logo
The Simon Yates lesson that Isaac del Toro must learn from unforgettable Giro d'Italia

The Simon Yates lesson that Isaac del Toro must learn from unforgettable Giro d'Italia

Independent02-06-2025
One year on from Tadej Pogacar 's demolition job of the competition at his maiden Giro d'Italia, another young climber was having his moment in the sun. The comparisons were inevitable as soon as Isaac Del Toro appeared on the scene: lean, explosive, with a natural gift for spotting his moment, an obvious thrill for racing.
But as the Mexican progressed through this Giro d'Italia it felt like the Tadej Pogacar comparisons weighed lightly on his shoulders. The 21-year-old seemed a changed figure from the wide-eyed figure who pulled on the maglia rosa in disbelief on stage nine, at the end of an audacious attack on one of the race's toughest stages, the gravel-dotted run into Siena.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider grew into the race, seeming to grow in confidence and stature with each day in head-to-toe pink. It proved difficult for the likes of Richard Carapaz to dislodge him as he marked every one of his rivals' moves, never missing a beat. He outlasted both Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates, in theory the squad's official co-leaders going into the race.
There were echoes of another prodigious talent's youthful enthusiasm in his attacking racing style, and like with Pogacar's Tour de France in 2022, it proved insufficient to win the Giro d'Italia. Jumbo-Visma isolated Pogacar in the French Alps, wearing the Slovenian down through an all-out assault, as his tremendous efforts over the course of the race told and he finally buckled. A similar situation happened the following year.
In Italy, Del Toro appeared at ease closing gaps when other GC contenders attacked, but there were raised eyebrows at his decision to do it all himself, rather than letting his teammates do the dirty work. Question marks remain over UAE Team Emirates' tactics at this race, from their unwillingness to throw the full weight of the squad behind one or the other of del Toro and Ayuso when the Mexican was in the ascendancy, to the failure to work to bring back Yates on the Colle delle Finestre, instead letting the race win ride away into the clouds.
Ironically, it was partially a reversion to conservative tactics that cost Del Toro the win – but his exhaustion on the penultimate stage will only have been compounded by the unnecessary energy he spent earlier in the race.
Inevitably, Del Toro will be back; his class and ability were apparent as a youngster and have only been emphasised by his near two-week stint in the pink jersey. He is the youngest podium finisher at the Giro since Fausto Coppi 85 years ago, and second on his Giro debut. Grand Tour wins are in his future.
But rather than youthful enthusiasm and star power, this Giro was won on patience and experience. Simon Yates raced his 2018 Giro in the aggressive way Del Toro began his stint in pink, before cracking spectacularly with the finish line in sight, losing 38 minutes on the Finestre as he watched Chris Froome ride away to glory. This time Yates, 21st on stage one, kept a low profile until the last possible moment. It was a win seven years in the making.
While Del Toro stole the show for much of this race, and the complex politics among UAE's young cohort of starlets made for drama, this race was one for a generation of old-timers. Comparatively, at least.
For Primoz Roglic, the overwhelming pre-race favourite, it was a disappointment. In his last twelve Grand Tours, going back to his maiden Vuelta victory in 2019, he has either finished on the podium (seven times) or abandoned the race (five).
But this was the redemption tour for the 32-year-old Simon Yates; the exhilarating comeback of 28-year-old Egan Bernal, seventh on GC in Rome and back to attacking ways, three years on from the crash that nearly killed him; the unexpected renaissance of one of cycling's canniest racers, 32-year-old Richard Carapaz.
Last year's Giro was a story of untempered dominance, of one of the most brilliant riders to ever grace the sport. This year's was a story of romance, of incredible perseverance, of a rider returning triumphant to the scene of one of his lowest moments. On the other side, it was a story of a young man with the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders, making history for Mexico and breaking new ground. Lit up by the attacks of the 2019 and 2021 winners, won by a rider who may have thought his chances of another victory at the corsa rosa had passed him by, and the scene of Del Toro's coming of age, this Giro was the sport's past, present and future, all in one.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tour de France 2025 prize money: How much does each stage winner earn?
Tour de France 2025 prize money: How much does each stage winner earn?

The Independent

time25 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Tour de France 2025 prize money: How much does each stage winner earn?

Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar begins his bid for a fourth Tour de France title on Saturday, seeking to cement his status among cycling's greatest all-rounders, with rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel hoping to find a weakness in his armour. The race's 112th edition begins in Lille, with Slovenia's Pogacar, who previously triumphed in 2020, 2021, and 2024, aiming to join Britain's Chris Froome in the elite club of four-time winners. That would edge him closer to the record five titles held by Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain. Along the way, Pogacar will earn plenty of reward for his efforts. Riders secure bonuses from their teams for their exploits on the bike during the Tour, but there is plenty of prize money on offer from race organisers ASO too. They scoop prize money for stage wins, combativity awards, King of the Mountains points and much more. Here's a full breakdown of the prize money on offer at the 2025 Tour de France: Tour de France prize money The total prize pot of the 2024 Tour de France is €2.5m and the overall winner of the general classification receives 20% of that figure, taking home €500,000. €500,000 €200,000 €100,000 €70,000 €50,000 €23,000 €11,500 €7,600 €4,500 €3,800 €3,000 €2,700 €2,500 €2,100 €2,000 €1,500 €1,300 €1,200 €1,100 €1,000 Every other finisher receives €1,000 in Paris. Individual stage prize money Winning a stage of the Tour nets €11,000. €11,000 €5,500 €2,800 €1,500 €830 €780 €730 €670 €650 €600 €540 €470 €440 €340 €300 €300 €300 €300 €300 €300 Green & polka dot jersey prize money The winner of the points classification for the best sprinter takes home €25,000, as does the King of the Mountains. €25,000 €15,000 €10,000 €4,000 €3,500 €3,000 €2,500 €2,000 White jersey prize money The best young rider at the end of the Tour (aged 25 and under) takes away €20,000. €20,000 €15,000 €10,000 €5,000 There are other prizes to be won throughout the Tour de France. The daily combativity award comes with a €2,000 purse, and the overall combativity award earns the winner €20,000. There is €800 for the first rider over the top of each hors categorie climb, €600 for category one, €400 for category two, €300 for category three and €200 for category four ascents. The winner of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange – the first rider over the top of the highest point of the race – earns €5,000. This year that mark is at the top of the Col de la Loze at the summit finish of stage 18. The winner of the team classification, which is decided by the cumulative time of each team's three fastest finishers, is awarded €50,000, with the fastest team on each day also earning €2,800. This money is traditionally shared around the team.

What is cycling's new yellow card system?
What is cycling's new yellow card system?

The Independent

time26 minutes ago

  • The Independent

What is cycling's new yellow card system?

A new addition to the cycling rulebook may add to the drama at this year's Tour de France. Cycling's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), has recently introduced a new yellow card system to crack down on reckless or dangerous behaviour in races. The system was trialled last season and has been integrated at World Tour (the top level) and Pro level races throughout this season, with the 2025 Tour the first to see it in action. Race commissaires - officials operating at the Tour and other races - can issue these yellow cards 'whenever the behaviour concerned is susceptible of causing a risk for safety', according to the UCI rulebook. A list of behaviour that may earn a yellow card includes a 'sticky bottle' - holding onto a team car for too long while taking on food - or taking sustenance outside a designated feed zone; sheltering in the slipstream of a race vehicle; assaulting or intimidating a fellow rider or spectator; and irregular sprinting. That covers deviating from your chosen line coming into a sprint, which could obstruct or endanger other riders. Mark Cavendish's history-making 35th stage win at the Tour de France, when he swung left across the road into empty space, may well have been hit with a yellow card for deviating from his line, were the regulations in place last summer. A new addition to the rulebook is most relevant to lead-out riders during a sprint: 'decelerating during a sprint and endangering other riders', i.e. riders pulling off having completed a lead-out and blocking the road or forcing other riders to go round them. There have been 159 yellow cards issued so far this season, and the UCI notes that the minority have been doled out to riders - 42%. 'Team staff (including mechanics and Sport Directors) account for 37% of yellow card issued, media/TV representatives (15%) and other motorbikes (6%),' it says, with unsafe driving by team cars, unsafe behaviour of staff in feed zones - handing out food and drink to riders - in particular warranting yellows. For riders, the most common cause of a yellow card has been irregular or dangerous behaviour in sprints, and that's where we're most likely to see any possible yellows at the Tour. How will it work? Unlike in, say, football, riders won't be brandished with a physical yellow card at the time of the offence - there will be no referees on wheels keeping tabs on the peloton. Instead, the yellow card offences will be published in race communiques after the race, as is common, where riders, teams and support staff are frequently hit with fines or other sanctions for breaking UCI rules. What are the consequences? Yellow cards may be handed out either as punishment on their own or in addition to any fines, relegation in race results, or time penalties awarded. Significantly, two yellow cards within 30 days warrant disqualification from the race and suspension for seven days. Three yellows in 30 days will result in a 14-day suspension. This could be huge during the Tour; a rider who receives a yellow for obstructing another's sprint on day one in Lille will endure a nervous rest of their race. So far one rider has been suspended, Alpecin-Deceuninck's Oscar Riesebeek, who was given two yellows in three days in May. What could go wrong? While the system has been put in place to ensure rider safety, there have occasionally been moments where it has come under fire for race commissaires over-policing behaviour, and there's an element of subjectivity to it too. When is jostling for position in a sprint part and parcel of bike racing, and when does it veer into dangerous or reckless territory? Certain officials will have different ideas. So far this season we've seen riders penalised for sitting up and celebrating teammates' wins during a sprint - the rulebook explicitly covers 'celebrating in the bunch, or taking hands off handlebars while in the bunch' - so there's certainly potential for controversy when the system makes its Tour debut.

EU to stockpile critical minerals amid geopolitical risks, FT says
EU to stockpile critical minerals amid geopolitical risks, FT says

Reuters

time28 minutes ago

  • Reuters

EU to stockpile critical minerals amid geopolitical risks, FT says

July 5 (Reuters) - The European Union plans to stockpile critical minerals as a precaution against potential supply disruptions due to geopolitical tension, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing a draft document by the European Commission. "The EU faces an increasingly complex and deteriorating risk landscape marked by rising geopolitical tensions, including conflict, the mounting impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and hybrid and cyber threats," the newspaper quoted the draft as saying. The document warns that the higher-risk environment was driven by "increased activity from hacktivists, cybercriminals and state-sponsored groups", the FT said. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The draft document, due to be published next week and still subject to change, says there is "limited common understanding of which essential goods are needed for crisis preparedness against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving risk landscape", the newspaper reported. In March, the European Commission unveiled its EU Preparedness Union Strategy, urging member states to strengthen stockpiles of critical equipment and encouraging citizens to keep at least 72 hours' worth of essential supplies in case of emergencies. The strategy was designed to prepare the bloc for risks such as natural disasters, cyberattacks and geopolitical crises, including the possibility of armed aggression against EU countries.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store