"He has several riders who can almost act like teammates" - Isaac del Toro named favourite to win World Championships in Pogacar's absence
CyclingTuesday, 15 September 2026 at 10:45
The GP de Montréal was the lead-in race for the World Championships, featuring the same final circuit and very similar circumstances. On the CyclingUpToDate, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn spoke about its two main protagonists: Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas.
The Canadian one-day race featured 60 kilometers less, but four more laps of the urban circuit that the riders will tackle on the final weekend of the world championships. With only two weeks until the big race, the form shown at the GP de Montréal was crucial heading into what followed.
The race saw Ben Healy threaten to take the win with an early attack, before Paul Seixas attacked the final ascent to Mount Royal. UAE had the depth but did not keep Remco Evenepoel away from Isaac del Toro; but the Mexican managed to follow Paul Seixas up the final ascent and then took the victory in a two-up sprint.
Rúben Silva argues the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider is looking the best ahead of the World Championships. "He looked the strongest he might be the main favorite to win the worlds, and for some reason the pressure doesn't seem to be on him at all".
"The pressure is in Belgium, the pressure is in France - how are they going to help Seixas; How are Evenepoel and Van Aert going to get together".
The Mexican national team does not have the same depth as those that are touted to fight for the win, but Silva does not see much of an issue in that, taking into consideration that the Tour de France white jersey is still kept mostly out of the spotlight, and he may find the same support that Tadej Pogacar has had before.
Might Isaac del Toro benefit from UAE teammates?
"No one's questioning is Del Toro going to be alone, how is that going to harm him - Mexico is not going to be able to be in these moves... And then the teammates factor that you just mentioned, what if you find yourself in front with a rider who's a teammate in your trade team?"
Tadej Pogacar received support from Pavel Sivakov at the 2024 Worlds, whilst last year Isaac del Toro helped the Slovenian cement the gap to Remco Evenepoel and the rest. In both instances, Pogacar benefited from his teammates' work before setting off solo for the rainbow jersey.
He believes del Toro might, purposefully or not, benefit from the same race situation. "Brandon McNulty, Jonathan Narvaez... Incredible riders for this kind of circuit. Yeah what if he finds himself with the Giulio Pellizzari, his best friend; or Antonio Tiveri who is also a neighbor?"
"You have these dynamics which in which Del Toro doesn't really have a team, but he's he has several riders who can almost act like teammates if the pieces fit together".
The World Championships can often be chaotic and very complex races, without race radios and the regular team dynamics that are seen throughout the year. "I think that the scenario of Montreal yesterday, we may not see it in the world championships".
Isaac del Toro winning the 2026 GP de Montréal ahead of Paul Seixas
Will Paul Seixas suffer from the distance of the World Championships?
The distance and fatigue aspects might be larger factors in the fight for the rainbow jersey, which might also affect the ability of certain riders to do the damage they did last Sunday. This is a factor that he argues benefits Evenepoel, and does the opposite for Paul Seixas.
"Because at the end of the world championships, I think fatigue is going to be more of a factor. Seixas and Del Toro may not be able to make the difference to Evenepoel in the same way that they did".
"But additionally: Seixas is a tremendous climber, good on the punchy climbs too, nothing can be said against that. But remember Liège-Bastogne-Liége, where Pogacar attacked on La Redoute, Seixas followed, and then when Pogacar attacked again on the Roche-aux-Faucons - completely different rider".
At age 19, the Frenchman might not yet have the same ability to race at the top level after six hours, or through constant repeated efforts, in the same way as some of his seasoned rivals. This might mean that at the World Championships, his climbing ability might not have the same influence in the race.
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"Seixas was not there. That's not to be that's not a surprise, I mean he is 19 years old we cannot forget, that continues to be the truth. But I feel like that is perhaps a detail that is easy to forget. I think the endurance part is not Seixas' specialty. I think that after 270 kilometers he may not be the rider that we usually see".
With two weeks left for the final event of the Worlds, Silva has hinted at an Isaac del Toro win; whilst Quinn argued for Remco Evenepoel to take his second rainbow jersey.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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