“I pushed maybe too hard” – Isaac del Toro admits limits were tested launching Pogacar as UAE detonate Tour de France on the Tourmalet
Cycling
Isaac del Toro admitted he may have pushed too hard during UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s brutal Stage 6 assault at the 2026 Tour de France, after helping launch Tadej Pogacar clear on the Col du Tourmalet.
The Mexican produced the final acceleration in UAE’s mountain train five kilometres from the Tourmalet summit, dragging Pogacar clear before the Slovenian went alone to Gavarnie-Gedre. Pogacar won the stage, moved back into yellow and now leads Jonas Vingegaard by 2:42 overall, while Del Toro climbed to third on GC and took control of the youth classification.
“I pushed maybe too hard”
UAE kept the early moves within range, lifted the pace on the Col d’Aspin and then lined up Tim Wellens, Felix Grossschartner, Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates before Del Toro delivered the final acceleration on the Tourmalet.
“It has been a beautiful day for the team,” Del Toro said afterwards. “We are super happy to commit like we have done today. We went real hard throughout today, and I think I pushed maybe too hard at some point!”
That acceleration sent Pogacar clear, left Vingegaard chasing alone and split the rest of the GC contenders into the battle behind. Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, Florian Lipowitz and Lenny Martinez all finished the day in the chase behind Pogacar and Vingegaard.
“Anyway, the final result is that today’s mission is complete,” Del Toro continued. “The team has done an incredible race today.”
Del Toro rises to third overall in first Tour
Del Toro still had to manage his own race after Pogacar went clear. He crested the Tourmalet behind the leading duo, then joined the chase group on the descent and final climb as UAE finished the day with Pogacar in yellow, Del Toro third overall and Juan Ayuso fifth.
“I’m super happy I have been able to reach this level,” Del Toro said. “It’s been quite special to be near the top riders all the way to the finish.”
In his first Tour de France, Del Toro now sits third overall at 3:27, leads the youth classification, and has already played a direct role in one of Pogacar’s most destructive Tour attacks.
“Actually, the race went a bit better than expected for me,” he admitted. “I’m proud and happy I have been able to do a performance like this one already in my first Tour de France, and I’m also happy that Tadej has been able to prove how strong he is.”
Pogacar leaves the first high-mountain stage with yellow, the polka dot jersey lead and a commanding advantage over Vingegaard. Del Toro leaves it with white, third place overall and the Tourmalet acceleration that helped turn UAE’s strongest day of the race into a brutal first mountain statement.
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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