{"id":1769657,"date":"2026-02-13T05:00:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T02:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1769657"},"modified":"2026-02-13T05:00:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T02:00:32","slug":"older-wiser-why-isaac-del-toro-has-points-to-prove-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1769657","title":{"rendered":"Older, Wiser? Why Isaac del Toro Has Points to Prove in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-SKIMO-4.jpeg”]<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated February 13, 2026 07:45AM<\/div>\n
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Is Isaac del Toro a one-season-wonder or a legit wunderkind<\/em>?<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s the narrative that shadows the 22-year-old as he barges into 2026 with a new headline status alongside Tadej Poga\u010dar at his UAE super team.<\/p>\n

Beginning Monday, Del Toro will be out to show he\u2019s more than a scourge of the lower leagues, Giro d\u2019Italia nearly-man, or Pogi\u2019s bottle boy.<\/p>\n

And the UAE Tour couldn\u2019t be much more of a high-profile place to get started.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really excited to line up for my first UAE Tour. It\u2019s a special race for me, not only because it\u2019s my debut, but because it\u2019s a home race for the team,\u201d\u00a0Del Toro said this week in a team note.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really feel that sense of pride and responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

With reigning UAE Tour champion Poga\u010dar putting the finishing touches on his form before the classics, Del Toro gets the poisoned chalice of leading UAE Emirates-XRG into its home race.<\/p>\n

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Pogi or no Pogi, Emirati officials will be watching, expecting nothing less than a \u201cW\u201d from their $60 million mega squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve prepared really well as a group, and we\u2019re ready to give our best and race aggressively at the UAE Tour,\u201d Del Toro said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope for a good performance but we also have the class and experience of someone like Adam Yates and then Juan Sebastian Molano for the sprints, so we have lots of options.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udd25 Here\u2019s our squad for the 8th edition of the #UAETour:<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd @ISAACDELTOROx1
\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea @RuneHerregodts
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf4 @sebasmolano_
\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea Nils Politt
\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Kevin Vermaerke
\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea @FlorianVermeers
\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 @AdamYates7 <\/p>\n

See you on home roads \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddea #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com\/PW7yulo9AS<\/p>\n

\u2014 @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) February 11, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The Mercxian Mexican shares team leadership with Adam Yates next week in the Emirates, but the expectation is clear.<\/p>\n

He nearly won the Giro d\u2019Italia and tore apart the back-end of the 2025 season. He\u2019s got one of the most expansive contracts in the World Tour with a deal through 2029.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201cTorito\u201d who will be expected to deliver the trophy to his paymasters after seven stages of sand and skyscrapers.<\/p>\n

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Del Toro takes on Evenepoel in high-stakes UAE duel<\/h2>\n
Evenepoel brings raging hot form to the UAE Tour and will provide the biggest test of Del Toro\u2019s GC capacity since the 2025 Giro d\u2019Italia.<\/span> (Photo: Szymon Gruchalski\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Del Toro\u2019s wicked 2025 season made him one of the most hotly tipped new talents in pro cycling. Only French darling and fellow Tour de l\u2019Avenir winner Paul Seixas comes close.<\/p>\n

That 18-win blitz and a ride on Poga\u010dar\u2019s wheel at road worlds mean Del Toro is the one rider tipped to take down Remco Evenepoel next week in the UAE. The Belgian will land into stage 1 on Monday more bullish than ever after a bombastic start to his new chapter with the Red Bull super team.<\/p>\n

With Jonas Vingegaard out of the picture due to sickness and injury, the Emirati Tour is expected to be a two-horse race.<\/p>\n

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Remco vs. Del Toro. Red Bull vs. UAE.<\/p>\n

A time trial and two summit finishes \u2013 including an unprecedented ascent of the brutal Jebel Morah \u2013 will split the differences.<\/p>\n

Rival GC leaders Derek Gee, Felix Gall, Antonio Tiberi, and Michael Storer might be making do with leftovers.<\/p>\n

Del Toro needs to win when he can<\/h2>\n
\"Del
Del Toro lit up Kigali when he and Poga\u010dar duked it out in the middle of the world championship road race.<\/span> (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The expectations on Del Toro are huge as he heads into his third WorldTour season.<\/p>\n

His obliteration of the back half of 2025 was Pogi-esque.<\/p>\n

He gobbled lower-category classics like tacos and scored more UCI points than everyone but Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard.<\/p>\n

He was the second-winningest non-sprinter of pro cycling in just his sophomore season. Only Poga\u010dar and Paul Magnier took more flowers in 2025.<\/p>\n

And this year, Juan Ayuso\u2019s ugly divorce from UAE Emirates boosts Del Toro to the second tier of the hierarchy alongside only Jo\u00e3o Almeida.<\/p>\n

Team management expects Del Toro to step up accordingly.<\/p>\n

More opportunities, more pressure.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIsaac exceeded all our expectations [in 2025], even mine. And I\u2019m the most optimistic person when it comes to my riders,\u201d team UAE sport manager Joxean Matx\u00edn Fern\u00e1ndez told Eurosport Spain during the winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to take another step forward in 2026. He\u2019s earned our trust and support with his success on the road,\u201d Matx\u00edn said. \u201cHe\u2019ll have a better calendar in terms of the quality of the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the team aren\u2019t letting the hype train run off the rails right away.<\/p>\n

He is only 22-and-a-bit, after all.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In Poga\u010dar\u2019s shadow at the Tour de France<\/h2>\n
\"Pogacar
Del Toro will see limited grand tour opportunities but stage-racing freedom in 2026.<\/span> (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rather than send Del Toro to the Giro d\u2019Italia to finish that<\/em> business from the Finestre, he\u2019s slated for a debut at the Tour de France \u2013 albeit one that\u2019s couched fully in the context of Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n

The young apprentice will shadow his master through Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo before he plays student again at the Tour.<\/p>\n

For Poga\u010dar, a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey title is at stake. For Del Toro, it\u2019s a primer for when the Slovenian can\u2019t stand the race anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is that I am always with him, it is part of the job to learn as fast as I can,\u201d Del Toro said of the Tour during the team\u2019s winter media day.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI try to understand the race better and learn how these races work for the future,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it is good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some believe Del Toro has the panache to win the Tour de France on debut. But as far as Matx\u00edn and Poga\u010dar are concerned, the young gun is racing to learn<\/em>, not to win<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Older and wiser?<\/h2>\n
\"The
The Giro d\u2019Italia worked out to be one stage too far for Del Toro.<\/span> (Photo: Massimo Valicchia\/NurPhoto via Getty Images))<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Del Toro might not taste grand tour leadership in 2026. Almeida has taken both the Giro d\u2019Italia and the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a out of his teammate\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

That means stage-racing opportunities like the UAE Tour are all the more important to Del Toro in his quest to show 2025 was just the warm-up.<\/p>\n

Because let\u2019s face it \u2013 his 2025 palmar\u00e8s was high on quantity, low on quality [don\u2019t cancel me for saying it<\/em>].<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a monster haul that was built on lower-tier classics and one mountain short of a premier GC win. The Vuelta a Burgos remains his biggest stage-race win to date.<\/p>\n

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The UAE Tour and planned starts at Itzulia Basque Country and the Dauphin\u00e9 offer Del Toro the chance for a first WorldTour stage-race win \u2013 and a platform to prove he\u2019s older, wiser, and better than before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned quickly after the Giro, and I just tried to manage it as best as I can,\u201d he said this winter, when that<\/em> tactical disaster was still a hot topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the second half of the season, I tried to fix the problems of the Giro and believe more in myself,\u201d Del Toro said. \u201cIt was working, so I\u2019ll see if I can do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

More seasoned GC racers like Evenepoel, Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d, and Ayuso will force the 22-year-old to prove that point in his heavyweight 2026 stage-racing schedule.<\/p>\n

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Del Toro\u2019s turn to deliver<\/h2>\n
Del Toro marked himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the peloton last year, now he\u2019s got to back it up.<\/span> (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The UAE Tour ranks stratospherically high in importance for UAE Emirates-XRG. That\u2019s why Poga\u010dar was shipped over there to deliver three wins in five years.<\/p>\n

And now Del Toro has earned the unfortunate privilege of shouldering all the trust of his team.<\/p>\n

If it works out for him, perfect.<\/p>\n

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If it doesn\u2019t, it will be another disappointing blip in a 22-year-old\u2019s learning curve.<\/p>\n

Del Toro provisional race program for 2026:<\/h3>\n

UAE Tour
\nStrade Bianche*
\nTirreno Adriatico
\nMilan San Remo*
\nItzulia Basque Country
\nCrit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9 (Tour Auvergne \u2013 Rh\u00f4ne Alpes)
\nTour de France*<\/p>\n

* asterisked races = with Poga\u010dar<\/em><\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated February 13, 2026 07:45AM<\/div>\n
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[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/del-toro-all-to-prove-2026\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-SKIMO-4.jpeg”] Jim Cotton Updated February 13, 2026 07:45AM Is Isaac del Toro a one-season-wonder or a legit wunderkind? That\u2019s the narrative that shadows the 22-year-old as he barges into 2026 with a new headline status alongside Tadej Poga\u010dar at his UAE super team. Beginning Monday, Del Toro will be out to show he\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1769657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1769657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1769657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1769657\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1769657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1769657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1769657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}