LA NUCIA (Spain) – Matxin knows more than the devil. So when others think they've found a talent worth betting on, he had already arrived thereHis network of acquaintances is such that he rarely misses a name, even though the cycling world is obviously vast and exceptions can always happen. The Case of Isaac Del Toro it's clear (photo pizza in the opening). When the Mexican won the Future Tower, his phone went crazy with messages from people he had never heard of. What he had missed, however, was that the boy from Ensenada, registered with the AR Monex equipped with Giant bikes, he already raced on a Colnago UAE Team Emirates.
Fracture of the femur
Matxin and Gianetti had been eyeing him for more than a year, when he was still competing in mountain biking, and they had also assisted him in 2022 when the fracture of the femur could have compromised everything.
«If the day before the fall – he says – they had asked me what would happen if I broke my femur one day, I would have said that it would be the end. I was training with the team when I slipped on the gravel and ended up against the metal guardrail.No open fractures, but it hurt like hell. It was frustrating at first, but then, seeing that I was getting better, I understood that I would go back to doing what I liked most.
"When I started running in Europe in 2023, everything seemed very complicated. I trained, but I didn't feel well. In the last half hour, 20 minutes of the race, it was as if the switch went offSome days I would get to the finish line feeling depressed, because I knew I was doing well, but I wasn't bringing anything home. Instead, little by little I managed to grow., having always had people around me who kept my spirits up…».
Studies interrupted
Del Toro he's a nice guy, who He tells his story with the amazement of finding himself in the training camp of the number one team in the world. His story We had mentioned it when we saw him arrive third in the Giro della Valle d'Aosta. He was alone the antechamber of what would happen shortly thereafter on the French roads and which led Gianetti to throw away the mask, making him sign until 2026.
He says that his father rode a bike and the two sons tried all the sports, until it was decided that it would be cycling and for this reason Isaac soon left schoolOne of those cases that can be discussed at length: betting everything on sport when there is no evidence to suggest it will end well.
«Until one day – he says – it was announced a call for athletes who wanted to move to EuropeIt was about racing on the road and some tests were done. Today I'm in my fourth year outside of Mexico, but I have to say that the first approach was really hard due to the different level of racing. Furthermore, it was a question of living in the right way with a group of riders like me, as if we were the crew of a submarine».
Masterpiece on the Iseran
After the accident and the technical difficulties of the initial period, the one who arrives at the Tour de l'Avenir is a Del Toro diverse. Val d'Aosta gave him confidence in his abilities. The work with a sports director like Piotr Ugrumov He brought great consistency. He stopped falling so much and proved himself to be strong on climbs and descents alike. Yet in the team time trial, Mexico finished 23rd out of 27 teams at the start. Isaac's gap is 2 minutes. Yet nothing is written yet.
Del Toro He won the grueling finish at the Col de la Loze, ahead of Riccitello, Piganzoli, and Pellizzari. The next day, they took part in a time trial in the morning and the Mont Cenis in the afternoon: he lost on both occasions, and by sunset he was 56 seconds behind the American. But the masterpiece was just around the corner. Taking advantage of the Iseran of the last stage, in fact, on the day of the Pellizzari's victory, Del Toro annihilates Riccitello (a poor showing for someone who rode a good pro Giro d'Italia) and conquers the final classification.
«I always tried to stay calm – he says – focusing only on what was happening and what directly concerned me. I was thinking about staying fresh to be clear-headed, pushing every day and keeping the group under pressure in difficult moments. I was riding so fast that everyone was forced to do the same. I had never felt so confident on a bike, but I was also worried because I didn't know if and when that famous switch would go off.. Instead I got to the end and won. It was a great relief, because finally the turning point I was waiting for came».
You need a team
The phone started ringing and the message box started to fill up. "I started receiving messages and calls," he smiles. Del Toro I was amused—by people I didn't know, it was truly chaotic. Honestly, I couldn't even train. And then I realized I had to make a decision.
«I started talking to the various teams, but it wasn't easy. I come from another country, another culture, another continent and the last thing I want is to feel uncomfortable so many miles from my homeI'm 20 years old and have a lot to learn, which is why I've decided to sign here for now. They gave me the attention I needed and I'm very happy, because I think I made the right decision. It's fantastic to be able to eat at the same table with all these champions every day."
The child's eyes
However, in the river of words that he says and that we memorize waiting to tell them, the last glance on Del Toro speaks of a boy who, in order to pursue his dream, left behind everything he might have needed to grow up fully.
«We spend 11 months a year away from home – he says – and we do it with great pleasure, but it's still complicated. I am out of my country and my city, I do not live with my family, but with fantastic people who become like brothersBut it's not the same. I've always been a very focused person and I've never thought about doing anything outside of cycling. I train, recover and prepare for the next dayBeing here and doing it in a more professional way makes sense of all the sacrifices I've made and of having to bridge the gap between being a young rider in Europe and being one in Mexico. There are differences, there are still big differences..."
