"It was an incredible first experience" - Isaac del Toro after everything plays out perfectly for UAE on Alpe d'Huez
Cycling
The first day on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez has been kind to UAE Team Emirates - XRG. Even though the Emirati team is dealing with an illness internally, their leaders came out unafected to secure their podium spots.
Tadej Pogacar holds his lead firmly after today's victory. The yellow jersey's advantage over Remco Evenepoel expanded past the seven-minute mark with two days left.
On contrary, Isaac del Toro still needs to stay attentive, even though his gap to Paul Seixas widened too. The Mexican gained four seconds in last kilometers of Alpe d'Huez, and currently holds a 24-second advantage in third overall.
"We did our best with the team. It’s incredible how the guys are still able to manage the situation. Thanks to everybody it was pretty much a good day for everybody and I’m super happy to see Tadej [Pogacar] shining," Del Toro said afterwards.
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For the Mexican champion, it's been his first experience riding up the iconic Alpe d'Huez surrounded by endless crowds of spectators. And although it's been a little scary at times, the 22-year-old already looks forward to dive back into the mass of people tomorrow.
"It was an incredible first experience [at Alpe d’Huez]. It will be a great battle still tomorrow. There are two days left in the Tour, so we’ll see how it ends. Tomorrow, I expect more or less the same as today. Maybe a bit more chaos… The beginning may be a little bit more tricky but in the end it should be similar."

Isaac del Toro congratulates Tadej Pogacar at the finish of stage 19
The penultimate stage of 2026 Tour de France has rightfully earned its status as a 'queen stage' of this year's edition. Over 170 kilometers, riders will crest three special category climbs - Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier, and Col de Sarenne, before circling back to finish once again on Alpe d'Huez. With 5,700 of elevation, it's a final opportunity to really shake up the overall standings.

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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- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- Rota is an excellent rider to get in a break with because he always does his turnchapmanesque04-11-2026
- That 3000 extra that the Tour de France is built up in the flat stages
Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
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