There was some rain on Isaac del Toro’s parade on Wednesday as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider won Milano-Torino in striking fashion, but was subsequently handed a fine for finishing with an unzipped jersey.
Del Toro crossed the line with his jersey fully open after his zip had broken part-way through the race, and as well as causing some minor annoyance for his sponsors whose logos aren’t in the finish photos, the Mexican rider picked up a punishment from the race jury.
The 21-year-old was penalised under article 2.12.007-8.6 of the UCI rules for "damage to the image of sport" and handed a 200 CHF (€208) fine and will not receive any UCI points for the victory.
Riders usually zip their jerseys up in preparation for the finish, but an unfixable wardrobe malfunction prevented the Milano-Torino winner from doing so.
The zip of Del Toro’s all-in-one bodysuit broke in the second half of the race, and the team reportedly did try to fix it, but could not stop the tight jersey from opening again.
As it was a one-piece garment, simply changing jerseys was not an option, and once Del Toro was in the lead group battling towards the finish, more attempts to fix the zip were not feasible.
Despite his jersey gaping open, the talented young rider was still able to power ahead of Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the Superga climb and seize his first win of the year, bowing – semi-shirtless – as he did so.
Riders – or specifically race winners – are generally not meant to cross the line with their chest or stomach exposed, even on very hot days at the Tour de France or Vuelta a España.
Though they won’t pick up any UCI points for this win, that’s perhaps not a large concern for UAE Team Emirates who have taken no fewer than 19 victories so far in 2025.
Del Toro will be back in action again at Milan-San Remo on Saturday as part of Tadej Pogačar's support squad.
