Everything about Isaac del Toro

Isaac Del Toro is the winner of the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir and one of the biggest prospects in pro cycling. The Mexican rider is part of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, with a contract running until 2029 - one of the longest in pro cycling. In 2025 he has had a breakthrough with a stage win and second place at the Giro d'Italia, alongside over a dozen pro wins, many obtained at the end of the season.

Name: Isaac del Toro
Born: 27 December 2003
Birthplace: Ensenada, Mexico
Turned Pro: 2024
Height: 1.83m
Team : UAE Team Emirates

Isaac del Toro has arrived like a steamroller to professional cycling. His last race as an U23 rider was the Tour de l'Avenir, which he won in August 2023. His first race as a pro, wearing the jersey of Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, was the Tour Down Under in 2024. A WorldTour event, no less. And, yet, in the second stage, the first time he had a chance, he broke away one kilometre from the finish line and won.

Isaac del Toro Romero was born on November 27, 2003 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Since he was a child he began to compete in both mountain bike and road races.

It was in Italy where he began to develop his career in the A.R. Monex team led by Piotr Ugrumov, one of Miguel Induráin's rivals in the 1990's. Little by little he began to participate in races and to increase his level.

Already in 2020, Isaac del Toro participated in the national championships of Mexico achieving an impressive 20th position considering that he had not yet turned 17 years old. Thus, in 2021 he raced two important races in Italy such as the Grand Prix Eccellenze Valli del Soligo and the TF GD Dorigo MO Biemmereti. At the end of the year he participated in the World Championships in Belgium as a junior. Although his results were not remarkable, he managed to finish the road race and the time trial.

In 2022 he had a full season and began to show his quality in races such as the Gran Premio Industria (13th), the Strade Bianche di Romagna (30th), the Coppa della Pace (25th) and the Giro della Valle d'Aosta (22nd overall and fifth in the young riders' classification). In July he experienced one of the toughest moments of his young career, breaking his femur, but he came back stronger.

2023 was the year of his confirmation in the U23 category that has made him make the jump to professionalism this year. He started the season with Top 10 in Italian classics such as the GP Citta di Empoli, the Giro della Provincia di Biella or the Trofeo Alcide DeGasperi. Then, in stage races he was tenth in the Course de la Paix in Czech Republic and in the Sibiu Cycling Tour before making podium in the Valle d'Aosta, clearly improving his performance compared to the previous year.

Then came his consecration as a rising star in the Tour de l'Avenir, first in the fourth stage finishing second in Evaux-les-Bains and then with his now mythical victory on the Col de la Loze that allowed him, after riding at a high level in the last stages, to win the overall (as well as the mountains, the points classification and the youth classification). This exhibition led half of the WorldTour to notice him and he ended up signing for UAE Team Emirates. 

In his first season as a pro, in 2024, he won at the Tour Down Under and finished third in the overall classification. He then rode to an impressive fourth place at Tirreno-Adriatico, confirming his potential as a climber and stage-racer; only being beaten by Jonas Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso and Jai Hindley in the Italian race. He was 7th at Itzulia Basque Country and then won his first stage-race as a pro at the Vuelta Asturias - where he also won the first stage. He made his Grand Tour debut at the 2024 Vuelta a España.

2025 however was a completely different story. The Mexican rider had strong performances early in the season but did not look to have his best form yet. He was second at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior, supported Juan Ayuso to GC success at Tirreno-Adriatico... But then won Milano-Torino, winning on the climb to Superga and anticipating what would be a year of success in Italy. At Itzulia Basque Country he helped João Almeida to overall victory whilst also putting on strong climbing performances himself.

He went into the Giro d'Italia as a secondary card for UAE, who knew of his talent, but far from a leadership role as the team had both Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates as consolidated Grand Tour specialists. The team had no reason to burn him however, and with Ayuso winning on the first summit finish to Tagliacozzo, Del Toro sprinted to second and showed his form. Two days later in Siena, as the race's two main favourites Ayuso and Primoz Roglic crashed, Del Toro took the opportunity to follow INEOS' attack on the 'mini Strade Bianche' and then attacked himself, being followed only by Wout van Aert. The Belgian won the stage but Del Toro jumped to the overall lead. He then reinforced his lead as many of his rivals (internal and external) lost time on stage 14 to Nova Gorica with many crashes affecting the race. As he held tight to the race lead, UAE had the numbers and continued to also protect Juan Ayuso, until stage 16 when the Spaniard began to struggle with an injury - and later abandoned the race.

Del Toro became the sole leader but in the monster stage to Brentonico, he lost time to Richard Carapaz and Simon Yates. But in the shorter climbs he continued to thrive, winning the next day in Bormio in the pink jersey, and then taking more time on his competitors on stage 19. On stage 20, he followed Richard Carapaz' massive attack on the Colle delle Finestre, however Simon Yates would catch up to the duo and then drop them. Del Toro did not collaborate with Carapaz and later on a clash led to Yates gaining minutes, taking Del Toro's pink jersey who would settle for second.

But Del Toro's season was far from done. His level had grown significantly, and in his return race, he won three stages and the overall classification at the Tour of Austria. He followed that up with a win at the Clàssica Terres de l'Erbre, aided teammate Igor Arrieta to victory at the Prueba Villafranca, won the Circuito de Getxo and then won the overall classification at the Vuelta a Burgos to end a perfect stint of racing in Spain.

Then he would move to Italy where he won the GP Indurstria & Artigianato, Giro della Toscana, Coppa Sabatini and Trofeo Mateotti before the Rwanda World Championships. He was fifth in the time trial and then seventh in the road race, however he was one of the two riders that followed Tadej Pogacar's initial attack on Mont Kigali and was the rider who resisted the most with the eventual winner. Del Toro returned to Italy to conquer the Giro dell'Emilia, Gran Piemonte; aided Pogacar to victory at Il Lombardia whilst finishing fifth himself; won the Giro del Veneto and finally both time trial and road race national championships.