Pidcock accuses Del Toro of helping UAE teammate McNulty to the rainbow jersey: 'Obviously working for McNulty in the end'
ClassicsMonday, 28 September 2026 at 11:50
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Follow us on GoogleBrandon McNulty's world title was barely a few hours old when the first accusation came in. Tom Pidcock, seventh in Montréal, suggested that Isaac del Toro did not ride purely for Mexico in the finale. In his view, Del Toro was also looking after the man who shares his UAE Team Emirates-XRG jersey the rest of the year. But the race footage and Del Toro's own reaction at the finish point in another direction.
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McNulty rode away from the favourites' group with a little over thirty kilometres to go and held on to win the rainbow jersey solo. Behind him, the chase never really got organised. Pidcock tried several times to close the gap, but McNulty's American teammates Matteo Jorgenson and Quinn Simmons kept shutting him down.
In his interview with Eurosport, Pidcock said: 'My legs were feeling really, really good'. He also hinted at Del Toro's split loyalties after the race, saying "and obviously Isaac [Del Toro] in the same team" in reference to McNulty's support riders on the day. Speaking to Cyclingnews a little later, he said it outright.
Pidcock: 'Del Toro was obviously working for McNulty'
But yeah, Del Toro was obviously working for [UAE Team Emirates-XRG trade teammate] McNulty in the end there. Likewise, obviously Matteo [Jorgenson] - the Americans are a super strong team, so yeah, they were not letting anyone go.- Tom Pidcock to Cyclingnews
Pidcock also believes the chase came very close to working. He and Giulio Ciccone got within twelve seconds of McNulty on the final ascent of the Camillien-Houde, but the group then came back to them. "I think if me and Cicco, if we had a little bit more of a gap and we managed to stay away, I think we would have caught McNulty. But yeah, it's how the race goes."
Pidcock was not the only one voicing his concern. According to Escape Collective, the idea also came up during the race broadcast and among plenty of fans online. It is a familiar debate every autumn, when riders swap their trade team jerseys for national colours for one day.
Did Isaac del Toro work for McNulty at the World Championships?
Escape Collective went back through the images of the finale. It found that Del Toro was actually at the front of the lead group when McNulty launched his decisive attack about 32 kilometres from the finish, although the Mexican was clearly looking around to see if anyone else would take over.
The footage shows that Del Toro did more work at the front than any of the other big favourites. He kept pulling the chasers in the finale, was dropped more than once in the last two laps and, unlike Jorgenson, never jumped onto Pidcock's wheel.
The conclusion was clear: "If Del Toro was really 'working for McNulty,' he did not do an especially good job of it."
The slightly less controversial truth is that the chase group just couldn't (or wouldn't) work together. As Ride Media points out, Del Toro and Paul Seixas could not agree on the chase. The Mexican had worked very hard throughout the race, as had Pidcock, but they couldn't convince the likes of Ciccone or Matthews to join them.
Every time Pidcock attacked, he was shut down in Montréal
Del Toro in tears, one second off the podium
Del Toro's reaction at the finish does not look like that of a rider who got what he wanted. According to Publimetro México, he broke down in tears just minutes after crossing the line in fifth place, 14 seconds behind McNulty and just one second behind third-placed Mathieu van der Poel.
Videos showed him sitting with his head resting on his arms. It is the best result ever by a Mexican in the elite men's road race, ClaroSports reports, and an improvement on his seventh place in Kigali in 2025.
Asked about the images later, Del Toro admitted to TUDN that he "didn't have the best legs", but said he had raced only for the win.
I did everything possible to win and we lost, so I'm satisfied because I was in the fight only for the victory. I never thought about second or third, so it's something that keeps the fire burning for the next races.- Isaac del Toro to TUDN (translated from Spanish)
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Chapeau McNulty. Perfect negative split, perfect team disruption. Worlds in national colours always expose who commits. Aujourd’hui, USA did; others didn’t.patriciaw28-09-2026
- - Quick one: when they say “final ascent of Camillien-Houde,” how long is that climb exactly and what’s the avg gradient? Trying to picture how 12 seconds can vanish so fast.jeremya28-09-2026
- - Pidcock saying his legs were “really, really good” but never closing the move doesn’t add up. If you’re that good, bridge or don’t complain after. Harsh maybe, but fair.andrewf28-09-2026
- - Massive respect to Del Toro. Fifth, 14s back, best Mexican result ever and only 1s off the podium? And in tears at the line—eso es pasión. Grande Isaac, sigue así.gearguru3328-09-2026
- - McNulty deserved the rainbow, but the coverage leaned into the “UAE conspiracy” a bit too much. Watch the tape—Del Toro was getting yo-yo’d and still chasing. If that’s team help, it was a terrible job of it.velodromevirtuoso128-09-2026
- - Sorry, maybe a basic question: why do riders help their trade teammates in a national team race? Aren’t they supposed to ride only for their country? Is there a rule about this or just “unwritten” stuff?sprocketspiny28-09-2026
- - Not sure I buy Pidcock’s take tbh. If he and Cicco were within 12 seconds, why didn’t the rest commit? Matthews sat in, Ciccone hesitated, Seixas and Del Toro weren’t aligned… that’s not on Isaac. That’s classic Worlds stalemate.breakawaybikerd28-09-2026
- - Brilliant race. McNulty timed that move to perfection on Camillien-Houde and the US rode it textbook with Jorgenson/Simmons marking. Del Toro pulled like a train; accusing him of sandbagging feels way off if you actually watched the last two laps.pedalpowe2928-09-2026
- - Not sure about the line that Pogacar “gave” him Montréal last year. That finish looked like a planned 1–2, yes, but McNulty closed it with his own legs. Articles keep pushing that angle a bit too hard, IMO.samanthak28-09-2026
- - "Maybe Tadej will have to ride for me a few days" had me grinning. Cheeky, but fair. If Emilia and the Italian one-days suit him, why not let the rainbow fly up San Luca? Forza Brandon!bikebuffj28-09-2026
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