Isaac Del Toro refutes popular assumption: "If you see how much I work to be successful..."

2025 may have been the year of Tadej Pogacar, yet teammate Isaac Del Toro also showed amazing things on behalf of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The young Mexican, especially in the fall, racked up wins and impressed at the highest level. But a super talent? He doesn't think so himself. The UAE star explains why.

Including the two national titles, Del Toro won no less than 18 times this year. Perhaps more importantly, the Mexican came very close to the overall victory in the Giro d'Italia. By now you know the story: Richard Carapaz was happy to sacrifice his second place, Del Toro gambled wrongly and in the end Simon Yates was the winner.

"It taught me so much and made me realise the type of rider and person that I want to be in the future," Del Toro reflected in conversation with Cyclingnews. "I also appreciate all the opportunities that I've had in my life so far, I know they can disappear quickly, so I have to appreciate them."

After the Giro, Carapaz expressed his anger. The UAE star didn't care much about that, and still doesn't. "I don't know if he's still angry, we haven't really talked since but it's nothing personal on my part," Del Toro said in reference to Carapaz.

Despite being two South Americans, they did not seem to be friends. Still not, we can tell from Del Toro's words. "I have a lot of friends in the peloton and don't have a problem with anyone but I don't have a relationship with him." It really was nothing personal, in the end.

Del Toro missed out on the overall win, but the fact that he came so close it in a Grand Tour at the age of 21 is impressive in itself. The label "super talent" has been applied to him before, but the Mexican himself disagrees. "If you see how much I work to be successful, you wouldn't call it talent," he said.

Del Toro explains. "Perhaps some riders have something that makes them better than others but maybe it's just mental and maybe we just work hard to be the best version of ourselves." And so his conclusion rings true: "I don't believe I'm a super talent."

Those who say they are not very talented often have to work hard to get to the top. "I want to believe that I work enough to be able to be up there," the UAE star said of this. "I feel privileged to be in this position. I know it's not normal and so I'm thankful to the team and all the people around me for their help."

He only recently turned 22, but at least from Del Toro are already coming wise words. The Mexican says he has learned from his mistakes, but that is not the only development that is important. "I've developed as a rider, we can see that in my numbers, but I've also developed as a person."