Meet Isaac del Toro, UAE team’s superstar in the making

Five-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar is undoubtedly a larger-than-life superstar of UAE Team Emirates, but with every passing race, 22-year-old Mexican upstart Isaac del Toro looks a superstar in the making.

On Sunday, Del Toro became the first of his countrymen ever to win the general classification of the Lidl Deutschland Tour in Germany, as he moved UAE Team Emirates-XRG to 67 victories in 2026. It was Del Toro’s 11th win of 2026, and his fourth stage race success of the season, following the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.

In the general classification (final) after stage 4, Del Toro finished with an overall time of 17:39:48, 53 seconds ahead of Visma-Lease a Bike's Louis Barre, while Tudor Pro Cycling's Marc Hirschi was third, 1:08 behind.

For Del Toro, who only turned professional in 2024, it has already been a year to remember. The young Mexican shares a close bond with his more famous Slovenian teammate who guided him to a Stage 2 victory at the 2026 Tour de France, where Del Toro later finished third overall while helping Pogacar secure his record-equalling fifth title.

The Mexican driver though hasn’t had it easy in his fledgling career. Despite strong performances during his amateur career, he struggled to convert them into victories. During this period, UAE Team Emirates sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxín was in contact with him and helped him secure a developmental contract with Caia Rural-Sequiros RGA so he could begin racing professionally in Europe.

In 2022, Del Toro had a serious accident while training in San Marino, breaking his femur and severing an artery. He suffered severe hemorrhaging and had to be airlifted out. He spent 16 days in the hospital and had screws and a metal bar inserted in his leg to regenerate the femur.

He rose to international prominence following his recovery in 2023 when he won the Tour de l'Avenir, widely regarded as the most important stage race for under-23 riders and a traditional showcase for future professional stars.

After his victory, UAE Team Emirates decided that he was ready to move directly to the WorldTour rather than follow the original developmental path. In October 2023, the team announced that Del Toro would join the squad on a three-year contract starting in 2024.

It was a decision UAE Team Emirates has not regretted since. At the Tour de France this year, where he finished third overall behind teammate Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, he also claimed the overall young rider classification, both incredible feats. He is just 22 and with such enormous potential as an all-round cyclist, no mountain seems too high to climb.