Isaac Del Toro thread

[Monsi]

Yes, apparently tomorrow. Assuming he wins the road race, I'm curious about the Mexican champion's jersey. I usually dont care at all, but that should be a beauty and hard to mess up, right?

This is UAE we're talking about so unless the Mexican federation has some strict rules regarding the NC jersey (like Belgium, US, etc), it is very easy for them to mess up the jersey.

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p6sfC2SSh4c


There are a couple other feeds on YouTube. So you might be able to watch road race Saturday.
If you are able to watch , this start is oriented going towards Pacific Ocean and turning at El Sauzal interchange. This road is still very popular but has become 10,000% more dangerous as the economy has boomed. Right behind starting line is a new housing development with @500+ homes..it used to be one ranch, next to an orphanage. I used to start rides going passed ranch and half dozen horses would come running when they saw my bike because I had carrots. So yes it was a heavy jersey load for first few kilometers. Because of explosive aqua culture business.. There are now shipping container storage yards all over the place.. They ripped out 10-15 acres of olive trees that now has shipping containers stacked 6-8 high..ugly and the trucks picking them up or dropping off are dangerous. Aqua culture stuff is going crazy, tuna, seaweed, sardines, oysters all farmed right in front of the race in the Pacific Ocean. The race will take part in front of Ocean effect temperature front. When you go towards Tecate, famous for beer, the temperature goes way up..and when you ride or race on this road you get a serious boost of energy when you get towards the ocean and temperature gets better, double boost when you come around the corner and you are a few hundred meters high and you can see the Pacific for @10 miles each way.
If you are able to watch the race on this feed or others, the road that parallels the water is probably less than @5-8 k at best.. And the first climbing comes not far from start finish. The toll booth and free road happen in first 5-10 k..and race will blow up by @50+% at first 2 climbs.. It's plateaus at Rancho Bonita and then turns towards wineries. There are obviously few anywhere who can stay with Del Toro but he will likely not want to pace himself in normally medium to heavy winds on race route. There are definitely @15-20 guys who can ride at high pace. And many people from Southern California with dual citizenship will definitely not miss chance to race against Isaac Del Toro ..except @10-20 of those..
I will try and post Facebook feeds if I get permission..

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HHFrV16vnrM

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mvO2g_q_vPw


15:15 in the video is the podium

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Pgg6Tzt20lM

 

[Hugh Januss]

This is UAE we're talking about so unless the Mexican federation has some strict rules regarding the NC jersey (like Belgium, US, etc), it is very easy for them to mess up the jersey.

I would expect a narrow green/white/red band around lower chest.

 

[RedheadDane]

Congratulations to Del Toro for winning the 2025 Mexican ME ITT National Championship.

 

[Unchained]

I would expect a narrow green/white/red band around lower chest.

Likely Mexican representation will look similar to Ecuador color scheme worn by Jhonatan Narvaez

 

[Unchained]

This is UAE we're talking about so unless the Mexican federation has some strict rules regarding the NC jersey (like Belgium, US, etc), it is very easy for them to mess up the jersey.

Mexico doesn't have strict rules for anything. Great example in Northern Mexico.. Chocolate cars...

 

[Unchained]

Not the best, but not the worst..

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HNJteik5cv0

 

[Unchained]

It looks like they made minimal road repairs..

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cy8FwknLVyE


It was a great race for so so many reasons.. Each lap was @40 k and people all over, cheering non stop.
Field was pretty big, mixed abilities as always and guys getting destroyed by one of the best World Tour racers, 3rd in the world currently, made it easier to take..
Conditions were pretty tough, ocean misty haze for start and it got warmer and windy and played into the hands of 4 most powerful guys,
I have to say I got choked up watching initial breakaway working together, nobody thought they were going to beat Isaac, but they rode like they could, took excellent pulls and it was just attrition.. Eder Frayre really was outstanding and he made only logical decision to not respond when Del Toro drilled it going up El Tigre to the finish, the 2 had a big gap, and Frayre raced to a comfortable second.
Some of the guys who got dropped, lost contact completely were very very courageous and chased to near killing themselves.. All about dignity.. Raced super, super hard just because..3rd -10th really went deep.. Del Toro is a really high reference point..

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=koOnV_CNWps&pp=ugUIEgZlcy00MTk%3D


Similar

 

[noob]

Speaks out against team car not warning about Van Aert in time.

Isaac del Toro looks back on decisive Giro moment: 'They should have told me about Van Aert'

He had been in pink for almost two weeks, climbing beyond the favourites and outsmarting riders twice his age. Then, on the gravel slopes of the Colle…

www.domestiquecycling.com

 

[red_flanders]

Thanks for posting. The full quote is a bit more nuanced than "speaks out against team car". Takes responsibility for not knowing Van Aert was there an admits (obvious) mistakes.

“Carapaz had shown the best legs, so on the radio they told me to watch him,” Del Toro said. “I think I’d do it differently now, but I made mistakes, some of them from inexperience.”

The one that still stings didn’t come from his legs, but from the car. “When the radio told me Yates was up the road, and that Van Aert was too, Simon already had 55 seconds,” he recalled. “That shocked me. They should’ve told me about Van Aert when he had ten seconds, then I’d have said: let’s attack, let’s try.”

By the time he realised what was happening, Yates and Van Aert were gone. The gap that once protected him became a four-minute deficit by the finish in Sestriere. “I think from the car they didn’t want me to go over the limit and risk finishing fifth or sixth,” Del Toro said. “In the end we only lost one place, but the small mistakes cost us dearly. I made a tactical error, I forgot the details, like Van Aert.”

That said, not sure what the point is of airing that out publicly. Can't really argue with what he's saying, but as a leader, just take responsibility even if it isn't your fault.

 

[Netserk]

So he just chose to give up when the gap was 55 seconds, not being told to rely on Carapaz? He threw it away in the most disgraceful manner possible, not even taking up the chase in earnest after Carapaz had proved unable to drop him.

 

[CyclistAbi]

I feel that that is fair assessment on his part. Saying he is/was inexperienced and that the team car didn't provide the info and guidance needed.

In the end i feel that that is exactly what happened and contributed the most to losing a chance to take the overall. Carapaz acted mature about it too, the response could have been much worse in terms of class. For example he could have kicked him of the bike or similar.

 

[fenns]

This is just an excuse for being such a fool to get into games with Carapaz.. He allowed Yates to gain too much time on Finestre - even if there had been no Wout he was not getting back to Yates.

 

[Potomac]

There is no F-way Carapaz wasn't reminding Del Toro several times that Yates and Van Aert were up the road.
He probably wasn't being polite about it, either.

 

[James M]

Del Toro wasnt good enough simple as. Imo, tactics on a climb like Finestre are minuscular, if you dont have the legs, it doesn’t matter. He also made a mistake by initially following Carapaz at the bottom over his limit.

Those kinds of climbs are a key area for him to improve. The experience hes gained this year across the board, combined with his upward trajectory, will be huge for him. He also seems to have perspective and be coachable great signs for whats to come.

 

[Red Rick]

So he just chose to give up when the gap was 55 seconds, not being told to rely on Carapaz? He threw it away in the most disgraceful manner possible, not even taking up the chase in earnest after Carapaz had proved unable to drop him.

He thought he found the right bus to throw his DS under but even that fails.

 

[Unchained]

This is just an excuse for being such a fool to get into games with Carapaz.. He allowed Yates to gain too much time on Finestre - even if there had been no Wout he was not getting back to Yates.

There is no F-way Carapaz wasn't reminding Del Toro several times that Yates and Van Aert were up the road.
He probably wasn't being polite about it, either.

Del Toro is being pretty selective about his experience and race knowledge. When Wout went away, sophomore pro Del Toro didn't pay attention because he didn't calculate anything but GC and didn't see an alternative use for Van Aerts horsepower. Del Toro didn't see how Wout and Yates could be something to worry about. UAE had to have recon telling team car that Wout was backing off and waiting to help Yates. And what were team and Del Toro thinking about when race was going up the road? He didn't have another option, pull Carapaz and chase up to Yates...or what happened.. Yates won.
I will give Del Toro the benefit of the doubt, but Yates was not an unknown, Isaac should have countered regardless of what benefit that gave Carapaz, he didn't need instructions from the team car as to who Yates is, were he is on GC, he is trading blows with you in the elite selection. This was a basic blown decision not to immediately get the wheel..

 

[fenns]

The Giro loss obviously stings - and it should.

 

[Hugh Januss]

He threw it away in the most disgraceful manner possible, not even taking up the chase in earnest after Carapaz had proved unable to drop him.

Although Carapaz was not able to drop him we can't really know what if anything Del Toro had left in his legs after responding to all those accelerations. Maybe he was on his knees to the point where Carapaz's next attack would leave him for dead? When that attack didn't come after a period of time (because Carapaz had killed himself as well) it was too late Yates had flown the coop.

 

[AlfaLum]

For me it is a very good interview and he is not trying to put the blame elsewhere but is putting the blame for bad tactics with several people including himself.

If he wasnt updated/reminded on Van Aert being in front that is obviously a mistake from the DS. But he also takes the blame himself: “I made a tactical error, I forgot the details, like Van Aert.”

For me this interview shows that Del Toro is growing into the leader he needs to be if he wants to win these races in the future. Demanding optimal performances from himself but also from the team around him.