"You're getting me in trouble" - Isaac del Toro avoids tricky questions on UAE leadership at Giro

The Giro d'Italia 2025, after 11 stages, has a Mexican maglia rosa. Isaac del Toro retains the overall leader's jersey since stage 9 in Siena, the sterrato stage, where he was second after a great performance.

However, the pressure may be starting to take its toll on the UAE Team Emirates XRG rider. Speaking to Eurosport ahead of stage 12, where he should have no trouble defending the pink jersey, Del Toro opens up about everything that's happening to him:

"I still don't believe everything that is happening to me. That's why I don't smile too much. When you dream it, you want to know what it's like. But now to realize all this is super difficult. I've been wearing the maglia rosa for a few days now, but I can't believe that my teammates are helping me and have that confidence in me," the rider from Mexico begins by admitting.

"It's amazing, but not only for me. It's also for my teammates and the whole UAE. When I go on the podium (to pick up the maglia rosa again), I feel that my teammates need to be there. So it's a great feeling to be in this position."

Finally, when asked what has been the best advice he has received from other UAE riders to defend the maglia rosa, Del Toro says it is complicated for him to answer that question, because it would put himself in a compromise: "You're getting me in trouble. The next day I'll answer about this."

After the statements, Isaac del Toro got on his bike in search of saving a stage that, on paper, should not be dangerous. Although the wind can form fans in the peloton, and the Mexican has to be attentive so that they do not affect him - although in these past few days, he's looked incredibly sharp.