Tiberi faces phenomenon Del Toro in UAE Tour: "He could surpass Pogacar"

Isaac Del Toro was crowned overall winner of the UAE Tour on Sunday. He defeated Antonio Tiberi, who had kind words for the 22-year-old Mexican after the race. According to Tiberi, Del Toro might even have more potential than world champion Tadej Pogacar.

"I would have definitely signed up for second place in the GC beforehand," Tiberi said in the post-stage flash interview. "I’ve already celebrated this second place with many people this morning. With my family, with the team... Because yes, finishing second here and also taking a stage win is amazing. Especially early in the season. These are fantastic results for me."

Tiberi was then asked what it meant for him to finish second behind Del Toro, who succeeds his teammate Tadej Pogacar as the UAE Tour overall champion. "Isaac is a great champion, just like Tadej," said Tiberi. "He could become even bigger than Tadej. We all saw what he did last year in the Giro d’Italia, which he nearly won. He’s still very young and a real champion, so hats off to him."