Del Toro takes UAE Team Emirates-XRG up to 70 wins for 2025 campaign

With second place on the fifth and final stage in the Vuelta a Burgos cycling event, Isaac del Toro claimed overall victory to seal his second stage race victory of the season.

The result is a reward for a consistent week of racing by the Mexican cyclist, who overcame a flat tyre on stage 5 to produce a valiant ride to second over the line on Lagunas de Neila.

With the win, Del Toro takes UAE Team Emirates-XRG up to 70 wins for the 2025 campaign, and moves his own tally for the year up to nine.

Once he had crossed the line on the race’s final summit finish, the 21-year-old turned around and watched the clock tick by as his overall win was confirmed. The young talent also topped the table in the young rider classification after five days of racing in the Burgos region. 

As the favourites’ group reached the top of the penultimate categorised climb, the Alto de Rozavientos, Del Toro was soon dealt a cruel blow. The Mexican’s tyre fell flat and he was cast away from the sides of his rivals. Help quickly came from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team car, but the 21-year-old had to produce a blockbuster descent to regain ground and return to the peloton.

Del Toro twisted his way in and out of every corner at speed, making his way back to the bunch as the final climb reared its head. Standing at 9.1% for 6.4km, the Lagunes de Neila would ultimately decide the winner of this year’s Vuelta a Burgos.

Léo Bisiaux of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale had ridden into the final stage as the leader, but the French cyclist was put into difficulty by the defining attacks of Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek and Del Toro with 3km to ride. Using the steepest part of the climb to their advantage, the pair danced their way up the road and would not be caught again before the line.

Renewing hostilities from the Clásica San Sebastián, Del Toro and Ciccone looked set to contest the day’s honours in a two-up sprint, but Del Toro felt his efforts from having to chase back on from his flat tyre, and was distanced inside the final kilometre. Ciccone was crowned the stage winner, though Del Toro knew his race was against the clock, as he sought to put sufficient time into the race leader Bisiaux.

The gap that separated the pair at the start of the day came and went, and with it, the French cyclist's hopes of victory. As Bisiaux slipped down to third overall, victory was Del Toro's, and with it, the Emirati squad’s 70th win of the season.

Speaking after the finish, the Mexican cyclist was full of praise for his teammates: “The last stage was tricky, I punctured on the last descent and had a hard chase back on and thought the race might have been getting away from me, but we maintained the calm and managed to get back in the race"

“I feel like I’ve taken a step forward this year, physically and mentally and I’m really enjoying my cycling. We had a great atmosphere in the team all week, and I’m very grateful for the team and the trust they show in me,” he added.