Giroโ Heartbreak Fuels โขDel Toro‘s Rise to Cyclingโข Dominance
ROME – A stunning โคsecond-half โsurge in 2025, culminating in 16 victories after a heartbreaking defeat at the Giro d’Italia, has cemented youngโฃ Mexican cyclist Delโฃ Toro as aโ force to be reckoned with in professional cycling. The 22-year-old, who will turn 22 next month, credits โtheโค lessons learned from hisโค near-miss inโ Italy as pivotal to his current success.
Despite a remarkable performance at the giroโ – including a stage win, two weeks inโค the pink โขjersey, and a second-place overall finish while also securing the white jersey -โ Del โToro openly acknowledges the disappointment of โlosing. He revealed heโ entered the Italian grand tour with only two weeks of peak preparation due โto “personal problems.” โฃ
“If I told you โatโค the start of the Giro that I would have won โคa stage, two weeks in pink, and finished second, inโข the white jersey, I would not have โbelieved it,โ and I am very proud of that,” โฃDel Toro said. “But it happened like itโค did, we worked on it as a team, and there were other circumstances beforehand, โคI didn’t โhave the best preparation comingโข intoโ the Giro.”
Theโ manner of his defeat – being outmaneuveredโ tactically โขrather than outridden – initially stung. “Theโ Giro is something thatโ Iโ am absolutely proud of, but I lost,” he stated. “I am proud that I am alreadyโข in the positionโ toโ win, but it isโค indeed something that makes me strongerโฃ for the future.I would have preferred to have lost by suffering, but it โขwasn’t like that. That hurts me.”
Tho, Delโข Toro reframed โขthe experience, viewing the Giro as a turning point.โฃ His subsequent return to competition in July proved transformative, with his 16 โคwins โplacing โขhimโ third in the season’s victory โฃcount โbehind Tadej Pogaฤar and Paul Magnier.
The Giro experience โalso fostered a newfound assertiveness within the team. “I โam stronger after the Giro, not just in โคnumbers, but Iโ am better prepared.It’sโข part of โthe progress that I’ve been making,” Del Toroโ explained. “It was a surprise by me โคand theโฃ team โat theโ Giro. I also now have more freedomโฃ to โspeak to the directors and โto race the way I โprefer. Now we have a balance where everything is working better than expected.”
Delโ Toro’s electrifying racing style is captivating fans in โคmexico and โbeyond, andโข he โshows no signs โฃof slowing โคdown,โ having โinternalized the crucial lesson thatโ success in professional cyclingโ demands bothโ strength and ruthless tactical awareness. “Theโ Giro collapse finally taught Del Toro that in the unforgiving world of pro cycling, he has to race ruthlessly and know when to follow hisโ own instinct.”
