Isaac del Toro remembers days following Tour de l'Avenir victory and pressure to choose World Tour team: "I was sick in the head and I didn't even know how to train"

Isaac del Toro is one of the great promises of world cycling. The young Mexican, just 20 years old, is the current winner of the Tour de l'Avenir, which led him to be sought after in the WorldTour and he ended up signing for UAE Team Emirates to share the peloton with Tadej Pogacar, Juan Ayuso and company until 2026.

In an interview with Fernando Ferrari on Ciclo 21 the talented American rider talks, among other things, about how he managed his victory in the Tour de l'Avenir: "I didn't know [Matthew] Riccitello, but I knew he was a very strong rider and one of the favorites. I had to study him a lot during all the stages. He is very good and has a lot of class. The goal was to beat him where he wasn't so good and also where he was good. It was a mutual pressure game between the two of us and it worked out well for me."

His success in the French race made the whole WorldTour go crazy for him very quickly. As a rider with no contract or evident negotiations into 2024, he says his phone blew up with new contacts as many teams tried to get their hand on one of the best upcoming climbers in the peloton. "After the Tour de l'Avenir my phone exploded. There were many people I didn't even know I had on my Ahatsapp and it was very chaotic because I didn't know how to do things right at that moment."

"I was sick in the head and I didn't even know how to train, but I had to make a decision and that's when I started talking to the teams. However, I wanted to be with my friends and family to talk to them about my decision. It was very complicated because I come from another country, another culture, another continent and the last thing I want is to feel bad or overwhelmed at some point during the year."

He explains his reasons for choosing a squad like UAE, where he is sure to have more internal competition than if he had chosen another:

"I'm 20 years old and I'm a person who still has a lot to learn and I wouldn't want to be under pressure. I decided on UAE because of the way they do things. And I think it's what I need. I'm very happy to be here and it's much more than I expected. It's amazing to eat with them at the same table. How many teams called me? I'm going to say I'm very lucky. I have no representatives. I've relied on family and friends. I know some people have them but I'm happy that way."

Article written by Juan Larra.