Wout van Aert and
Isaac del Toro spent a long time riding together on stage 9 of the 2025
Giro d'Italia, with the 30-year-old Belgian eventually prevailing over his younger rival to take the stage win. Van Aert was left incredibly impressed by Del Toro though, and with the Mexican in the Maglia Rosa as the Grand Tour heads back into the mountains on stage 11, Van Aert is excited to see what Del Toro can do.
Oh, he really amazed me with his ride, to be honest," Van Aert recalled of the 'mini Strade Bianche' stage 9, in his pre-stage 11 interview with
Cycling Pro Net. "He was super strong and really going for it, to take as much advantage as possible, I think, for the GC. I was just happy I could hang on — that was basically everything I had in my legs."