Isaac del Toro confirmed his extraordinary moment of form by becoming champion of the 2026 Tour of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, one of the most demanding events on the calendar prior to the Tour de France, after also winning the eighth and final stage of the competition.

The Mexican rider from the UAE Team Emirates sealed a dominant performance in the mountains to win the general classification and succeed his teammate, Tadej Pogacar, in the list of winners, consolidating himself as one of the figures to follow in the cycling season.

Isaac del Toro takes over the Tour of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

The Mexican's victory came after an exhibition in the final stage between Beaufort and Plateau de Solaison-Brison over a 120.1 kilometer route.

As happened on the previous day, Isaac del Toro once again made a difference in the mountains. His long-distance attack left his direct rivals unanswered and allowed him to cross the finish line alone to secure both the partial victory and the championship of the French round.

The rider from Ensenada completed the route with a time of 3:35:07, ahead of the Spaniard Juan Ayuso and the Norwegian Tobias Halland Johannessen by one minute, who completed the podium of the stage.

The perfect strategy that led the Mexican to the title

The decisive moment of the competition came 8.8 kilometers from the finish line, when UAE Team Emirates tightened the pace on the climb to the Plateau de Solaison.

After the attrition work carried out by Pablo Torres, Del Toro launched an attack that ended up being definitive. Neither Matteo Jorgenson nor the rest of the favorites could respond to the Mexican's change of pace, who began a long solo ride towards the overall lead.

With each kilometer, the difference increased and the young cyclist got closer to a victory that ended up confirming his dominance in the two key high mountain stages.

Isaac del Toro: “I can't believe it”

After conquering the general classification and adding his second consecutive stage victory, Isaac del Toro recognized the emotion of achieving a victory of this magnitude.

"I'm super happy to win the queen stage. I did the reconnaissance of the route a few months ago and I didn't know until two days ago that this is the same climb we did, but it was nice to remember the reconnaissance with Tadej Pogacar, and it's super cool to achieve victory for the team. It's simply incredible, we fought for this and it's just great. I can't believe it," he said excitedly.

The Mexican's words reflected the importance of this achievement, especially since it was a test that had been won a year before by Pogacar.

The meaning of succeeding Tadej Pogacar

One of the aspects that Del Toro valued most after the race was taking over from the Slovenian in the history of champions of the competition.

"It means a lot to win after Tadej, he has a lot of respect and I just want to be as happy as him on the bike and try to enjoy this. It's crazy," he commented.

The statement reflects the admiration he feels for his teammate, currently considered one of the great figures in world cycling.

The attack that decided the race

The offensive that defined the title was born almost nine kilometers from the finish line, a considerable distance even for mountain specialists.

However, Del Toro explained that it was all part of the plan designed by UAE Team Emirates.

"We had everything planned, I know that after yesterday everyone started looking at me. Pablo Torres threw me and I kept going until the final. Probably if I had known that it was 8 or 9 kilometers, I probably wouldn't have attacked, but I went with the flow, and I'm very happy that I did it," he concluded.

A triumph that boosts Isaac del Toro's aspirations

The conquest of the Tour of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes represents one of the most important victories in the young career of the Mexican cyclist and confirms his growth within the UAE Team Emirates.

In addition to conquering the general classification, Del Toro added his seventh victory of the season and continues to accumulate outstanding results in 2026.

His performance in the mountains and the authority shown during the last stages make the Mexican one of the names that will arrive with the greatest confidence at the next major competitions on the international calendar, including the long-awaited Tour de France.