Isaac del Toro cools off talks about main favourite for Montréal World Championships: "In the end, we're only human too"
CyclingTuesday, 15 September 2026 at 01:00
Isaac del Toro succeeded at putting himself in the top-favourite chair ahead of the 2026 World Championships with his victory at the Grand Prix de Montréal. The Mexican netted his 12th victory of the season, but still plays down his own chances at the (for some) biggest one-day race of the season.
Next to Sunday's runner-up Paul Seixas, the 2022 world champion Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel, Del Toro immediately finds his own stocks rising. And yet, Pogacar's student at UAE Team Emirates - XRG remains humble in his own expectations.
"I'm not going to say that I'm a favourite. It's still cycling," he said during a post-race press conference in Montréal where WielerFlits gathered his impressions.
Del Toro then refers to the previous race in Québec, where his feeling was very different and only finished 55th: "You saw in the GP de Québec that I wasn't that good," he looked back. "I didn't feel super good on Sunday either. To be honest, the feeling wasn't what I had hoped for."
Ultimately, even in the absence of Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates - XRG were able to make good use of their roster's depth to cover all key moves and launch Del Toro towards victory in Montréal.
"We tried to enter the finale with several guys, and everyone on our team was so strong. Brandon McNulty went with Quinn Simmons, and I tried to follow the big moves behind them. In the end, we found ourselves in a very good situation. The team put me in a position to fight for the victory. I'm very happy to have these guys around me. They support me enormously. This victory is thanks to them."
Everything can change in the two weeks
So Del Toro appears to be the man in-form regardless of his own words contradicting his result. But now is now, and things can change in the two weeks leading up to World Championship race, something Del Toro wants everyone to keep in mind.
"A lot can change in two weeks," Del Toro warned. "You can get sick, or suddenly not feel at your best during a race. In the end, we're only human too. Not every day can be a great one."
Head will be important
Sunday certainly was an evidence to how head can influence a rider's performance too. At certain moments, it seemed as though Del Toro struggled to hold his position in the peloton. "I always try to do my best, but sometimes we're simply human and not every day is perfect."
Del Toro's continued to trust their leader, who eventually pulled through the low point with their support: "They said I had to put all my shit in my back pocket and simply get on with racing."
"I don't know exactly what happens. Sometimes I just switch off for a moment and try to do the smartest thing. Year after year, I notice that my body handles the pressure better."
Whereas team helped Del Toro massively on Sunday, that won't be the case in two weeks. That is because, with all the respect to Del Toro's colleagues from national team, there isn't much of a chance Del Toro will have any company in the final phases of the race. Then he'll have to handle everything on his own.
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"Even if I personally don't have one of the strongest national teams, I can be competitive and create situations myself," he said. "Above all, I hope for good legs, a good atmosphere with my teammates and the federation. If I can put myself in a good position and play my cards, I'll use them to make an impact on the race and do my job."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- so much for Visma going down the drain, permanent second or 3rd class citizen, talent drain, everyone is fleeing the team. they suck. etc etc.mij15-09-2026
- We will see.
Brucegel14-09-2026 - You could have written this without spiteful tone, but I guess you're confident you'll get upvotes.Hills3314-09-2026
- If he had a repeat concussion he would probably have to retire in a much worse state. (And his fiancee has just had a repeat of her bad fall of a few months ago, showing a repeat is not unlikely.) Maybe best if he retired now, rather than taking his chances.Hills3314-09-2026
- Not many folks can put Pogi under pressure. But when it does happen i agree there is a bit of a pattern of risk-taking and crashes. For example he got lucky with his Strade Bianche crash - that could have cost him the race or more.mobk14-09-2026
- I don’t think the problem is maths so much as proofreading, he may have wanted to say Tour & Vuelta, would seem a little more logical though, in a text not actually based on logic I gyess there’s no point in supposing anything.Mistermaumau14-09-2026
- Oh really, he told you so I guess? The only reason he didn’t crash before is because Mas warned him to slow down and even then he couldn’t resist trying it on, or does it hurt his sensitive ego a little more than he likes to show to be overtaken? Even at a ripe cycling age, he still hasn’t learnt to take note of dangers. Had it not been a countryman warning him not to compete downhill in MSR there’d be a a good possibility his career would have been shortened. He’s the LAST person that needs to take senseless risks and yet, almost every time someone is pressuring him he starts to, his own worst enemy.Mistermaumau14-09-2026
- Yup dude! It is going to be hard for you, but you are going to have to come to terms with this. Pog did not win.this race. Pog did not even finish this race.. Shoulda, coulda, woulda won gets you zero UCI points even if you are by far the best rider.mobk14-09-2026
- My sources tell me that it is useful to be aware of the race situation rather than just waiting for chasers to catch up. Just saying. Perhaps Pog was getting a bit complacent and assuming no one would catch up.mobk14-09-2026
- Sounds similar to what I suggested, watch the race pretending he’s not there. Was he in Glasgow?Mistermaumau14-09-2026
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