In a remarkable twist, the latest sporting sensation in Mexico has erupted on Italian soil. As the Giro d'Italia 2025 commenced in early May, a race renowned globally for its prestige in road cycling, the name Isaac del Toro, a 21-year-old cyclist from Baja California, was absent from major sports headlines. This was, however, an open secret among cycling enthusiasts—a niche community whose sport has often been overshadowed by more popular ones in the country. Fast forward three weeks, and with only a couple of days remaining in the competition, searches for del Toro have surged on Google, while clips of him donning the maglia rosa, the iconic jersey awarded to each stage leader in the Giro d'Italia, circulate widely across the internet.

The anticipation is palpable: this coming Sunday, the young revelation from Ensenada could make history by becoming the first Mexican to win one of cycling's grand tours, a feat that would elevate him to the global cycling podium.

The Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's premier competitions, is the first of the year's three grand tours, alongside the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Comprised of 21 stages held over three weeks each May, predominantly in Italy, it stands as the world's second most prestigious stage race, trailing only the Tour de France. This year's Giro features 23 teams and 184 cyclists, all vying for the coveted maglia rosa, which identifies the leader of each stage and the overall winner.

On the afternoon of May 30, del Toro successfully maintained his lead in stage 19, the penultimate stage before the race's conclusion in Rome. With two stages left, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the Mexican cyclist stands first in the general classification with a time of 73:47:59. He is followed by Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz and Briton Simon Yates, whom he leads by 43 seconds and 01:21 minutes, respectively. Should he triumph in the Giro d'Italia, del Toro would not only become the first Mexican to don the maglia rosa but also the only one to conquer one of the grand tours.

As the Giro d'Italia draws to a close, the final stages present a formidable challenge in the high mountains: Stage 20, spanning 205 kilometers from Verrès to Sestrière (Vialattea), kicks off on Saturday, May 30, at 2:45 AM Mexican time. The decisive 143-kilometer finale in Rome, slated for Sunday, begins at 7:05 AM.

In Mexico, remaining stages of the Giro d'Italia can be viewed live via Claro Sports on YouTube. Following the buzz generated by del Toro's performance, TV Azteca has also announced plans to broadcast the final stages on the Azteca Deportes Network, their pay-TV channel, and freely available via YouTube and the Azteca Deportes app.