Compared to the press conference a week ago at UAE Emirates XRG, two major developments today on the third and final rest day: Juan Ayuso's absence and the unequivocal words of the technical manager Matxin. «Isaac is the strongest in the race, he's leading thanks to his merits, we will defend him and help him maintain this position» he said.

The young Mexican will therefore be the team leader and will have the task of defending the pink jersey until Rome in this third and final week, which presents four very tough mountain stages, with steep and difficult climbs that will challenge many riders.

«I think I'm feeling quite good. I think I'm in one of the best form conditions of my life – Del Toro explained - Before, I didn't have the same confidence that I have this week, and I'm very confident about the climbs we'll have to face. It will be difficult for everyone, but I must believe I can do it and I want to be intelligent and try to do my best with the team to manage the general classification in the best way possible».

Racing will resume tomorrow, and rain is expected, with the weather potentially playing a crucial role in the final week of the race. «I think the weather will be the same for everyone, certainly if it hurts me, it will hurt everyone else. To be honest, I believe that if it gets too cold, the sensation would be worse for me, but thinking about it, it will be the same for the entire group».

Isaac Del Toro is a cyclist who likes to race on instinct and sometimes has preferred to follow his own nature rather than the team car's instructions.

«Sometimes when I race, I think I'm not so intelligent and that I should think more before acting. I'm new to these kinds of positions and I certainly knew everyone would try something, but I also want to always be attentive and find myself in the best position. I don't want to be too offensive or too defensive. Certainly the best thing is to always be at the front, because that way you know what's happening. You can't just listen to the radio, because if you're in front, you actually realize many things: you can see who's strong and who's trying to maintain the pace or who's trying to save energy, or who's attempting to attack. It's nice to always be at the front, but maybe it's not the most intelligent thing, sometimes I follow my instinct, but perhaps I should reflect more».

Del Toro is very young and certainly must learn many race mechanisms. But he will be the one tomorrow to start the third week of the Giro in the pink jersey and is not scared by this and has the awareness of being very strong.

«In some ways, I'm a rather logical person, so I like to think that after yesterday, having these legs has given me a bit more tranquility, so I can react after some teams tried to attack us. I know I'm in the position of having to support my team, be a bit calmer and do things with a cool head, since others will obviously try to attack us and fortunately I'm in the position of having to defend, not chase. I don't think anyone tells you when you'll be ready or when you can try, and obviously I have people around me trying to guide me, but I really think I'm young, but we also have the team that allows us to be at the front. Wearing the pink jersey means having more commitments than others, like arriving at the hotel last and doing photo shoots instead of resting».

Del Toro accepts everything with good humor because he's certain that right now he's living one of the most beautiful periods of his life. «Everyone says wearing the pink jersey is very stressful, but I like to think it's not. Maybe I like living in ignorance. I think we're able to defend ourselves a bit and obviously, depending on the situation, to be very careful, but fortunately we're in an excellent position that allows us to put a bit of pressure on the other teams».