A little boy, at most five years old, is sitting on his father’s shoulders next to the media zone in Barcelona. Ten minutes have passed since Isaac del Toro stood on stage in the Tour de France team presentation, dressed in the Mexican champion’s jersey, beneath the spires of the Sagrada Família. The moment is historic: Del Toro is the first man from his country this century to compete at the race. For the little boy, that makes him a hero.
“Torito!” he cries. The sound is piercing. No sooner have the ears of the people nearby recovered that another cry comes, and another, and another. “Torito!” the boy’s voice tires and quivers, as he waves a UAE Team Emirates-XRG cap. “Una firma!” – a signature.
