"I’ll start as the weakest rider in the peloton" - Isaac del Toro plays down chances on defeating Evenepoel & Pogacar in Kigali road race despite solid TT

Isaac del Toro admitted he will approach Sunday’s World Championships road race in Kigali with a deliberately humble mindset, despite delivering one of the standout performances in the elite men’s time trial. The 21-year-old Mexican talent finished fifth, just four seconds shy of the podium and only 2:40 behind three-time champion Remco Evenepoel, but was quick to temper expectations.

The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider, already a 13-time winner this season, set off like a rocket on Monday’s 46.3-kilometre test before fading slightly in the middle section. He rallied to produce a strong closing effort, ultimately ending the day sandwiched between Tadej Pogacar and Ilan van Wilder in the results. Yet, rather than dwelling on near-misses, Del Toro struck a pragmatic tone afterwards.

“I can’t blame myself, there simply wasn’t more in the legs,” he reflected in comments collected by In de Leiderstrui post-race. “Evenepoel, Jay Vine and Ilan van Wilder were simply stronger. I did my best, and maybe I just need to get stronger.”

The distance, he admitted, was perhaps not ideally suited to his profile. “Maybe the time trial was a little too long for me. Especially in the middle section I lost quite a few seconds, though I was able to claw some back towards the finish. That was according to plan, although I’d have preferred not to lose so much in that middle part. In any case, it was a great experience.”

With bookmakers placing him just behind Pogacar and Evenepoel among the favourites for the rainbow jersey in next weekend's road race, Del Toro downplayed any suggestion he could topple the sport’s established stars this weekend. “I can’t really take much from this time trial into Sunday. I’ll start with the idea that I’m the weakest rider in the peloton. Of course I’m not, but by thinking that way I find I can focus better in my training.”

Such words belie the sense that Kigali could be a defining stage for one of cycling’s brightest young riders. A fifth place in his first elite World Championships time trial underlines Del Toro’s quality — and while he may cloak himself in modesty, few in the peloton will underestimate him once the road race begins.