Among the debutants of the Return there was some a luxury one, if we may say so: Isaac Del Toro. More than a few people were predicting him to be on the podium or as a possible surprise finish in the Spanish race, a bit like his illustrious predecessors, namely Tadej Pogacar and Juan Ayuso, both third in their first major Tour.
The Mexican, however, did not go as fast. However, his Vuelta was not negative, on the contrary. The coach of the UAE Team Emirates, Joxean Fernandez Matxin, explains to us how things went and how he achieved 36th place overall, with two top ten finishes in as many stages.
Maxtin, was the Vuelta planned for del Toro? We know about your very gradual "policy" regarding the development of the kids and the planning you've been implementing since the previous fall.
And in fact no: the Vuelta was not scheduled for Del Toro, but since he is one of the stratospheric riders we have, like Ayuso and Pogacar, with these profiles we can speed up the times slightly. So we chose the Vuelta because it doesn't change your plans for the year. You did what you had to do.
And even if things don't go so well, the boy will have time to recover with winter ahead of him…
Yes, we've revised the summer calendar a bit, but then in August you leave for the Vuelta and then you're "finished". It all started at the start of the Giro d'Italia. One of those days we talked about it togetherI told him I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn and in the end we decided yes. But it's also true that the places for the Vuelta were assigned. But Hirsch, who is aiming hard for the World Championships at home, had told us that he would have preferred to get to the World Championships without doing the Vuelta and so Isaac took his place.
How do you rate his race?
I'd say he had a good Vuelta. He ran very well in the first week, which was really complicated, but then he got sick. He had headaches, diarrhea, and a lot of bad feelings. But he decided to endure. He was sick for two days, but then he couldn't recover. He wasn't in his normal condition. But the good news is that right at the end, in the last three or four stages, he recovered. He was feeling better.
In some ways, holding on was a lesson within a lesson in your Vuelta experience. Is that true?
Of course. He's learned that there are bad times. Phenomenal figures like him aren't used to certain situations. And they're difficult for him to face and manage. But Isaac overcame them, and that's the silver lining in a bad story. Obviously, we didn't get the results we hoped for precisely because he was bad, not because he wasn't up to the task. But, I repeat, he learned that there are bad times, and that's why he has to make the most of the good ones. That he has to make the most of them.
How did he react?
He suffered greatly, both physically and mentally. He was unsure whether to continue or not. “Is it worth it?” he asked himself. But when he understood, thanks also to the doctor's help, that it wouldn't harm his body, he decided (and we decided) to go ahead. And for this reason, on a psychological level, he came out of it stronger than before.
If it had been okay, how do you think it would have gone?
I'm not an oracle! We used to joke about these aspects in the flagship with Marcato: "Who wins today?" I don't know how it would have gone. I can say, however, that I know his qualities perfectly and I have complete confidence in him. It will certainly be the protagonist.
How did you see it in Madrid? Ultimately, completing your first major title after so many difficulties is doubly difficult...
He was especially satisfied because, as I mentioned, he had recovered in the last few days. This gave him confidence. He saw himself as competitive again. And then he realized that everything passes at the same time. Let me explain: The difficult moments pass slowly, the good ones fly byIn reality, time always flows the same way and this is a good lesson.
Did Isaac ever ask you anything about Ayuso, Pogacar.. at their first Vuelta?
No, no… I talk to him a lot, but he hasn't asked anything, nor do I make comparisons. It's clear that by being in this team all the strongest riders have Tadej as a mirror.
Any anecdote?
Nothing major. Simply when he was feeling bad and going through a dramatic moment, I hugged him and told him that everything will pass.
And now what will he do?
He will go to the World Championships in Zurich. He will race both the road race and the time trial with the under 23s.
