Isaac del Toro let victory slip away in the penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia this Saturday. At the end of the race, it was Simon Yates who claimed the maglia rosa, positioning himself to arrive in Rome as the champion of this year’s edition.

The day was marked by tension between the Mexican Isaac del Toro and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, a situation that went beyond the road and reached the post-race media area.

Strategic Disagreements and Sharp Criticism

In the early kilometers of the stage, Simon Yates broke away from Isaac and Richard by 20 seconds. At that point, the Ecuadorian asked the Mexican to take turns in the lead, but del Toro refused, believing it was too early in the race for such a move.

Later, it was "El Torito" who suggested to Carapaz that they work together to chase down the Briton. This time, however, the South American declined. Carapaz’s frustration was clearly visible on camera, and he voiced it openly, saying that “we, the strongest, could have won, but the smartest one did.”

He also criticized the way del Toro raced during the twelve days of competition, stating that “in the end, he lost the Giro. I think he didn’t race wisely.”

Del Toro Defends His Tactics and Earns Recognition

Isaac del Toro quickly defended his race strategy, explaining that “in the final part of the climb I tried to work with Carapaz, but he didn’t want to. I couldn’t go all out with him just sitting on my wheel, because then he would attack me from behind. And if I lost the overall lead, I didn’t want to lose second place as well.”

He also shared his perspective on the incident at the start of the stage, saying that “Richard was second in the GC, so I thought it made sense for him to chase Yates. Even though I felt I could follow the Briton, I had to mark Carapaz first. If I lost the maglia rosa, I didn’t want to lose second place too.”

Despite not winning the overall title, Isaac del Toro secured the maglia bianca, awarded to the best U23 rider at the Giro d’Italia, confirming his status as one of the sport’s brightest young prospects.

The final stage of the Giro will take place on Sunday, June 1, in a symbolic ride designed to celebrate the new champion.