Isaac Del Toro's pink dream continues, as he managed to finish second behind an extraordinary Richard Carapaz in yesterday's stage ending in Castelnovo ne' Monti. There's no doubt that the Mexican is the best young rider in this Giro, but we'll have to see what he can do in the last week, when fatigue sets in. "I don't know how the next few days will be, this is my first time in the pink jersey – Del Toro said - But for now I want to keep it, maybe I'll change my mind later".

South American riders are going extremely strong, and Carapaz is one of the best along with Bernal. The Ecuadorian is now in sixth place, but there will be other stages where we'll see him attack.
"We know Carapaz is very strong, we wanted to try to follow him, but today he was on another level. When Maika told me she couldn't stay with him, I tried to attack, but when I looked back I saw my teammates weren't with me and decided to wait for them".

UAE's Del Toro moves compactly, trying to create a single block, and thanks to this strategy, four riders are in the top ten.
"There was a gap with other riders, but it was better to go up all together, because we think staying together can bring more advantages to the team". Del Toro is young and not used to racing over 200 kilometers, and in a few days very long stages will arrive. "In training, my longest distance was 140-150 km, but with friends we pushed ourselves to 200. In actual training, the longest distance I've done is maybe 170 kilometers".

Isaac Del Toro feels good, and the pink jersey is giving him the right charge to remain combative.
"Yesterday I felt good, although maybe my body suit was a bit too tight, I'll get another one. I had a good day with good sensations. There were very difficult climbs, but when I see myself up front, I think I can be one of the top riders too".

The 21-year-old Mexican said that even now he can't believe he's racing a grand tour as the leader, and sometimes while riding he smiles reflecting on what he's experiencing. "I'm trying to learn how to ride in the pink jersey and I don't want to be arrogant, I want to learn especially how to recover faster. It's very nice to see the bike with pink details, wearing these colors is something incredible. Maybe you don't see me smile too much, but not because I'm angry, it's because I'm incredulous. But when I'm absorbed, sometimes I smile to myself. We must learn to manage critical moments better and see how the situation evolves and always stay alert and not just chase". Even though young, the Mexican is already learning to move like a leader, but he admitted that there are no jealousies in the team and that the climate is always mild and collaborative. "In the team, there are no problems with anyone, it's nice to gain bonus points, it's a race and clearly many riders from other teams want to gain. If I gain some seconds, I'm not taking them away from Ayuso, for example, but they are still seconds we take from other teams. I've managed to finalize the team's work well, we want to win as a team and that's what we're doing. In Carapaz's last attack, there was some wind and we didn't follow because I preferred to go with the other team members. It's not a surprise to see Carapaz win because he's a great rider".