“It’s because of Isaac” – Tadej Pogacar credits Del Toro after blasting into Tour de France yellow
CyclingMonday, 06 July 2026 at 17:41
Tadej Pogacar moved into the yellow jersey at the 2026 Tour de France after taking victory in a brutal finishing burst at Les Angles on stage 3, but his first reaction was to point straight at Isaac del Toro.
One day after Pogacar allowed Del Toro to take his maiden Tour stage win in Barcelona, the Mexican played a decisive role in returning the favour. UAE Team Emirates – XRG controlled the breakaway through the second half of stage 3, then Del Toro led Pogacar into the final kick that stripped Jonas Vingegaard of yellow.
“He committed more than 1000%”
Speaking after taking his 22nd Tour de France stage win, Pogacar made clear how much Del Toro’s work had mattered in the finale. “It’s because of Isaac today that I get some extra power in the finale,” said Pogacar. “He committed more than 1000% on the final climb. All the team did.”
The final rise to Les Angles was short, but UAE had been working towards that finish for a long time. Alex Baudin had threatened yellow from the breakaway and went on to secure the polka dot jersey, yet UAE kept the move close through Tim Wellens, Nils Politt and Felix Grossschartner.
By the time Baudin was caught inside the final 12 kilometres, Pogacar still had Del Toro, Adam Yates, Brandon McNulty and Grossschartner around him. In the final kilometre, Del Toro hit the front, stretched the favourites’ group and left Pogacar exactly where he needed to be.
Once the world champion launched, Vingegaard had no answer. Pogacar opened metres almost immediately, taking both the stage win and the yellow jersey after three days of racing.
UAE make the call mid-stage
Pogacar said UAE had decided during the stage that the breakaway could be brought back and the victory was there to chase. “In the middle of the stage we decided that it was possible to go for the stage win,” Pogacar explained. “I’m really happy that we started to ride like this because it was an incredible finish.”
It gave UAE a second straight stage win after Del Toro’s success on Montjuic, this time with the roles reversed. Vingegaard had begun the day six seconds ahead of Pogacar; by the end of the first Pyrenean stage, Pogacar was in yellow, Del Toro still led the young rider classification, and UAE had again carried their numbers deep into the finale.
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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- In Cycling since i started watching 30 years ago ( i am 45), the richests team always had the upper hand, like in all Professional Sports team Sky, Team Postal, Festina.. Big Budgets = Best riders= Best Perfomances like in footbal, see the budgets of the winning teams, and compare to the others... And ist all Petrodollar money (except Real Madrid, Barcelona)Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- UAE, Bahrain and Jayco Alula (and in the future China)should not be allowed to infinite budgets, but thats the WORLd we live in! Sportwashing its all over the world, its everywear! Footbal, golf, MMA, Pool, Formula 1,...etc... Cycling is no different from the others Sports! So wake up to the new world of sports!! But i believe there should be Budget Limits in UCI (like UEFA does and Primier league also..) to make the sport more competitive.. Thats a different story..Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- Dear Kieran, There is an error in article on General Classification Standings after Stage 3 Table (Cian Uijtdebroeks vs Voisard) its MOVISTAR then TUDOR. But the next table is rigth!! Just to prove i am reading all of your articles till de very end..... :)Alexcavalera06-07-2026
- On Carapaz, like Martinez, his head says no but his legs say yes. He's just outside the top 10, having moved up 7 spots today
Rafionain-Glas06-07-2026 - What about the United States of America? Do they have democracy there? No they don't. THEY HAVE TRUMP!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales06-07-2026
- This was another stage that Del Toro could have competed for the win, if he didn't have the lead out responsibilities for Pogacar. I think this is what's going to make him seriously consider leaving for another team where he's the top dog. He's got a legacy to create for himself. His prime time is right now and it's passing under the shadow of Pogacar unless he goes out on his own.
PogiFan2Day06-07-2026 - Be interesting to see how IdT does in the big mountains. Last year he was level with Carapaz and Yates which means he certainly wouldn't be troubling Jonas. But it does look like he has progressed since then.mobk06-07-2026
- Now, if you look at the ProCyclingStats home page, you'll see an intriguing sight. It shows Elite World Champion Tadej Pogačar, having won stage 3 of the Tour de France. Directly below it shows U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn, having taken his second Pro win in as many days at the Sibiu Tour (a race which was won, in previous years, by Florian Lipowitz and Matthew Riccitello). Of course, both are wearing their rainbow jerseys, but the comparison shows the difference. Finn's jersey looks terrific, with the rainbow bands proudly on his chest. Pogačar's is truly ugly, as the bands have been lowered to make space for the UAE logo, which is the most prominent thing on the jersey. It is not a nice look at all. Nothing against Pogačar, but it is quite disgustingRafionain-Glas06-07-2026
- Perhaps the fact that their human rights abuses are regularly named (like you do) means that more people hear about them.RidesHills06-07-2026
- I was expecting bigger gaps both yesterday and today for sure. The stage profiles seemed ideal for Pogi to take serious time, I am surprised to see Jonas right there.DAS06-07-2026
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