ANALYSIS: Why Isaac del Toro is central to Tadej Pogacar’s Milano–Sanremo ambitions in 2026

Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG are heading into 2026 with multiple major ambitions, but two races dominate their agenda: Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. They are the only Monuments missing from Pogacar’s record, and the first of them has become an increasingly stubborn challenge.

Milano-Sanremo offers very little climbing, limiting Pogacar’s opportunities to impose himself. His repeated attempts to force a selection on the Cipressa and the Poggio have shown how difficult it is to distance riders such as Mathieu van der Poel on terrain that simply does not suit major time gaps. The Cipressa is short, the Poggio is not steep enough, and the world champion has repeatedly found himself needing more decisive support at critical moments.

That was particularly clear in 2025, when Jhonatan Narvaez and Isaac del Toro were assigned to shape the race. Narvaez delivered precisely on the Cipressa, but Del Toro fell out of position, leaving Pogacar isolated when the race accelerated.

Team manager Joxean Matxin later explained the issue: “In the previous three editions we had tried each time on the Poggio. It was time to change that protocol. Isaac was to take over completely, Tadej would attack, and Jhonatan Narvaez would sit up and protect. Unfortunately, Del Toro had a positioning problem (on the Cipressa). He was too far back.”

With Milano-Sanremo returning as a core objective in 2026, UAE now require Del Toro to be perfectly prepared for a clearer execution of that plan.

Del Toro’s importance comes down to the attributes he showcased throughout the past season. He produced more than 15 victories and finished second overall at the Giro d’Italia, numbers rarely achieved by a rider of his age. He succeeds not only because of his powerful accelerations, but also because of his exceptional descending – an area decisive in Milano-Sanremo’s final phase.

If Pogacar attacks on the Poggio as expected, UAE need Del Toro to remain in the reduced group. From there, his downhill speed becomes tactically essential. The team’s aim is to apply pressure not only on the climbs, but also on the technical descent into Sanremo, an area where Van der Poel is typically difficult to unsettle.

For UAE Team Emirates – XRG, the path to finally claiming Milano-Sanremo hinges on flawless execution. And in 2026, that means entering the race with the strongest possible version of Isaac del Toro — because Pogacar will not beat Van der Poel in a sprint, and their only route to victory lies in breaking the race open before the Via Roma.