“I feel I can mentor him” – Tadej Pogacar says gifting Isaac del Toro Tour de France stage win was “one of the highlights of my career”
CyclingMonday, 06 July 2026 at 16:30
Tadej Pogacar has described Isaac del Toro’s stage 2 victory at the 2026 Tour de France as one of the highlights of his own career, after allowing his UAE Team Emirates – XRG teammate to cross the line first in Barcelona.
Del Toro claimed arguably the biggest win of his career on Montjuic, attacking in the final kilometre before Pogacar followed and chose not to come past him. The result gave UAE a dominant one-two finish, moved Pogacar to within six seconds of Jonas Vingegaard’s yellow jersey, and lifted Del Toro into the white jersey after only two stages.
Speaking to official Tour de France media before the start of stage 3, Pogacar was asked whether the previous day ranked among the biggest moments of his career.
“Yeah, for sure,” Pogacar said. “I think yesterday was one of the highlights of my career.”
Pogacar: “I feel I can mentor him sometimes”
Del Toro is still only 22, but his position inside UAE has already changed quickly at this Tour. After Barcelona, the Mexican sits fourth overall, wears the white jersey and gives Pogacar another teammate high in the general classification.
Asked about Del Toro and the way he talks about him as a young rider, Pogacar first pointed to the relationship they have built inside the team. “First of all, he’s a teammate,” Pogacar said. “That’s how we met. And now I consider him a friend.”
Pogacar also said he feels able to guide Del Toro, even if the Mexican has already shown a level well beyond most riders of his age. “He is someone I can pass on some small advice to, even though he’s already a champion and he basically almost knows everything,” Pogacar continued. “But yeah, I feel I can mentor him sometimes.”
Del Toro had already played a central role in the Barcelona finale before taking the win. He responded after Mattias Skjelmose tried to open the race late, then drove towards the Olympic Stadium with Pogacar behind him.
Rather than sprinting past, Pogacar stayed where he was. Del Toro took ten bonus seconds and the stage win, while Pogacar collected six seconds for second place and tightened the early GC battle with Vingegaard.
UAE prepare for demanding stage 3
The focus now turns to stage 3, with the Tour heading from Granollers to Les Angles over a long and demanding route expected to trigger a fierce fight for the breakaway.
Pogacar does not expect UAE to force a rider into the move, but said the team will need to stay alert from the start of the stage. “We’ll see. I don’t think so,” he said when asked whether UAE would try to place someone in the breakaway. “Today is a really tough stage. It’s long and demanding, and a lot of people will probably go in the breakaway. We need to take care of the situation at the start.”
After Barcelona, UAE begin stage 3 with more than just Pogacar in a strong position. Del Toro has a Tour stage win, the white jersey and a place inside the top four overall, while Pogacar has already clawed back half of the gap he lost to Vingegaard in the opening team time trial.
The first mountain test will begin to show how UAE balance those cards. Pogacar remains their leader, but Del Toro’s first Tour weekend has already turned him from protected talent into one of the key riders in the early GC picture.
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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- In Cycling since i started watching 30 years ago ( i am 45), the richests team always had the upper hand, like in all Professional Sports team Sky, Team Postal, Festina.. Big Budgets = Best riders= Best Perfomances like in footbal, see the budgets of the winning teams, and compare to the others... And ist all Petrodollar money (except Real Madrid, Barcelona)Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- UAE, Bahrain and Jayco Alula (and in the future China)should not be allowed to infinite budgets, but thats the WORLd we live in! Sportwashing its all over the world, its everywear! Footbal, golf, MMA, Pool, Formula 1,...etc... Cycling is no different from the others Sports! So wake up to the new world of sports!! But i believe there should be Budget Limits in UCI (like UEFA does and Primier league also..) to make the sport more competitive.. Thats a different story..Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- Dear Kieran, There is an error in article on General Classification Standings after Stage 3 Table (Cian Uijtdebroeks vs Voisard) its MOVISTAR then TUDOR. But the next table is rigth!! Just to prove i am reading all of your articles till de very end..... :)Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- On Carapaz, like Martinez, his head says no but his legs say yes. He's just outside the top 10, having moved up 7 spots today
Rafionain-Glas06-07-2026 - What about the United States of America? Do they have democracy there? No they don't. THEY HAVE TRUMP!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales06-07-2026
- This was another stage that Del Toro could have competed for the win, if he didn't have the lead out responsibilities for Pogacar. I think this is what's going to make him seriously consider leaving for another team where he's the top dog. He's got a legacy to create for himself. His prime time is right now and it's passing under the shadow of Pogacar unless he goes out on his own.
PogiFan2Day06-07-2026 - Be interesting to see how IdT does in the big mountains. Last year he was level with Carapaz and Yates which means he certainly wouldn't be troubling Jonas. But it does look like he has progressed since then.mobk06-07-2026
- Now, if you look at the ProCyclingStats home page, you'll see an intriguing sight. It shows Elite World Champion Tadej Pogačar, having won stage 3 of the Tour de France. Directly below it shows U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn, having taken his second Pro win in as many days at the Sibiu Tour (a race which was won, in previous years, by Florian Lipowitz and Matthew Riccitello). Of course, both are wearing their rainbow jerseys, but the comparison shows the difference. Finn's jersey looks terrific, with the rainbow bands proudly on his chest. Pogačar's is truly ugly, as the bands have been lowered to make space for the UAE logo, which is the most prominent thing on the jersey. It is not a nice look at all. Nothing against Pogačar, but it is quite disgustingRafionain-Glas06-07-2026
- Perhaps the fact that their human rights abuses are regularly named (like you do) means that more people hear about them.RidesHills06-07-2026
- I was expecting bigger gaps both yesterday and today for sure. The stage profiles seemed ideal for Pogi to take serious time, I am surprised to see Jonas right there.DAS06-07-2026
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