Isaac Del Toro (along with António Morgado) has the potential to become one of the biggest highlights on the World Tour scene. At 20 years old, the Mexican cyclist is already making his professional debut this week at the Tour Down Under. Despite this, UAE Team Emirates is taking a cautious approach to new talent, preferring not to rush its protégé’s development too much.
Leader adopts caution with Mexican
The announcement was made by sports director José Antonio ‘ Matxin ‘ Fernández, in conversation with the Belgian channel Sporza.
“Normally, Del Toro would go to Caja Rural first, but we agreed with all parties that he would make his debut with us, already this year. Isaac is a climber who knows how to defend himself in Time Trials. He can eventually score in stage races. But first we have to find out, how he recovers after difficult stages.”
Start with victory in the Tour de l’Avenir
Del Toro made his debut last year in the under-23 category and has already managed to record some good results in the first months of 2023, but he only really impressed at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta and the Tour de l’Avenir. In the race of Italian promises he came third in the final classification and still managed to win the Tour de l’Avenir with flying colors. Del Toro thus became the first Mexican winner of the French competition.
Mixed program for 2023
The new sensation has signed with UAE Emirates for three years. An important question is what your program will be like in your first year as a professional? “A mix of WorldTour stage races and lower level stage races,” says Matxin. “He will gain experience in WorldTour races. In the lower category stages, he starts with the ambition to win.”
“Normally, Del Toro will not race a Grand Tour this year unless he goes through a very big evolution. In his second year, he will make his Grand Tour debut, with no pressure, to learn.”