"It's just crazy" - Isaac del Toro stuns himself with surprise win on UAE Tour stage 1

The UAE Tour has gotten off to a thrilling start, with the GC riders coming to the front right on day 1, on a stage where the main favourite Jonathan Milan crashed. Isaac del Toro benefitted from the chaos that followed, and has taken his first win of the year right on day one.

"Yeah, quite honestly I was thinking it may be a chance but maybe just a dream, not realistic. Even during the stage I was asking the teammates if they see this properly. It's just crazy," del Toro said in a post-race interview.

The win did not come as a shock, as the final 700 meters averaged 6%. In the current peloton, almost all of the strongest climbers are also the strongest sprinters amongst themselves. Del Toro and Remco Evenepoel were strong outsiders for the stage win, but the late crash of Jonathan Milan may have aided the chances of the two significantly.

But the two had very distinct run-ins to the finish, as the group swerved through the road quite frequently and Evenepoel was blocked off, missing out even on a Top10 finish. Del Toro on the opposite side had space and launched his sprint from very early on, around 300 meters to go, and immediately got a gap.

Why did he decide to do that? "Honestly I don't know exactly, I just see a chance and I didn't want to regret that". But the Mexican had reasons to go for it, as he clearly had the legs to sustain the move all the way to the finish. Although Cees Bol came quite close to overtaking him, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider held it to the line to take the win.

"I don't know where they were but I just saw the chance and riders opening to the right and left and then I went full". This victory has earned him 10 seconds over Remco Evenepoel already, meaningful time which will serve as a buffer into tomorrow's 12-kilometer long time trial.

The Mexican is also gaining motivation and having his form proven, as this was his very first race of the season. "It's unbelievable honestly, it's crazy. I feel the same than Tour Down Under (2024 where he took his first pro win, ed.), something that you want but when it's realized it's even better".