Isaac del Toro almost lost the maglia rosa after a tumultuous mountain stage to San Valentino at the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday but was still smiling after the finish, knowing the day could have been much, much worse.
Del Toro lost his air of invincibility but promised to fight to the very end of the Corsa Rosa.
In the final kilometres it looked like Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) would gain enough time to snatch the maglia rosa, with even Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) closing in the race leader. Del Toro was even caught and dropped by Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) in the final kilometres but for every second. He lost 1:10 to Carapaz and 54 seconds to Yates.
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He kept the maglia rosa by 26 seconds on Yates, with Carapaz now at 1:31 and an impressive Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) fourth overall at 1:31. With Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) losing 13 minutes and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) climbing off mid-stage, the 2025 GC battle is suddenly very different.
"It was a hard day but I didn't expect anything less. I had a good day but not good enough to stay with the guys up front," Del Toro admitted.
"I think I limited the damage. It was super hard but I have no regrets. I gave everything until the line, I used every gram of energy I had."
Del Toro stopped to thank Adam Yates beyond the finish line, who tried to help him limit his losses. He was also gracious and supportive of Ayuso, who crashed during the stage and finished well behind the GC riders. The Spaniard has been suffering with his crash injuries and especially his knee injury.
"Juan didn't feel great at the start of the stage. He had a bad day," Del Toro revealed.
"He crashed two or three times. At the start he told me at the start that he didn't feel great. We know him, for sure he'll be back to his best or even stronger. He doesn't need to prove anything. He will come back."
Del Toro and UAE are now locked in a battle to hold onto the maglia rosa. Del Toro is the only card they have left to play but Carapaz and Yates exposed his weaknesses and those of his teammates. For over a week they have dominated the race but now seem fragile as the final three mountain stages loom.
"We still have hope. We're still leading so let's see what happens in the coming days," Team Manager Mauro Gianetti said, trying to find some optimism.
"Isaac defended the jersey with character and heart. Unfortunately, we lost Ayuso. He had a bad feeling from the start and was suffering in the cold weather. He needed to take off his jacket but lost time and energy. On the climb we saw immediately that he couldn't follow."
De Toro also tried to sound upbeat despite knowing stage 17 to Bormio climbs the Mortirolo after 90km of the 155km stage.
The 21-year-old Mexican suggested Carapaz, Simon Yates and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) were all threats to his maglia rosa due to different characteristics. Carapaz and Yates can launch powerful accelerations, while Gee seems to have more sustained power for the faster climbers.
"For sure they'll attack us again. We'll be waiting for them and we'll see if my legs are better," Del Toro said.
"For me the chances of success are still the same. I've realised what it's like to race in pink because everybody tried to attack me. I'm tired but I couldn't have done better.
"Now I need to manage things better. I hope to recover and be stronger. I hope to have better legs, I need to believe that. If I do, for sure I'll fight to the very end of the Giro."
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