Isaac del Toro returns from injury as UAE’s Pogacar Tour de France plan enters decisive phase
Cycling
Isaac del Toro’s road back to the Tour de France begins this weekend, with the Mexican talent set to return to competition at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes after almost two months away from racing.
The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider has not raced since crashing heavily during stage 3 of Itzulia - Vuelta al Pais Vasco, where he suffered a right thigh muscle injury and abrasions. It was a badly timed interruption for one of the breakout riders of the 2026 season, coming after a stunning early campaign that had already turned Del Toro from elite prospect into proven WorldTour winner.
Before that crash, Del Toro had won the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, while also finishing on the podium at Strade Bianche behind Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas. Even with his spring halted, the 22-year-old has remained fourth in the UCI ranking, behind only Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel.
His return in France is therefore more than a standard comeback race. For Del Toro and UAE, the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes is a key checkpoint before July, with the team expected to assess how quickly he can recover his race rhythm after a long spell without competition.
UAE’s Tour plan moves back into focus
Del Toro’s presence at the race formerly known as the Criterium du Dauphine comes with the Tour de France clearly in view. The eight-stage French race offers a demanding route and a natural test before the Grand Depart, but UAE’s bigger interest lies in what it tells them about Del Toro’s condition for July.
The Mexican was never expected to return to the Giro d’Italia this year, despite finishing second overall in 2025 and claiming the young rider classification during his breakthrough Grand Tour. Instead, his 2026 programme has been built around a different challenge: preparing him for a Tour de France role alongside Pogacar.
After almost two months out, the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes now becomes a useful reset: race rhythm for Del Toro, and a clearer read for UAE before they finalise the climbing unit around Pogacar for July.
Del Toro returns with bigger questions around him
The timing of his comeback gives the story extra weight. Del Toro had been building one of the most impressive early-season records in the peloton before Itzulia, with victories that placed him among the most talked-about riders in world cycling.
Now he returns not simply to resume his own season, but to re-enter UAE’s wider Tour de France structure. If he looks sharp in France, Pogacar’s team gain another high-level weapon for July. If he needs more time, UAE will have to judge carefully how much responsibility to place on him at the Tour.
Either way, Del Toro’s comeback is not a quiet restart. It is the next stage in a season that has already changed his standing inside UAE Team Emirates - XRG and across the wider peloton.
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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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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