If you want to understand exactly how much leverage a single generational talent has in modern cycling, look no further than the Mexican national racing calendar.
Since UAE Team Emirates prodigy Isaac Del Toro exploded onto the WorldTour, cycling in Mexico has been frantically trying to capitalize on the hype. Now, after an eight-year hiatus and a complete structural collapse of their governing body, the Vuelta a Mexico is reportedly returning in 2027. And the organizers are making absolutely no secret about why they are doing it.
The newly minted Union Ciclista de Mexico is aiming for an early-season slot, likely as early as January, and aggressively targeting the highest possible UCI rating.
The previous Mexican cycling federation was suspended by the UCI in 2021 for gross misconduct, leaving the country’s domestic scene in shambles. The new governing body, which only took over late last year, looked at Del Toro’s skyrocketing fame and realized it was their golden ticket to securing international broadcast rights and sponsorship dollars.
Whether Mauro Gianetti and the UAE brain trust will actually be willing to disrupt Del Toro’s highly calculated European training blocks to send him across the Atlantic for a January stage race remains to be seen. But if the Vuelta a Mexico does manage to lure him home, you can guarantee the local crowds will be absolutely deafening.