After crossing the finish line of the seventh stage of the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai, Cesar Macias Estrada was completely in disbelief. After an extremely tight sprint, he and Tommaso Nencini had crossed the line virtually simultaneously, and it took the judges quite some time to determine who the winner was. The Mexican from Team Burgos achieved his first professional victory in a completely unexpected manner.

"After the finish line I didn't know if I had won, in fact I was even convinced I had come second because Nencini and I arrived really very close. They told me from the team car, but I couldn't believe it, I absolutely wanted to see the video because it seemed impossible to me. It's surreal, over these years I've worked so hard to become a professional cyclist, there are so many sacrifices, winning is even more difficult and yet it happened in a completely unexpected way. This morning we even thought it could be a breakaway stage and instead with the team we managed to organize ourselves perfectly to bring the group back together," Cesar tells us, sporting a gigantic smile. After yesterday's stage cancellation, he was particularly downhearted—it was his last opportunity in China to sprint—but as he tells us repeatedly, nothing is guaranteed. In fact, today due to bad weather, the only climb of the day was eliminated, and so the sprinters were offered a new opportunity.

Cesar Estrada's story is very special, it starts in Mexico, passes through Italy, and arrives in Spain with the Burgos team which made him a professional athlete. However, it was in our country that he grew as a cyclist thanks to the example of Marco Bellini and his team, to whom the Mexican is particularly grateful. "I have beautiful memories linked to Italy, over the past two years I've raced a lot and there are unique races, they have a special place in my heart. I owe everything to Bellini and his staff, they taught me what it means to be an athlete and thanks to them I won my first race at the Giro del Friuli. Those are special memories, then on my path I found Team Burgos which allowed me to become a professional, they saw something in me and I will be forever grateful to them. I'm in an incredible environment, lots of staff, lots of people ready to help me and follow me as a true athlete," continues Estrada, who is currently coached by David Plaza, a former Spanish professional athlete who has become a true role model for him and from whom he learns as much as possible.

The Team Burgos staff describes Cesar to us as a golden boy, one of those who are hard to find. An athlete who is always cheerful, asks many questions but listens a lot. Thanks to his racing experience in Belgium, he learned what it means to race in the rain and in extreme situations, and we can say that these days it's proving quite useful to him. The Mexican describes himself as an atypical sprinter, fast but not with the build to compete with those sprinters who jostle in the big races. On his side, he has the ability to handle the bike well, but above all the desire to go far. Cesar, together with Isaac del Toro, is the only Mexican professional cyclist and represents the peak of a movement that is growing faster and faster. "It's a good time to be a Mexican cyclist, in my country there has always been a good cycling tradition, but it's only in recent years that it's truly awakening. It's certainly thanks to teams like Monex and Petrolike that put many young people on bikes and teach them to be riders. Del Toro and I are the only Mexican professional cyclists and this is very special for me, I'm receiving a lot of support from my country, more and more people are believing in the possibility of growing with this sport. Sponsors, the government, and people are pushing us in an incredible way," Cesar tells us before stepping onto the podium for the awards ceremony. On his face is a gigantic smile and the emotion of a first-time winner.