A mix of gratitude, guilt, and a thirst for revenge: Del Toro’s fresh World Championship analysis

Del Toro was one of the pace-setters for much of the World Championships. After Mathieu van der Poel broke away with a strong group and the race exploded with just over 80 kilometers to go, we saw the Mexican constantly at the front. He attacked several times, trying to thin out the group of favourites and, ideally, perhaps even break away on his own and cross the finish line.

Paul Seixas from the French team, however, was constantly on his wheel, and Del Toro couldn’t easily pull away from the others either. And so, as they approached the final 30 kilometers, a game of poker began, in which it was not Del Toro but McNulty who made the decisive move. The American attacked on a flat stretch of road, and although Del Toro’s initial reaction seemed to be to respond, he didn’t.

In an analysis of the 22.2 crucial kilometers that followed, we had already highlighted Del Toro’s role in this phase. He played the part of the perfect UAE teammate, though he seemed a bit out of place in his Mexican jersey. He consulted with his teammates, put on a bit of a show here and there, and rode at the front for quite a while, but did so so slowly that McNulty eventually gained a lead of more than a minute.

Del Toro dropped back a bit in the pack, even broke away from the group briefly, but returned alongside Van der Poel and thus proved to be a hindrance to the others until the final lap—those who didn’t want to follow Del Toro and the Americans Matteo Jorgenson and Quinn Simmons to McNulty. What remained was a surprising world title for McNulty and a sprint for the podium spots among the rest.

In the post-race comments, many pointed to Del Toro, including Tom Pidcock. “Del Toro was clearly riding in support of McNulty at the end. The Americans were an incredibly strong team, so, well, they didn’t let anyone get away,” said the Brit. Del Toro had already responded indirectly to that statement by saying, “I think it was clear that we came here to win. I don’t hold back until the finish.”

A few days after the World Championships, and after taking some time to let it all sink in, Del Toro shared another reflection on his Instagram page. He almost seems a little guilty. “Thanks to all the fans, from the bottom of my heart. I did everything I could and gave it my all for cycling. Just like in life, things don’t always go the way we want them to, and maybe that’s why we love this sport so much.”

"It's not about how they knock you down, but how you get back up," said Del Toro, who is now out for revenge. We'll see him again this fall in Italy, including at the Tour of Lombardy. “I have no regrets; I’m happy with all my teammates and their incredible support. I tried to give something back to them, after everything they’ve given me from kilometer 1 onward. It was a privilege.”

"We came here to fight for the win, but there were four riders who were faster. I'm happy to share the road with them, too."