 47 kilometres, little more than a formality,” the journalist summed up.

Despite that context, the French race already had its winner practically decided. Jonas Vingegaard had built a very solid advantage on GC and, barring incident, his victory looked assured.

Ares recalled the gaps the Dane held before the final stage, which clearly reflected his command of the race: “The general classification is more than decided in favour of Jonas Vingegaard.”

The journalist also noted that the last stage could still offer a show given its mountainous profile, with several climbs chained around Nice. However, the time gaps on GC made any significant change very unlikely.