Today marks the media day of UAE Team Emirates - XRG ahead of 2026, the best cycling team in the world, and from Valencia we can confirm that Isaac del Toro will ride the 2026 Tour de France as a domestique for Tadej Pogacar.
It was only recently announced that Joao Almeida would skip the Grande Boucle to race the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, and now we know that the Mexican rider will be a key support rider for the Slovenian in the most important race in the world.
In his first statements at the press conference, he made his role in his first Tour de France very clear:
“I’m going to learn with Tadej and get to know the race, maybe also for myself in the future. No rush and no pressure.”
The Mexican will therefore begin his 2026 season at the UAE Tour, one of the most important races for obvious reasons for the squad led by Mauro Gianetti and Joxean Fernandez Matxin. He should then already share a team with Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche, aim to shine at Tirreno-Adriatico and, in one of his clear objectives of the year after failing to deliver in 2025, act as Pogacar’s lead out rider in his latest attempt to finally win Milan-San Remo. After that comes Itzulia Basque Country, which will have an impressive start list in 2026, and the Dauphine, before his Tour de France debut.
There is no doubt that UAE’s decision to place Del Toro alongside Pogacar at the Tour clearly shows the confidence they have in a rider who, almost unexpectedly, came close to winning the Giro d’Italia in 2025 and who ended the year dominating a large number of one day races. It remains to be seen whether his calendar at the end of the season will include room for the Vuelta a Espana alongside Joao Almeida, or whether he will once again ride only one Grand Tour as he did in 2025.
Isaac del Toro 2026 programme
UAE Tour
Strade Bianche
Tirreno-Adriatico
Milan-San Remo
Itzulia Basque Country
Tour du Auvergne Rhone Alpes (formerly the Dauphine)
Tour de France
Del Toro’s statements
“Not all of my programme will be in support of Pogacar. In some races I will have freedom. But being with him at the Tour is a dream, it’s something I’ve always wanted, and now it’s about to happen. I want to try to take a step up to another level and see how I handle things.”
“I’m going to learn there from Tadej and get to know the race itself, maybe to learn how I could go to the Tour for myself one day in the future. No rush and no pressure.”
“I’ll start my racing programme at the UAE Tour, where I will be the main leader of UAE Team Emirates. After that I’ll race Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and Itzulia Basque Country. Then the Tour du Auvergne Rhone Alpes (formerly the Dauphine) and the Tour de France.”
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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