Race news
Mexico edges closer to major cycling comeback as reported January 2027 UCI bid emerges
Mexico has reportedly taken a significant step towards bringing back a major international stage race, with organisers requesting a January 2027 slot on the UCI calendar as enthusiasm around Isaac del Toro continues to grow.
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A professional stage race in Mexico could return as early as next January, with a new event reportedly submitted for inclusion on the 2027 UCI calendar.
According to Spanish cycling outlet Zikloland, a race provisionally called the Mex Tour has requested dates from January 19 to 23, 2027, with organisers targeting UCI 2.1 status.
The application does not yet mean the race has been approved. The UCI still has to finalise its 2027 calendar, while prospective organisers must also meet the governing body's administrative and financial requirements before the event can be officially confirmed.
The reported application is the clearest indication yet that efforts to revive a major stage race in Mexico are gaining momentum.
Timing appears favourable, with Isaac del Toro now Mexico's biggest road cycling star in decades and bringing fresh attention to the sport at home and abroad.
His rise has inevitably made him central to discussions around a Mexican comeback, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Joxean Fernández Matxín also weighing in on the prospect.
Speaking to ESPN Mexico, Matxín said UAE would first decide whether the event fitted its programme before selecting riders. “The race should not depend on whether Isaac del Toro is there or not,” he said.
Attracting major European teams could still prove difficult. Racing in Mexico or Colombia can require extra time for travel, altitude adaptation and the return to Europe, making a short stage race a much bigger commitment within an early season programme.
That is where the wider January calendar could help.
Zikloland reports that a Colombian stage race has requested UCI 2.1 status for January 26 to 31, referring to the event as the Vuelta a Colombia. However, the dates and classification closely match plans for the return of Tour Colombia, which was last held in 2024.
Colombian Cycling Federation president Rubén Darío Galeano said in August that organisers were working towards bringing Tour Colombia back in the final week of January 2027. The separate Vuelta a Colombia, meanwhile, remains on the calendar and was held as a UCI 2.2 race in August 2026.
Should the Mexican and Colombian applications be approved, European teams could potentially combine both races during a single trip to Latin America.
