Pogacar faces more than just Ayuso: Another UAE teammate emerges as World Championships threat

Del Toro won the Tour de l'Avenir in 2023, signed with UAE, and triumphed in his first year in the WorldTour in the Tour Down Under, and even won a stage and the overall in Asturias. This year, he took a big step forward, although he was still riding in support of leaders such as Pogacar and Juan Ayuso. The turning point actually came in the Giro d'Italia, purely based on performance.

After Ayuso and Adam Yates dropped out as leaders, Del Toro stepped up and rode in the pink jersey for a long time. He finished second in Rome, which earned him a new status. And things clearly started to pick up, with three stage wins and overall victory in the Tour of Austria, two victories in the Spanish one-day race, and overall victory in the Tour of Burgos.

Although it may be in somewhat smaller races, Del Toro also proved his class on Sunday in the GP Industria & Artigianato. He won again, beating Christian Scaroni (Astana). “I kept an eye on him and Davide (Piganzoli, ed.), because I knew they were both strong. We had to work together because the chasing group was close.”

Del Toro ultimately finished it off after Piganzoli was dropped. “I told my teammates that we had to try something different, and I also discussed it with Scaroni. He was very strong, and I didn't want to make the mistake of being too aggressive. The fact that we continued to ride together and kept up the pressure saved us.”

It's clear: Del Toro is in excellent shape. And that with the World Cycling Championships in Rwanda scheduled for September. The Mexican will compete against many of his UAE teammates, including Pogacar (Slovenia) and Ayuso (Spain). “I'm going to try to be among the leaders there too, but like for many others, it won't be an easy race.”