"It means a good situation for Mexico" - Isaac del Toro eyes World Championships after brilliant GP de Montreal victory
CyclingSunday, 13 September 2026 at 22:03
Despite fearing he would still be under the weather, Isaac del Toro pulled off a remarkable performance at the GP de Montreal to take a sprint victory over Paul Seixas, dressing up well in the big dress rehearsal for the World Championships - declaring that it's an exciting time for Mexican cycling.
The UAE Team Emirates- XRG leader looked down and out on the final climb of the day before making a late surge to bridge across to a rampaging Seixas as the pair went to the finishing straight together. Del Toro backed his sprint to put away the Decathlon rider and celebrate on the line.
He looked sub-par at Friday's GP de Quebec and was also seen at the back of the bunch for long stretches of Sunday's race, but was in the right place at the right time as the race narrowed out in the final laps. He made his decisive move with 11 kilometers to go and took the impressive win.
Speaking to race organisation media after the race, the 22-year-old admitted that he didn't think he'd be in the battle for victory before taking advantage of excellent work from teammates Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates in an attacking final 30 kilometres in Canada.
He said: "Yeah, I mean, we tried to be with numbers in the final. At the end, everybody was so strong in our team. And yeah, Adam in the final part was on the breakaway.
Then Brandon went with Quinn Simmons. And I tried to follow the big moves behind. At the end, we had pretty much okay situation for us."
Isaac del Toro wins the GP de Montreal
Del Toro praises UAE teammates for their hard work
He paid tribute to McNulty, Yates and others for their tireless work throughout the day. Despite missing usual leader Tadej Pogacar at the race, UAE were involved in most major moves in the finale before del Toro's winning ploy.
"They just put me into the place to try to fight for the victory. And yeah, super glad to have these guys around me.
"They support me so much that, yeah, I just feel glad to be in this team with these guys. They support me a lot and this is thanks to them. And we saw our team at the beginning really doing a big hard pace at the beginning."
Del Toro acknowledged that he wasn't feeling fit in Quebec, but did feel a little better in Montreal, admitting that he wasn't certain that he could pay off his teammates' hard work.
He continued: "I mean, I try to do my best always. But sometimes we are human beings, not every day will be super. But yeah, today the team committed with me so much that I wanted to do the best job possible.
World Championships and his continued success
"And yeah, in Québec, I didn't feel so well. Today, I have something in mind. But yeah, thanks to Brandon, Adam, Felix, Florian and team, it was easier to do it today."
He continues to go from strength to strength and pick up marquee wins, emerging as UAE's ultimate back-up plan to Pogacar's dominance. Looking back on his development, he doesn't quite now how it's gone so well but vowed that it will be a good thing for Mexico in two weeks' time at the World Championships road race.
"I don't know what's going on with this. I just sometimes disconnect and I try to do the smartest thing ever.I just say that year by year, my body is reacting well. We don't put pressure. And super happy to take this kind of results. It's insane this year. Last one was more or less the same and super happy."
He declared: "It means a good situation for Mexico."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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