Mexico City., Tricolor Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) finished his first competition in the elite of cycling by finishing in 36th place in the Vuelta a España. Although, in the general classification he seems far behind Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora), who won his fourth title in this circuit, the participation of the Baja Californian has awakened enthusiasm for this sport in more than two decades.
The Vuelta a España crown went to Roglic, who, after having also won the 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions, equalled the record of titles in this competition held by the Spaniard Roberto Heras (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005).
Amidst the glamour of international cycling, Del Toro also stood out. The Mexican finished stage 21, the time trial, in 15th place to finish 36th on the general list; it is a decent and promising result considering that it is the Baja Californian’s debut in the most prestigious cycling.
Del Toro’s emerald also allowed him to finish as the fourth best Latin American in the competition behind Colombians Nairo Quintana (31) and Einer Rubio (27), as well as Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost), who remained in fourth place in the general classification.
In addition, the Mexican placed sixth in the classification of young cyclists in the Vuelta a España, where the best was the Dane Mattias Skjelmose.
“Thanks to UAE Team Emirates for all the moments, in the good times and the best, it was incredible to be with you on this journey, I have a lot to learn from you. Luck or not, I like to be positive and think that I am fulfilling my dreams, we always want more but this time it couldn’t be,” Del Toro posted on social media.
Roglic, overall champion
In the overall standings, Roglic was 2 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of second-placed Australian Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale Team), who had worn the red leader’s jersey for thirteen days. Spaniard Enric Mas (Movistar Team) kept his third place on the podium.
On Sunday, 30-year-old Stefan Küng claimed his first stage win in one of the major stage races. He beat Roglic by 31 seconds in the closing Madrid time trial.
“I feel really good, in some ways it wasn’t that easy but you want to finish it once and for all and it all ended well. Küng is very strong in this race, I tried to stay motivated, I did everything I could even though at the end of this stage it was very difficult, everything was very strong today but I’m enjoying this moment,” said Roglic as he celebrated the title.
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– 2024-09-18 00:55:41
