"It's nice to have advice from him": Del Toro keeps Pogacar's secrets as he prepares to face Evenepoel at the UAE Tour

Isaac del Toro is stepping into the spotlight. With defending champion Tadej Pogacar absent, the young Mexican will lead UAE Team Emirates - XRG at their home race, the UAE Tour. While he admits he has spoken to the World Champion about how to win here, he is keeping those secrets to himself.

Del Toro and Pogacar have built a strong relationship since the Mexican burst onto the scene in 2025. Last year, Pogacar encouraged Del Toro to win the gravel stage at the Giro d'Italia. Del Toro almost did it, and he ended up wearing the leader's jersey until the final mountain stage, where Simon Yates eventually took the overall victory.

Now, Del Toro is the leader, and he has asked his mentor for guidance. "I spoke to him [Pogacar] about this race, not in this [recent] time, but yes, during the training camps and all this I did, so it's nice to have some advice from him," Del Toro said at the pre-race press conference in quotes gathered by Cycling News.

When pressed by journalists to reveal exactly what Pogacar told him, Del Toro remained silent. He prefers to do his talking on the road.

Standing in Del Toro’s way is Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian star has started the season in flying form, but Del Toro is ready for the challenge. "I will say that for the palmarès here and to everybody, Evenepoel is one of the most complete riders in the new cycling, so he's one of the main favourites, of course," Del Toro said, showing respect for his rival.

However, the Mexican is eager to test his legs. "I'm excited to battle everybody. I hope to be at the level. We will see during the week, and hopefully we are up there."

UAE Team Emirates brings a powerful squad to support Del Toro, including former race winner Adam Yates. Yates will work as a domestique for the young Mexican. The team is particularly focused on the new climb, Jebel Mobrah, which features steep gradients that could decide the race early on stage 3.

"Isaac's been there, so he'll know it more than me, but yeah, on paper, it looks like a really, really hard climb. I think it's like 7km at 12% on the last bit," Yates said.

He believes the heat and the steepness favor lighter riders like Del Toro. "Actually, for me personally, I think it's a good climb, for us featherweights, let's call us. Also, this kind of climb, in this kind of heat, is going to be a real challenge," Yates explained. "We'll see. I think it's new, and when something is new, you never really know what to expect, but I think if Isaac's in good shape, then we'll give it a good crack."

Del Toro admitted he feels the weight of expectation, but mostly because he has not raced yet this year. "I will say that I'm feeling the pressure a little bit, but it's more because it's my first race, not much because it's the home race," he said. "I know it is a responsibility, but it's more like the start of this season."

He is grateful for the team's trust after his breakout 2025 season. "It's something really big [to lead the team], all the confidence of the team that they put in me is something really special, and I feel privileged to be in this position now."

"I'm glad to have had a year like last year, and hopefully we can continue with that line. But of course, we still have some things to fix to be better, but for sure, we are hungry to try to be up there."