Yes, you read that right: Isaac Del Toro has secured his first victory and championship jersey of 2026

The 21-year-old Mexican had already had a busy few months. After a solid rest period following the Giro d'Italia, he returned to the peloton in July and raced and won until late October. That started with three stage wins and the overall classification in the Tour of Austria and ended on October 15 with a fourteenth (!) victory in three months in the Giro del Veneto.

Del Toro continued to a few (undoubtedly well-paid) criteriums, first in La Nucia and then in Andorra. Then it was time to travel home to Mexico. Del Toro took his Colnago from UAE with him, because he still had two appointments on his agenda: the national time trial championship and the national road championship in his own country.

Part one of the Mexican mission was already a success. Del Toro was 1.13 minutes faster than Edgar Cadena over 16.5 kilometers. Eder Frayre came in third, 1.24 minutes behind. And with that, Del Toro's first victory in 2026 was a fact. Wait, what? Yes, you read that right. The 2025 UCI calendar ran until October 19, so all results achieved after that date count for the new season.

Del Toro, who finished last year's racing season with sixteen victories, could already have two wins under his belt on Saturday with a Mexican road title, in a year that hasn't even started yet. The man himself wasn't bothered about that at all on Thursday after his time trial title. He mainly enjoyed the 16.5 kilometers on his home turf.

“It was a beautiful day on my home roads,” he said afterwards. “I enjoyed it and am proud to have won the title here. Everything fell into place for me; despite the wind, I enjoyed every pedal stroke. I couldn't have asked for more, and I have to thank everyone who made it possible for me to be here. I'm already looking forward to Saturday.”