Isaac del Toro is missing two crucial factors, but that could earn him a Pogacar-like role at the World Championships

Over the years, we’ve dedicated several articles to the rise of Isaac del Toro. The 22-year-old Mexican rides for UAE Emirates-XRG is in the shadow of superstar Pogačar, but by 2026, he can no longer be called a “Plan B.” After winning 18 races in 2025 and making his breakthrough with a second-place finish at the Giro d’Italia, this season can rightly be called outstanding.

Del Toro has already won 12 times, but it was the quality of his victories that made the biggest impression. He won three WorldTour stage races—the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes—and if he hadn’t crashed, he might well have added the Tour of the Basque Country to his list. In his Tour de France debut, he won a stage, took the young rider classification, and finished third on the final podium in Paris.

After the Tour, he took a short break before adding the Lidl Deutschland Tour to his list of victories. In preparation for the World Championships, he headed to Canada early and immediately made an impact on his debut at the GP Montréal. Del Toro is therefore rightfully ranked second by the bookmakers when it comes to favorite status for the World Cycling Championships. However, three factors do play a crucial role.

The first major difference between the Montreal Grand Prix and the Road World Championships is the fact that former is contested by cycling teams and the latter by national teams. On paper, Del Toro is taking a significant step down, moving from UAE Emirates-XRG to a team of five from Mexico. This is a huge difference in quality, as was evident even in the Montreal Grand Prix alone.

Del Toro won there, partly because his teammates Brandon McNulty, Adam Yates, and Jhonatan Narváez helped shape the final stretch. The team leader was able to stay with the pack almost the entire time, saving all his energy for the finale, where he outpaced Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) in a two-man sprint. His Mexican teammates will pull out all the stops for Del Toro at the World Championships, but they typically don’t compete in the final.

That means Del Toro will have to be more responsive—and perhaps even anticipate moves—especially since many of his competitors from the Montreal Grand Prix have stronger teams at the World Championships, with pawns to work with. For Mexico, everything hinges on one rider, which might actually feel better in terms of protection for much of the race. But can he win without teammates in the final?

Although on paper it seems like an advantage that Pogačar won’t be there, for Del Toro specifically, things might be different. If 2026 has shown us anything, it’s that Pogačar and Del Toro would walk through fire for each other, both on and off the bike. In the Tour de France, this went so far that Pogačar, wearing his yellow jersey, led the pack on the final mountain stage to guide Del Toro to a spot on the final podium.

Del Toro has done support work for Pogačar on several occasions, and everyone remembers the duo’s attack at last year’s World Championships in Rwanda. Del Toro was able to keep up with Pogačar, who was clearly pulling his UAE teammate along. If it hadn’t been for Del Toro’s cramp, we might have seen the duo ride together all the way to the finish.

A scenario like that could also have played out in Montréal. And we’re not saying that Pogačar would have handed the world title to Del Toro, but having the world’s strongest rider by your side is a huge advantage at a World Championship where, on paper, your teammates from your own country are weaker. In that respect, too, Del Toro is now truly the sole leader—which can be wonderful, but also takes away the safety of anonymity.

The two factors mentioned could have a major impact on how the World Championships unfold for Del Toro, but perhaps that doesn’t do the Mexican justice. He didn’t win all those races in 2026 solely because of a strong team or a strong Pogačar; above all, he himself took the next step in his development.

This year, Del Toro truly stepped out of Pogačar’s shadow, breaking away whenever he wanted, keeping up where no one expected him to, and winning virtually every race he started. UAE Emirates-XRG and Pogačar were sometimes very helpful, but ultimately, you have to have the legs to keep up with a yellow jersey setting the pace on Alpe d’Huez. And Del Toro had those legs—for virtually the entire year.

And so, the absence of UAE and Pogačar could actually work out well for Del Toro. He’s the sole leader and will have a team that will ride entirely for him. He’ll never have to hold back, supporting a strong teammate who may already be out in front. And with that, he could very well become just as dominant as Pogačar has been over the past two years.

Bram van der Ploeg ( LinkedIn | email: [email protected])