New races in Mexico to shake up 2027 early season, but Del Toro still to confirm

The men's racing calendar will be shaken up in 2027 with the return of the Tour of Mexico and the creation of a new stage race in Spain in January before the start of the Tour Down Under. The new calendar will compel some teams to shift training camp dates and change their early-season plans.

The Tour Down Under remains the opening WorldTour race of the year, with the men's race scheduled for January 19-24 and the women's race held between January 22-24. However, professional racing in 2027 will begin a few days earlier, with the Vuelta Ciclista a Canarias in Spain on the new UCI 2027 race calendar from January 14-17.

Meanwhile, new races in Mexico include the one-day Clásica de la República race on January 17 in Mexico City, followed by the MEX Tour stage race from January 19-23. 

The success of Raúl Alcalá in the eighties and early nineties boosted the Vuelta a Mexico, and the success of Isaac del Toro and the creation of the new Mexican Federation structure appear to be the driving force behind the new races.

Del Toro welcomed the races in an interview with Mexican journalist David Faitelson in Montreal. He would be the star attraction of the race but did not confirm at this point if he will take part. 

Any decision on Del Toro's 2027 goals and race programme will be taken with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, perhaps during the final races of the European season or when the team gathers in the UAE in late October.  

The Vuelta Ciclista a Canarias is a four-day stage race and will be held on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, with the organisers confirming that WorldTour and ProTeams will take part. It has a 2.1 UCI classification, meaning that WorldTeams can make-up half of the field, alongside ProTeams, Continental and national teams.

The creation of the Vuelta Ciclista a Canarias and support from the Gran Canaria tourism authorities could entice some teams to move their January training camps from mainland Spain to take advantage of the better weather and early racing.

The races in Mexico could have a similar effect, with teams opting to train at altitude in Mexico in January before they begin chasing early success and vital UCI ranking points.

Little is known about the races but they have been announced by Bernardo de la Garza, the President of the Mexican Cycling Federation, and they were added to the UCI 2027 race calendar on Thursday. The races will have 1.1 and 2.1 UCI classification, allowing WorldTour and ProTeams to ride.

The new events take place short after the Mexican Championships from January 8-10, with the federation billing the races as forming part of what is has termed an Enero Loco, a "crazy January."