Isaac del Toro only narrowly held onto his Tour Down Under leader's jersey on Friday. The Mexican rider from UAE-Team Emirates saw Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) close in within one second due to bonuses but managed to retain the orange jersey. "I'm happy," he revealed in a brief post-race interview. "Saturday will be tough, but I'm glad I still have the jersey for now. On days like this, I prefer not to take too many risks because the next two days are crucial for me. It paid off," he noted.
Del Toro hopes for good legs this weekend
Saturday leads to Willunga Hill, a longstanding challenging ascent in the Australian WorldTour race. Sunday then brings the ascent to Mount Lofty. "Willunga Hill is a great climb, and I hope I feel good, so hopefully that will be the case," said Del Toro.
Del Toro already lost a competitor on Saturday: Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) did not start after his crash the day before.