It was an exclamation mark. And a very big one at that, when Isaac del Toro caused a furore on the other side of the world at the beginning of the year, first winning a stage of the Tour Down Under in Australia and finishing third overall. The Mexican, barely 20 years old, whose services had been secured by UAE Team Emirates, stormed the World Tour in his first outings as a professional. The winner of the Tour de l'Avenir had never ridden at this level before.
Hardly anyone expected del Toro's rapid success to be just a flash in the pan. After all, the curly-haired youngster has long been regarded as one of the prodigies who could one day rival Tadej Pogacar. The early careers of the two UAE Emirates drivers certainly bear a certain resemblance. As does their ambition. "In ten years' time, I want to have fought for victories in the most important races," del Toro told the media after his successes in Australia. The offensive driving style and competitiveness on several terrains - including in the classics - are also reminiscent of the Slovenian, who is five years older.
Isaac del Toro establishes himself early on
If this is even possible after one year, one thing can be said about del Toro: he is already established. At the Tour of the Algarve (2.Pro), he finished the individual time trial in fourth place. Only the recognised specialists Remco Evenepoel, Magnus Sheffield and Stefan Küng were faster. He was even able to leave multiple world champion Filippo Ganna behind him.
Then came Tirreno-Adriatico (2nd UWT). Fourth place in the overall standings, only Jonas Vingegaard, Jai Hindley and his team-mate Juan Ayuso, for whom del Toro slipped into the helper role on the climbs, were stronger. Del Toro proved his class and showed that the results in Australia were not just down to remarkable early form.
In April, the Mexican continued where he had left off at the beginning of March. He finished the difficult Tour of the Basque Country (2.UWT) in seventh place due to the high altitude metres, and the smaller, less prominent Tour of Asturias (2.1), where he finished as overall winner with a stage victory. In between, he finished in the top 6 in the one-day races Giro della Romagna (1.1) and the Grand Prix of the Canton of Aargau (1.1).
Corona doesn't stop del Toro at the Vuelta either
Aargau in June comes in a phase between a break from racing, stress management and a renewed build-up of form and should therefore be rated highly, as the result proves how high the 20-year-old's basic level already is. What followed was his first participation in a Grand Tour - his contract with UAE was extended long-term after Tirreno-Adriatico and extended from 2026 to 2029, with undoubtedly significantly better pay.
Although del Toro had to protect two potential Tour winners in Joao Almeida and Adam Yates at the Vuelta a Espana, he was able to draw attention to himself here and there. He achieved two top 10 results, with the 16th stage on the way to the Lagos de Covadonga standing out in particular, when he finished sixth. Even a positive corona test could not stop him.
UAE rejects Pogacar settlements
After his performances during the season, del Toro went into the U23 World Championships as one of the favourites. He finished twelfth in the time trial, which was not his main focus. The road race was more important. Although the Mexicans started the race with five riders, del Toro could not expect any significant help from his team-mates. That's why he went on the offensive early despite the difficult conditions. Perhaps too early. In any case, he lacked the energy at the back to follow the new world champion Niklas Behrens. After a long season as a neo-professional with 65 race days and around 9500 kilometres of racing, he was left with sixth place.
UAE manager Joxean Fernandez also repeatedly emphasises the "very bright future" that his protégé has. One episode in this story is that he had initially placed del Toro with the pro team Caja Rural - Seguros, before the victory at the Tour de l'Avenir convinced him to direct del Toro to his own team in the World Tour. But he considers comparisons with Pogacar to be wrong. "They are very different riders and there is no reason to compare them," he said Bike after the Vuelta. "That's not fair for a rider who still has everything ahead of him. There is only one Tadej and we have to give Isaac time to develop."
The youngster himself can also do without the comparisons. "I'm only just discovering my level. I'm still learning so much," he told media representatives on the sidelines of the Vuelta. Also from the current best in his field. A role model is therefore more appropriate than a real basis for comparison. At least for now.
