“He is a champion, a great man, a great friend” – Tadej Pogacar celebrates Isaac del Toro’s historic Tour de France win with Mexican fans
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar was strong enough to win stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France himself, but on Montjuic he chose a different ending. The Slovenian stayed on Isaac del Toro’s wheel in the final metres and allowed his UAE Team Emirates – XRG teammate to take the biggest victory of his career.
Del Toro had launched the final move inside the last kilometre, initially working for Pogacar as the favourites raced towards the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. When the Mexican opened a gap over Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, Pogacar had the strength and position to come past, but never did.
Speaking to Cadena Cope after the finish, Pogacar made clear the gesture was no accident.
“He is a champion, a great man, a great friend,” Pogacar said of Del Toro. “He deserves the victory, I have no words.”
Pogacar lets Del Toro take biggest win of his career
The finish capped a dominant UAE performance on the first road stage of the Tour. Brandon McNulty had already put the peloton under pressure on the Montjuic circuit, with Adam Yates also helping to keep UAE in control as the race was reduced around the favourites.
Del Toro then took over in the finale, producing the acceleration that opened the decisive gap. Pogacar followed, Vingegaard was briefly put under pressure, and the Mexican kept driving all the way to the line.
Rather than sprint past his teammate, Pogacar allowed Del Toro to raise his arms first. The two crossed almost together, completing a UAE one-two and giving Del Toro a first Tour de France stage victory.
For Del Toro, it was the biggest win of his career. For Pogacar, it was also a visible show of trust in a rider he has grown close to inside the UAE setup, with the Slovenian having long been seen as a major supporter of the 22-year-old Mexican’s rise.
Mexican fans join UAE bus celebration
The celebrations did not stop at the finish line. After the stage, Pogacar and Del Toro were seen celebrating near the UAE team bus with Mexican fans, with Del Toro holding a Mexican flag as supporters gathered around the team area.
It added a lively post-race scene to a victory already loaded with emotion for Del Toro, who had thanked Pogacar after the stage for allowing him to take the win. The pair’s bond has become one of the more noticeable dynamics inside UAE, and on stage 2 it played out in full view at the Tour.
The result also strengthened UAE’s position across the race. Pogacar moved to within six seconds of Vingegaard’s yellow jersey through bonus seconds, while Del Toro climbed to fourth overall, took the white jersey and moved into the lead of the points classification.
UAE leave Barcelona with a stage win, a one-two finish, the team classification lead and Del Toro elevated even further. Pogacar did not take the victory himself, but his decision at the line turned stage 2 into a celebration of his teammate as much as another show of UAE strength.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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