While Simon Yates was moving forward in his endeavor, Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz were keeping an eye on each other. They didn't discuss during the race, but their looks and behaviors made it clear that they had no intention of chasing down the British rider together. At a certain point, it became evident to everyone that the Mexican was losing the pink jersey, but without a team and without allies, he couldn't stem his own defeat. The pink jersey went to Simon Yates, and perhaps Del Toro preferred to see the British rider win rather than the Ecuadorian.

"Regarding Simon, he played his cards intelligently," Del Toro said after the finish line. "I played more defensively. I put pressure on Richard, because Simon was third in the general classification. In the end, the team managed to catch up with me, but it was too late because no one wanted to collaborate."

Del Toro certainly didn't start this Giro d'Italia as a favorite, and his task was to gain experience and help Ayuso and Adam Yates in the general classification. Suddenly, however, the 21-year-old UAE Emirates rider found himself leading the general classification, and day by day, his role as team captain became increasingly credible. When the Giro seemed already defined, Visma-Lease a Bike turned the tables, and Del Toro, too busy controlling Carapaz, definitively lost the pink jersey.

"I have no regrets," the 21-year-old Mexican said about the altercation with Carapaz. "He told me he wouldn't help me because I didn't help him when we were 20 seconds apart. I told him that was fine. In the end, I had already lost first place and wouldn't lose second place for him."

Despite losing the pink jersey on the eve of the arrival in Rome, Del Toro maintained his spirits because, in his first experience, he secured a second place in his first participation in a grand tour. "I'm disappointed because I lost the classification at the end, but I don't want to cry in front of the cameras. At the same time, I couldn't be happier, because no one believed at the start in Albania that I would win this Giro. I learned that I can do it and I'll come back stronger than ever, that's for sure."