3 wins in 5 days confirm Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro’s star status

Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro bulldozed to different triumph Thursday and has present earned laurels astatine 3 Italian one-day races wrong of 5 days.

At the 197.6 km Coppa Sabatini successful Peccioli, Italy, Del Toro wheeled distant from 2 breakaway companions to decorativeness archetypal with a clip of 4 hours, 46 minutes and 56 seconds.

Del Toro’s 12 victories truthful acold this twelvemonth person moved Mexican cycling to a spot connected the satellite signifier and created a batch of fans successful Mexico. (Cristina Espinosa Agular/Cuartoscuro)

The 21-year-old Baja California native, racing for UAE Emirates-XRG, outclassed Benjamin Thomas and Ben Granger, attacking connected the last climb with 0.4 km to spell and pulling distant to triumph by 5 seconds and 8 seconds, respectively.

“I similar racing present successful Italy; the fans are precise attentive and passionate astir cycling,” Del Toro said. “I’m ever blessed to contention here.”

Del Toro is being called a phenom aft claiming 10 victories since his impressive second-place showing astatine the three-week-long Giro d’Italia that ended connected June 1. He present ranks No. 4 successful the satellite successful ProCyclingStats’ Best Rider Rankings.

Cycling analysts spot him fast-tracking toward the Rwanda satellite championships aboriginal this period and a imaginable showdown with teammate Tadej Pogačar successful Africa. Pogačar, the world’s top-ranked cyclist, won the Tour de France successful July and is lone conscionable present returning to competition.

Del Toro has been connected a teardrop since taking a five-week interruption aft the Giro d’Italia. He won 3 of 5 stages to decorativeness archetypal astatine the Tour of Austria successful mid-July.

He past won 3 times successful Spain — a one-day roadworthy cycling contention successful the Terres de l’Ebre; the one-day Circuito de Getxo; and the five-stage Vuelta a Burgos.

This week, “El Torito” completed an Italian chapeau instrumentality by finishing archetypal successful the GP Industria & Artigianato connected Sunday, the Giro della Toscana connected Wednesday earlier his triumph astatine Thursday’s Coppa Sabatini. He won each successful spectacular fashion.

In Sunday’s 196.3 km test, Del Toro burst retired of the battalion with 12 kilometers remaining, pulling distant from defending champion Marc Hirschi and pre-race favourite Michael Storer. He chased down the leaders Christian Scaroni and Davide Piganzoli, passing them astatine the 300-meter people and racing past the decorativeness enactment archetypal successful a clip of 4:32:47.

In Wednesday’s 189 km race, helium launched a solo determination with 27 km to go, pulling distant from co-leader Storer and holding disconnected each challenges from successful front. Del Toro finished successful 4:25:38, 15 seconds amended than Storer.

And successful Thursday’s Coppa Sabatini, Del Toro kicked into cogwheel with 6 km remaining earlier powering past Thomas and Granger connected the uphill resistance to the decorativeness line, denying Hirschi a three-peat.

Del Toro has 12 victories this year, and 15 since turning pro in January 2024. 

With reports from Cycling News, Velo, Fox Sports and ESPN