As the dust settles on the Tour de France, attention swiftly turns to the final Grand Tour of the season: the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, running from 23 August to 14 September. With Tadej Pogacar opting to skip the race, Jonas Vingegaard will start as the overwhelming favourite for the general classification. The Dane, barring any mishaps or residual fatigue from the Tour, is the man to beat.
In Pogacar’s absence, UAE Team Emirates - XRG have chosen to place their faith in João Almeida and Juan Ayuso as co-leaders. But it’s the omission of Isaac del Toro from the Vuelta line-up that has raised a few eyebrows — especially given the Mexican’s stunning form this season.
The Isaac del Toro Conundrum
Del Toro has been one of the revelations of 2025. Still only 21 and in just his second year at World Tour level, he’s already built an impressive palmarès:
- Winner of Milan–Turin 2025
- Overall victory at the Tour of Austria, including three stage wins
- Stage win at the Giro d’Italia, where he wore the maglia rosa for 11 days
- Runner-up in the Giro general classification
- Winner of the Clásica Terres de l’Ebre
- Second at the Clásica de Ordizia, after gifting the win to teammate Igor Arrieta
In light of those results, UAE’s decision to keep him out of the Vuelta might seem counterintuitive. But for those looking beyond form alone, it’s a move that shows careful management rather than caution.
Del Toro starred at the Giro d'Italia earlier this year
Lessons from the Giro
Del Toro’s breakout performance at the Giro d’Italia proved he’s capable of mixing it with elite GC contenders. Yet the race also exposed areas still under development — especially in terms of race craft and decision-making under pressure.
Stage 20, featuring the brutal ascent of the Colle delle Finestre, was a turning point. Del Toro cracked under the weight of expectation, allowing Simon Yates to overturn his lead and take the maglia rosa in the final days. It was a hard-earned lesson in the psychological complexity and tactical nuance of Grand Tour racing.
Since then, UAE have sensibly recalibrated his race calendar. Rather than throwing him back into the deep end, they’ve opted for a more measured approach, with Del Toro rebuilding confidence and honing his skills in shorter stage races and one-day events. His recent wins in Austria and Terres de l’Ebre, and his strong performance in Ordizia, suggest that strategy is paying dividends.
No Need to Rush
While Del Toro might be the long-term successor to Pogacar as UAE’s Grand Tour leader, there is no urgency to fast-track him into three-week races. Pogacar is still only 26, and the team is stacked with proven contenders like Ayuso, Almeida, and Adam Yates.
In contrast to the Giro, where the GC field was solid but not stacked — featuring the likes of Richard Carapaz, Yates, and Derek Gee — the Vuelta is shaping up to be a much tougher battlefield. Vingegaard will arrive in top form, and any rider hoping to challenge him over three weeks will need not only world-class legs but deep experience. At this stage, Del Toro has the former but is still developing the latter.
Del Toro took the win at Milano-Torino 2025
A Smarter Schedule
Instead, UAE will give Del Toro the opportunity to co-lead at the Clásica de San Sebastián and the Circuito de Getxo — alongside Ayuso — as well as race the Vuelta a Burgos. These races still carry weight, particularly San Sebastián as a WorldTour event, but they don’t come with the crushing pressure of leading a Grand Tour.
This schedule gives him a chance to continue building rhythm, confidence, and leadership experience without overexposing him too early in his career. UAE’s long-term bet is clear: nurture Del Toro steadily, rather than gamble on short-term results.
The Right Call for the Bigger Picture
Del Toro’s Giro was no fluke — his talent is unquestionable, and he’s already delivered seven victories in 2025. But burning out a generational prospect by thrusting him into back-to-back Grand Tours would be a short-sighted mistake.
UAE Team Emirates XRG are playing the long game. By holding Del Toro back from the Vuelta, they’re ensuring he develops at the right pace, in the right races, with the right support. His time to challenge for Grand Tour honours will come. When it does, he’ll be better prepared — mentally, physically, and tactically — to make it count.
Jorge BorregueroWriter
Jorge Borreguero is a journalist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid and has been a writer for Cyclinguptodate and Ciclismoaldia since early 2023. In this role, he has played a key part in the evolution of the website, particularly as a specialist covering Movistar Team. He regularly writes race reports, analytical pieces, and in-depth features about the team, and has conducted exclusive interviews and attended multiple team presentations, providing readers with firsthand insights into one of the leading professional cycling squads.
Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained a strong focus on sports journalism, gaining experience across a variety of disciplines, including basketball and football. However, his current work is almost entirely dedicated to cycling, contributing extensively to Ciclismoaldia and its sister website Cyclinguptodate. For these platforms, he combines thorough research with detailed reporting to deliver high-quality content, ranging from race previews and results to expert analysis of teams and riders.
Jorge’s reporting is marked by accuracy, depth, and a commitment to providing readers with reliable and authoritative information. His direct engagement with teams, athletes, and events ensures that his coverage reflects firsthand knowledge and professional insight. Through his work, he has established himself as a trusted voice in professional cycling journalism, bridging the gap between the sport and its global audience while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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