“It’s the first time I’ve done a TTT as a professional” - Isaac del Toro finds Tour de France lesson in UAE’s Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes setback

Isaac del Toro lost ground in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes team time trial, but the Mexican left stage 3 looking at the bigger picture.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG finished behind the strongest GC squads in the 28.4-kilometre test around Perreux, losing time to Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Netcompany INEOS, Lidl-Trek and Decathlon CMA CGM Team. For Del Toro, that meant a difficult day in the overall battle, with Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas both gaining on him after the first direct race-against-the-clock test of the week.

The result left Del Toro 16th overall, 1:16 behind race leader Alex Baudin. Still, speaking afterwards in conversation with Cycling Pro Net, he framed the ride as an important first experience ahead of the Tour de France.

“Yes, I mean, I can be happy,” Del Toro said. “It’s the first time I’ve done it as a professional, so yes, I think we did a good job.”

The stage was not a disaster for UAE, but it was not the ride they needed to match the main winners of the day. Visma won the stage, INEOS came close to taking yellow through Kevin Vauquelin, Lidl-Trek moved Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose up the standings, and Decathlon limited the damage for Seixas despite a late scare.

UAE were left further back, with Del Toro led home on the uphill drag to the line after a demanding final section. He admitted the finish had been especially sharp, with the last 700 metres forcing the GC riders to empty themselves after a fast collective effort. “Yes, yes, it was a brutal finish, 700 metres,” he said. “We tried to go as fast as possible, so yes, we tried all the way to the line.”

Del Toro finished the effort alongside some of UAE’s strongest riders, with Kevin Vermaerke, Pavel Sivakov and Joao Almeida helping carry the team through the final part of the course. “Yes, a little bit with Pavel Sivakov and Joao Almeida, and Kevin were the last three,” Del Toro explained. “And yes, I’m happy that I was able to finish faster.”

The wider value for UAE came from the Tour de France link. The 2026 Tour opens with a team time trial in Barcelona, making every competitive rehearsal important for pacing, equipment, communication and rider roles.

For Del Toro, that was part of the takeaway from a day that was disappointing on the GC clock but useful in preparation. “Quite a lot, because we will be mentally prepared for that day,” he said when asked about the Tour de France relevance.

That matters more because Del Toro is still learning the discipline at professional level. A team time trial is not just an individual power test. It depends on positioning, rotation, equipment, trust and knowing how to distribute effort through a group as the course changes. “It’s interesting for me to be here, so yes, I’m happy with the effort,” he added.

Del Toro did not leave Perreux with the time gain he wanted. Ayuso, Seixas, Vauquelin, Oscar Onley and Matteo Jorgenson all came out of the stage in stronger GC positions. But for a rider facing his first professional team time trial, the day still offered something UAE may need again in July: a hard lesson before Barcelona.