Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleAt UAE Emirates-XRG, life is good following Brandon McNulty’s world title win in Montreal, Canada last week. Even without star rider Tadej Pogačar, the team has held onto the rainbow jersey for another season. Another star in its ranks is Isaac del Toro. According to sports director Joxean Matxin, Del Toro should actually have become world champion if the balance of power among the riders had been respected.
ADVERTISEMENT
Del Toro was the talk of the town as McNulty raced toward the title at the World Championships. The Mexican attacked countless times in his Mexican jersey, but when his UAE teammate McNulty put the pedal to the metal, there were no more real surges.
Debate rises over whether Del Toro helped McNulty
Everything seemed to indicate that Del Toro was holding back a bit for McNulty, something which both British rider Tom Pidcock, and Australian Michael Matthews voiced at the time.
According to Matxin, however, that has not been proven. “To anyone who suggests this, I would ask them to provide facts, not opinions,” he said forcefully in an interview with Bici.
Read also
“How often did Del Toro attack? And how often did the others do so? If you can provide me with evidence showing that Isaac did less than the others, then I’m on board. But right now, it’s just words.”
Continue reading below the photo
Isaac del Toro on the attack at the World Cup.
Matxin thought Del Toro was the best at the World Championship
The sports director went further in his defence of del Toro. “He wanted to win the World Championship and was representing Mexico. He’s a proud Mexican and wanted to make history for his country,” said Matxin, referring to Del Toro’s ambitions in Montreal.
All that remained was a sprint for the podium spots. According to Matxin, that didn’t do justice to the balance of power.
“In my opinion, Del Toro was the strongest rider at the World Championships, despite Brandon’s victory. Everyone else was watching Isaac. The course wasn’t ideal for him, but in terms of fitness, he was better than anyone else.”
Read more below the photo
Is Del Toro the best at the World Cup?
Matxin also thinks McNulty is top talent
Of course, Matxin is perfectly fine with McNulty being the world champion. The American even called his sports manager a day before the World Championships.
“We were joking around and chatting. He told me he was in top form and finally feeling good again. It’s a shame he had a virus this year, which kept him sidelined for a long time. Because of that, he only won the World Championship.”
According to Matxin, however, McNulty is capable of much more. “I’ve said before that he might have the winning instinct of Pogacar and Del Toro, but in terms of statistics, he’s a top-tier rider. Brandon’s stats have always been high; he became world champion as a junior. His qualities were already evident at a young age.”
Read also
Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
IDL-productions
Vollering adds the Women’s European Championships road race jersey to her rainbow wardrobe
16-day Grand Tours, AI, VAR, drones and more: The UCI's new document has a potentially major impact from 2029 onwards
Quinn Simmons' Strava shows exactly what it takes to compete at the World Championships: ‘I said, Hey guys, anything is possible'
Despite losing the World Championships, Del Toro and Seixas rank high mentally and physically on the Pogačar scale
Van der Poel loves it, but a lack of race radios gave McNulty and USA the chaos it needed to slip away
Latest Cycling News
🎥 Policewoman saves Evenepoel's gold medal after European Championships crash, but still feels his wrath
Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer 30 years ago but is still here today; celebrates with wife Anna Hansen
Just 0.00028 seconds decided it; why Ciccone seemed to ride a child's bike in the European Championships photo finish
Second-place Ciccone seems to have been in a dark place: "Reasons that only your loved ones and your wife understand"
Photo finish decides magnificent European Championship, full of crashes, tactical ingenuity and a crucial bike throw
Popular Cycling News
Photo finish decides magnificent European Championship, full of crashes, tactical ingenuity and a crucial bike throw
Tom Pidcock again frustrated by Matteo Jorgenson's race tactics at the Giro dell'Emilia
The peloton bids an incredible farewell to Nairo Quintana—except for one rider
2026 European Cycling Championships Elite Men Preview | Evenepoel hopes to do better one week after the World Championships
Longo Borghini furious after ‘rookie mistakes’ by Niewiadoma and herself cost them medals at European Championships
Latest Comments
- - Isaac was immense pero al final el arcoíris es de Brandon. Qué carrera, emoción total. Bravo Mexico y USA!patriciaw05-10-2026
- - Not buying the “Del Toro was strongest” line. If you’re strongest, you don’t let it come to a sprint you can’t win. Feels like Matxin’s spinning it after the fact.bikebuffj05-10-2026
- - McNulty’s engine has always been there—nice reminder he was a junior world champ. If he stays healthy, he’s podiuming at the big one‑day races next season too. UAE have an absurd depth chart now.pedalpowe2905-10-2026
- - Was Del Toro actually allowed to ride for himself though? If your teammate is in with a shot at the rainbow, don’t you ease off a bit? Bit confused how that works across different national teams vs trade teams.lindae05-10-2026
- - Great read. Matxin defending Del Toro makes sense—Isaac was lighting up the race with those repeated digs. You could see everyone marking him on the final laps. Still, McNulty timed it perfectly. Chapeau to both.jennifer1905-10-2026
- - The article leans too hard on “implacably correct” without showing the actual calibration/line alignment. Where’s the timing file or the judge’s overlay? If you want conspiracy theories to die, publish the data, mate.gearguru3305-10-2026
- - Not buying the outrage. Anyone who followed Amstel 2021 knows these finishes always look “weird” to the eye. The line-scanner logic is consistent, and the leading edge of the tyre is what counts. End of.patriciaw05-10-2026
- - Fair play to Viviani for checking the strip and accepting it. Remco now holding worlds RR/TT, Euros RR/TT across his palmarès is insane. First ever to complete the full set? Massive stat.bikebuffj05-10-2026
- - Wait, how does the photo make Ciccone’s wheel look bent? Is that just the scanner slicing time instead of distance? I don’t fully get why the spokes curve if they’re straight in real life.pedalpowe2905-10-2026
- - That bike throw from Remco was textbook. You can actually see Cicco holding speed but Remco launches the shoulder and pushes the front axle a hair sooner. Three millimetres sounds about right given00028s at ~60 km/h.velodromevirtuoso105-10-2026
Loading