Why Del Toro is still riding in Pogacar’s shadow — and why that’s exactly the plan

Cycling agent Alex Carera, who represents both riders, explains it on the Domestique podcast. According to him, UAE Team Emirates - XRG is actually the perfect place. “If you want to win the Tour de France, you need not only the best staff, but also the best equipment and the best teammates. In the last forty years, it’s only happened twice that someone won the Tour on their own: Tadej in 2020, for example.”

For Del Toro, the main thing is that he isn’t thrown in at the deep end too quickly. He’ll get his own chances, but he still has a lot to learn. “We were very happy to be able to offer him a new contract in 2024. It means he can ride the Tour de France alongside a great leader. Tadej can teach Isaac a lot about strategy and tactics.”

And so the youngster will be ready for his big moment when it comes. “When he competes for the victory in the Tour de France—I don’t know when, but it will happen someday—he’ll already know what needs to be done in certain situations. This way, he has a better chance of winning. His chances of winning increase because he’s already learned a lot from his leader in the seasons leading up to it.”

Of course, Del Toro could already be a team leader for almost any team in the WorldTour peloton, but there are more important things than getting your chance in the Tour de France right now. At UAE Team Emirates - XRG, he not only has the best and most experienced teammates, but also a fantastic staff and equipment team. The team’s finances are obviously crucial in this regard, but there’s more to it than that.

“If your team is wealthy, you can invest in equipment research: wattage is the keyword in today’s peloton,” says Carera. “If you’re a super talent for the classics, you choose Alpecin or Soudal. A sprinter chooses Lidl-Trek, not UAE. Why? They focus on the general classification. The team isn’t the best option for everyone, but for stage racers, it’s certainly one of the best options.”

Then the topic of safety was brought up. It has been a hot topic of conversation again in recent weeks, thanks to dangerous sprint finishes, difficult descents, and challenging weather conditions. But lately, safety during training has also been an issue: Jonas Vingegaard crashed after a fan chased him. Carera finds it scandalous.

But it’s not the only measure they’ve taken. “He’ll race in a different jersey. It’s a UAE jersey, but in yellow, blue, and red. Why? People need 10 seconds to recognize him, and by then he’s already too far ahead. What Jonas is saying is a real problem. We’ll see what happens in the future, but we need to provide more guarantees for their safety.”