"I could see Del Toro go to the Giro d'Italia and race against Jonas Vingegaard" - Will this be the battle for the 2027 Corsa Rosa?
Cycling
The Tour de France and Giro d'Italia have already revealed their routes for the 2027 season, leaving the GC riders with objective views of the main races they will aim for next year. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have spoken about Isaac del Toro and how he may be used by UAE Team Emirates - XRG.
After the route reveal, there was a consensus on what race the Mexican might aim for: "I would personally put Isaac Del Toro as a major contender to start the Giro d'Italia," Silva began. "It will depend a lot on who the competition in there will be, his role in the race, and the expectations will depend on that. But taking into consideration what he's done this season..."
Del Toro won the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes this year; as well as the GP de Montréal; and finished third at races such as Strade Bianche and Tour de France where his teammate Tadej Pogacar took the victory.
The 2027 Tour de France is time trial heavy, and there are indications that all of the main GC riders should aim for the yellow jersey. Meanwhile for the Giro d'Italia that is not so certain. But that opens up a door for Del Toro: "I look at my notes and the first thing I write about Del Toro is Giro is, and in the capitals, a must," Quinn argued.
"Tadej [Pogacar] going to the Tour again; he's already got himself a podium at the Tour, he has unfinished business with the Giro, he's a more complete rider, it's been 18 months since then". Del Toro was second in the 2025 edition, one marked by the controversy within UAE with Juan Ayuso; and the Colle delle Finestre showdown in which he lost the lead to Simon Yates.
"The Tour de France still is a tantalizing prospect for Remco Evenepoel, Paul Siexas and Vingegaard. Not all three of them are going to be at the Giro, for sure. And there's a chance that none of them are [...] You do the Giro and you can line up a full summer ahead and look for Worlds, and then maybe Italian classics if Tadej Pogacar is doing the Vuelta. So the season does line up naturally as well".
Both see Del Toro race the Giro d'Italia, specially in the back drop of João Almeida's illnesses in 2026, which have affected his form, and rendered him an unsafe card to bet on the three-week races until proven otherwise.
Can UAE win all three Grand Tours in 2027?
Recently, Joxean Matxin spoke about the personal ambition of guiding UAE towards all three Grand Tour victories. 2027 could be the year, with Tadej Pogacar likely to be the main favourite at both Tour de France and Vuelta a España.
And the team could do what only Visma managed to, back in 2023. "I can see them win all three Grand Tours, without much of a doubt," Silva confided. "I think Del Toro can win the Giro; Pogacar winning the Tour of Vuelta... Well, that's what we were on track to see this summer".
He also believes that whilst no decisions have been made, it is clear what decisions are most logical: "I could see Del Toro go to the Giro d'Italia and race against Jonas Vingegaard".
And for the Tour de France, Pogacar will race against Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas once again. "That's what I personally think will happen at the Tour de France. Del Toro will not be present, and he will prepare for the World Championships, whilst the other big four will be at the Tour".
Del Toro and Jonas Vingegaard might headline Giro d'Italia battle
The Corsa Rosa will feature a climbing-heavy course, with 56 kilometers of time trialing, but also seven summit finishes - including mythical ascents such as the Passo del Mortirolo, Passo di Gavia and Monte Zoncolan.
If Vingegaard and Del Toro go head to head at the Corsa Rosa, Silva anticipates a tight battle. "I think that against Vingegaard, he would maybe not be... He could maybe be a 60-40. Del Toro, I put him very, very close to Vingegaard".
"I don't think he's as strong of a pure climber, which the Giro will be strongly based on, but he is consistent, e is versatile and can win on the time trials to Vingegaard".
And with Del Toro's progression and delivery in 2026, the climbing gap to the Visma leader might not be as big as was the case previously. "He just is a good climber. He's a great climber: He was third at this year's Tour. I mean, regardless of the hows and what ifs, he was third".
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment