"Isaac can become the best rider in the world": UAE boss does not hold back in his expectations

While other WorldTour heavyweights are already, almost in secret, daydreaming about the day Tadej Pogacar hangs up his wheels, UAE Team Emirates - XRG believe that the transition of power will be a strictly internal affair. The man who should inherit Pogacar's crown would then be none other than the revelation of this year's Giro d'Italia: Isaac del Toro.

Barely two years ago, at 20, Del Toro sat at his team’s media day at a side table, watching Tadej Pogacar field a barrage of questions in the press room. Twenty-four months later, the roles have flipped: Del Toro now sits in Pogacar’s chair, surrounded by 30 reporters keen to hear his race programme and ambitions.

The young Mexican's rise to the top has been lightning-fast. When he joined UAE’s powerhouse as a neo-pro, the internal message was one of caution. Team manager Joxean Matxín put it like this at the time: "Can Del Toro fight for a Grand Tour GC one day? He’s a climber, but we still need to see how he recovers after very demanding mountain stages."

Two years on, the answer seems clear. Last season, Del Toro was perfectly placed to win the Giro d’Italia. However, a tactical chess match with Richard Carapaz ended up costing him the maglia rosa on the final mountain stage in favor of Simon Yates.

That finale still lingers in his mind, but the overall picture invites optimism. Seven wins in the Italian autumn classics strengthened the sense that the Mexican’s future is bright beyond Grand Tours as well.

That progression led his agent, Alex Carrera, to state that "Del Toro has the potential to become world number one." From the team car, Matxin adds nuance without denying it: "I don’t want to pile on pressure or compare him to Pogacar, but Isaac can become the best rider in the world, no doubt. Especially given what he’s shown at just 22."

The manager also recalls the Giro context: "We started with Ayuso and Adam Yates as leaders. Del Toro was, along with McNulty, a GC alternative, and Isaac seized his chance." Then he adds a blunt line: “He’s shown he could already have won the Giro.”

Even so, UAE Team Emirates - XRG do not plan to hand him outright leadership at a Grand Tour just yet. It’s a strategic call. "Why? Because we don’t yet want to give him full responsibility for leading a team over a Grand Tour," Matxin explains. "We believe racing the Tour is the best choice for Isaac’s development."

The plan is clear: Del Toro should experience the three weeks of July as an apprenticeship alongside Pogacar. "Isaac will ride the Tour, above all, to learn. No pressure, but with trust," the team boss stresses.

The idea of the Mexican targeting individual goals, like the young riders’ classification, is secondary. "The white jersey is not an objective," Matxin notes. He expands on it: "It’s something that could come. But with someone like Tadej in the team, our main goal is, naturally, the yellow jersey. If the white comes for Del Toro, it’ll be a nice bonus."

One final question hangs in the air: will Isaac del Toro, in a few years, shine in yellow on the Champs-Élysées? UAE are already working to make that more than a hypothesis.