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"
Cycling
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.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- how else is there to look at things? we are responding to words and pictures, we are not there. your long winded replies make zero sense to anyone. pretty much everyone but you says the same thing. MS was robbed. somehow you think you're so smart to dig beneath the surface and discover something no one else, including the opposing coach and cyclist, saw. lol. you are a tool.mij09-11-2026
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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👉🇲🇽Isaac del Toro no puede contener las emociones tras la gran proeza que ha realizado en el Tour de l’Avenir! 🇫🇷 #TDAV #TourdelAvenir #Noticiclismo #Ciclismo
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