Giro d'Italia - Is Isaac del Toro a podium contender?
Mexican star eased his way through the first few stages, but being further down the team hierarchy, will he get a chance to discover his Grand Tour limits?
After the first six stages the Giro d’Italia is nicely in the balance. No GC favourite has yet taken a significant time advantage over the others as we head into three challenging days before the second rest day.
We all know who is leading the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team: 2023 Giro champion Primož Roglič. Before the race began, all the talk was of a duel between the Slovenian and UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Juan Ayuso. However, the Emirati team have been coy on their leadership strategy and appear to be leaving the door open for others in the team to take their chances.
Adam Yates has been named as co-leader with Ayuso, but when the Lancastrian spoke to media before the race, he said that the team had “seven leaders,” suggesting that the likes of Mexican youngster Isaac del Toro may be given an opportunity to test himself over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
The 2023 Tour de l’Avenir winner looks in blistering form. He currently sits in 5th place ahead of the weekend, one place behind team-mate Brandon McNulty, but ahead of Ayuso and Yates.
Of all the potential UAE Team Emirates-XRG leaders, Del Toro has been the most prominent towards the front of the peloton at key moments throughout the first six stages, while Ayuso has at times gone missing. He was 12th in the time-trial, just a second down on Ayuso, and finished 10th on the punchy stage five finish, his momentum stunted after being blocked in during the sprint. He also took four seconds at the Red Bull kilometre that day, perhaps revealing a hint on possible GC goals.
What happens between now and Sunday evening will go a long way in determining the freedom that the 21-year-old will enjoy in the rest of the race.
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The 2025 Giro d’Italia is the second Grand Tour of Del Toro’s young career. He also took part in last year’s Vuelta a España, riding in support of João Almeida and Adam Yates. Del Toro finished the race strongly, taking 6th on stage 16 up Lagos de Covadonga.
He may be young and less experienced than his team-mates, but Del Toro has all the ability to do something special at the Giro this year, if given the freedom.
Del Toro has been given a contract until the end of 2029 and team management at UAE Team Emirates-XRG are treating the 2025 Giro as a development race for the Mexican. Sports Director Fabio Baldato told Cyclingnews that there is no expectation on him to achieve a result.
"The other two [Yates and Ayuso] are the leaders and he's [Del Toro] racing without any pressure," Baldato said. "But if we need him to be there to support the others, then hopefully he can be there."
Del Toro kept to a similarly open position when he was interviewed by the media at the beginning of stage six.
“For sure it's hard,” he said to CyclingProNet about balancing the ambitions of the team’s big riders. “Everybody is strong in the team and we want to have more space, but for sure the team always gives us something to do and this is nice for us and we see each day who it is and maybe some of us, we can take the chance now, today, tomorrow.”
He also talked about his happiness at his performance so far in the race.
“I think it's going well for me, I have a lucky week for me and I don't know, I had good legs yesterday and I'm super happy, I've been there every day and I cannot be more happy now.”
Tell me what you think. How far could Del Toro go at the Giro if given the freedom?
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