Mexico hails 'historic' Del Toro as he spends rest day in Giro pink
Isaac Del Toro Romero from Uae Team Emirates celebrates in the white jersey on the podium of the 9th stage of the 108th Giro d'Italia cycling race of 181kms from Gubbio to Siena. Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa
Isaac del Toro deservedly had his feet up on Monday after making history by becoming the first Mexican in the 116-year history of the Giro d'Italia to wear the pink jersey.
"A historic day for Mexican cycling," wrote the Mexican sports newspaper Record after Del Toro's achievement in Siena.
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The 21-year-old, who finished behind superstar Wout van Aert on the challenging ninth stage on Sunday before Monday's rest day, could hardly believe he was leading the world's second greatest cycling race.
"As a child, everyone wanted to wear this jersey, and now I have it. This is incredible for me," said Del Toro, who is only competing in his second Grand Tour.
Del Toro is not yet talking about a Giro triumph.
"Let's see how things go in the third week," he added.
However, for former winner Egan Bernal, an overall victory for the Mexican would no longer be a surprise.
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"He is very intelligent, moves well. For me, he is one of the best here," the Colombian said.
At the age of 15, Del Toro left his homeland to pursue his professional dream in Europe. In 2023, at just 19, he won the Tour de l'Avenir, which is essentially the Tour de France for young professionals – just as current Tour champion Tadej Pogačar from Slovenia did before him.
His aggressive riding style also resembles that of the world champion. Del Toro already rides for the UAE Team, the same outfit as the Slovenian star.
The team intend to develop him carefully and have signed him to a long-term contract until 2029.
At the Giro, Del Toro was initially only meant to support team-mates Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates. Now, he has already gained more than a minute on his two colleagues and holds a 2:25-minute lead over Slovenian favourite Primož Roglič.
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