Isaac del Toro's success at the Giro d'Italia has shaken up the cycling world in a positive way, and the next three stages - the final day on a smooth course - will answer the question of whether the 21-year-old talent will become the first Mexican to win a Grand Tour overall.
"My chances of winning the Giro are as good as when I started in Albania. I want to finish it well, especially for my teammates. They are always there for me," said del Toro.
Del Toro's achievement of winning the stage yesterday is all the more extraordinary given that he is only in his second season in the profile. However, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team leader has not only achieved eleven victories, he has five victories in his trophy cabinet. The most significant of these so far is the first place he achieved in the Milan-Torino one-day race in March this year.
Although no Mexican rider has ever won a Grand Tour, four riders from Latin America have competed in the Giro in the past. The story began in 1991 with Raúl Alcalá, a pioneer of Mexican cycling in Europe and best remembered for his two stage wins in the Tour de France. On that occasion, he rode for the PDM-Ultima-Concorde team, and although he didn't win a stage, he paved the way for future generations.
Then there was a long silence until Julio Alberto Pérez Cuapio emerged in 2005, becoming the most outstanding Mexican in the history of the Giro. As part of the Panaria team, he won three stages in 2001-2002, including the mountain classification in the last one.
In 2013, it was Cristian Mezan's turn, competing for the Continental team. His performance was modest and he was unable to finish the race. The same happened to Luis Lemus, who competed for Lampre-Merida in 2014. Although he reached the finish, he did not achieve any notable results.
🐂 𝐎𝐥𝐞́, 𝐈𝐬███𝐜 🩷 #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/2uymFSNvcd
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 28, 2025
"Ci hai provato anche oggi eh" "Tieni bevi un po'" 😅
— Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) May 28, 2025
Il simpatico siparietto tra Pellizzari e Del Toro 👀 #Ciclismo #Cycling #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/OjCsUVMthK
El Torito is your stage 17 winner at the #GirodItalia 🥇🇲🇽
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) May 28, 2025
Grande, @ISAACDELTOROx1 ! We are all so proud of you 🩷👚 #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/xPf61CYOKa
