Baja California native Isaac del Toro thrilled his countrymen with a performance for the ages, finishing second in the Giro d’Italia on Sunday and earning praise from President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Following the final stage of the 23-day race across Italy, thousands of Mexicans paid homage to Del Toro by riding their bikes to Mexico City’s Angel of Independence monument, many wearing pink jerseys, waving the Mexican flag and displaying images of the 21-year-old cyclist as a saint. 

At the Angel of Independence, the crowd cheered and chanted, thanking Del Toro for “putting Mexico in the global spotlight.” Others called him “St. Isaac del Toro, patron saint of cyclists.”

On Sunday afternoon, President Sheinbaum saluted Del Toro’s achievement in a social media post:

“Congratulations to Isaac del Toro for his historic second place in the Giro d’Italia. At 21, he’s a source of pride for Mexico. He has many years ahead of him to continue triumphing. Keep it up!”

The president offered additional praise during her Monday morning press conference, saying that she hoped Del Toro’s feat would inspire Mexican youth. Sheinbaum called the cyclist a great role model.

Del Toro sped into the spotlight during Stage 9 of the race on May 18, which took the cyclists from Gubbio to Siena. Finishing with an overall time of 33 hours and 36 minutes, Del Toro started Stage 10 wearing a pink jersey — at the Giro d’Italia, the cyclist in first place after each stage wears the maglia rosa the following day.

Del Toro continued to wear the pink for 11 straight days before succumbing to a charge by eventual champion Simon Yates of the United Kingdom.

Though he finished in second place, Del Toro’s run made cycling history. No Mexican cyclist had ever worn the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia, nor had any Mexican cyclist ever finished on the podium at any of the three prestigious Grand Tour cycling events (the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España).

Legendary Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa and Mexican boxer “Canelo” Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, also praised Del Toro. Ochoa said she cried with joy, while “Canelo” said he swelled with pride, according to the newspaper El Universal.

The Baja California native praised his teammates and promised to come back stronger. He later reflected on his performance on his Instagram page:

“What a race! … It was a big dream to be here now and to be able to realize my dreams with the help of my idols. … By far, it was my best race … I couldn’t be more proud. I made mistakes that I solved with a very strong mentality, and that’s something to be proud of. … I’m never going to give up, and it was very nice to fight until the end. … I couldn’t be happier,” Del Toro said.

With reports from Esto, El Universal and Pro Cycling