Isaac Del Toro's confidence is growing every day, and the young UAE Emirates rider believes that by reaching the final week with the pink jersey, he can truly start believing he can win it. Even after the thirteenth stage, finishing in Rovigo, Del Toro is satisfied because he and his team managed to gain more points.

"I couldn't be prouder of the work we've done," Del Toro said. "I think it was a really good stage for all the guys and naturally for me. We managed to gain a few more seconds, so I can say I'm truly satisfied."

Before the Red Bull points, Juan Ayuso and Isaac Del Toro spoke to each other and collaborated for the sprint.

"We tried to get the bonus seconds with the team and we tried to go as fast as possible. Obviously, we had some pressure from Roglic's Red Bull team, and that's why we decided to start early for the sprint."

Among the Mexican's qualities is also the ability to recover well, so after a challenging stage, he always manages to restart effectively.

"To be honest, I don't think I'm spending so much energy. Today there were gaps both ahead and behind me. I think everyone is going all out, but I honestly want to believe. I don't think I'm spending energy only in stages like this, but I think we'll have other days where we'll spend a lot of energy. Probably in terms of fatigue, we're all at about the same level."

Del Toro, despite his young age and inexperience in stage races, is one of the strongest riders, and even the big favorites for the final victory are starting to fear him.

"They are all incredibly strong. If you look at the first 20 riders in the standings, they are formidable. I'm the newcomer, I need to learn quickly and improve, because if you were to say who the favorite is, perhaps on paper it's not me, but I need to be smart and listen to all the guys on my team."

Probably, when he arrived in Europe to race, the Mexican didn't imagine he would wear the pink jersey so soon, but now he is the leader and his way of looking at the future has likely already changed.

"My dreams are the same every day. Every day I work to try to achieve them. I think no one can tell you when you're ready to stand on the podium, but obviously I can only do it if I believe in myself. Sure, I'll go day by day and try not to become too ambitious, but I just want to do well by taking one step at a time. To win, I must believe in myself, and if I don't do that, then I'll never win."