Isaac del Toro does not want any comparison with Tadej Pogacar: "If you start comparing yourself to other riders, you will never improve"

Isaac del Toro was a brilliant breakthrough at the end of the 2023 season with the unexpected victory at the Tour de l'Avenir and was then signed by UAE Team Emirates - XRG. In 2024 he raced some lower level races with quite a lot of success but struggled in his Grand Tour debut at La Vuelta. However in 2025 there is a fresh new year to impress.

The Mexican will ride the Giro d'Italia this coming spring, alongside Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates. However he is not solely playing a domestique role, if he has the legs for more. "The team is giving me the space to go for it from day one and if I can go for the GC, I want to be ready for that," he told In de Leiderstrui, included in a group of journalists that also featured CyclingUpToDate.

"I will also help our leaders, but it is great to see how much space I have to race freely and enjoy my second Grand Tour".

A third place at the Tour Down Under, fourth at Tirreno-Adriatico, seventh at Itzulia Basque Country and GC win at the Vuelta Asturias marked his first months as a pro. The now 21-year old is extremely promising, but somewhat under the radar in a team with so many big GC leaders and equally so many huge young talents like Del Toro being signed year after year.

Asked about how he sees himself against Tadej Pogacar, he shrugs off comparisons: "I don't want that at all, I don't have a zone 2 that is at 340 watts. If you start comparing yourself to other riders, you will never improve. I try to get better every day, but I only look at my own numbers. I'm talking about all aspects of cycling, but at the moment mainly nutrition. Ultimately, everything the team offers me helps me to be my best self on the bike".

It is easy to forget that Del Toro grew up watching Tour de France battles of recent years, including Egan Bernal and Tadej Pogacar's wins whilst being a kid. He notably remembers Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana's battles. Being in the same peloton as such legends is in itself already a huge reason to be proud - specially in a country that sees a very small amount of riders make it to this level.

"It's cool that I'm now riding among all those big stars and that I have to beat them. I know that cycling is not a big sport in my country, but I'm proud that everyone who knows the sport respects me for what I do. That means a lot to me, Mexicans who love cycling love me. Sometimes I don't understand that, but in Mexico they are crazy about me. I hope to give them results back, it's nice to be there in the winter anyway," he added.