The World Cycling World Cycling of the International Cycling Union (ICU) entered action this Sunday and Mexico received pleasant news from Rwanda, organizing country, thanks to a historical achievement by Isaac del Toro.
The native of Ensenada ended in fifth of the male elite test counterreloj, being the best result for Mexico in this category in the history of the road cycling World Cups, organized for 104 years.
Remco Evenepoel, from Belgium, was the winner with a time of 49:46 after 40.3 kilometers of competition. The podium was completed by Jay Vine, from Australia (1:14 after Evenepoel), and Ilan van Wilder, also from Belgium (2:36).
Then the Tetrampion of the Tour de France, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, and Isaac del Toro appeared. The Mexican stayed at 2:40 from Evenepoel and four seconds of having entered the podium.
Isaac’s exact stopwatch was 52.26.89 minutes, in addition to a speed of 46,446 kilometers per hour, which placed it as “the best exponent of the American continent of 54 competitors who culminated the test,” said the National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE) in a statement.
Isaac del Toro arrived at the World Cup in Rwanda as one of the great sensations of cycling this season. Between March and September he obtained 13 victories, in addition to the runner -up of the general classification of the Italian turn.
It is registered to represent Mexico in two tests. The counterreloj elite was the first, but in which it awakens greater expectations it is on the Elite Route, which will be played on Sunday, September 28 and in which it is a specialist.
In the case of the male elite test counterreloj, the best result of Mexico had been the 24th position of Jesús Zárate in the 1995 World Cup, held in Duitama, Colombia.
No Mexican had settled at least in the Top 10, but Isaac del Toro conquered that feat by being in front of cyclists such as Andreas Leknessund (Norway), Luke Plep (Australia) and Bruno Armirail (France) this Sunday.
The next challenge will be on September 28 in the Elite Varoneil Route test. Mexico has not had a pedalist who ends at least in the Top 10 of that category, the best registration being the twelve place of Raúl Alcalá in 1989 (Chambéry, France).
Evenepoel is tricampeón
The victory of Remco Evenepoel transcended beyond Rwanda, since this was his third consecutive year winning the male elite test counterreloj of the World Cycling World Cycling of the UCI. He had succeeded in 2023 in Scotland and in 2024 in Switzerland.
The counterreloj test debuted in these World Championships in 1994. Since then, only the Australian Michael Rogers (2003, 2004 and 2005) and the German Tony Martin (2011, 2012 and 2013) had achieved three gold medals consecutively.
“It is a great honor for me to be at the level of Tony and Michael. Next year I suppose I will have to try again because I want to be the first to get four consecutive titles,” said Evenepoel from the Kigali track.
“I felt quite well in the first flat part. I felt that I was keeping the rhythm without exceeding the limit. The first climb was quite hard, just like the last two, so I struggled to the fullest. After that first climb, I saw that I had a great advantage, so I wanted to keep the pace,” he added.
Two cyclists hold four victories in the history of the counterreloj test: Tony Martin and the Swiss Fabian Cancellara, although none achieved them consecutively. Evenepoel will try to be the first in Canada 2026.
