Isaac del Toros record for Tour de France road stages now reads: one stage ridden, one stage won. The 22-year-old started the 2026 race as Tadej Pogaars star domestique but became the story on stage two, when he crossed the line first, shepherded by his team leader.Del Toros talent has been evident since he moved to UAE Team Emirates XRG at the start of the 2025 season, thanks to a string of stellar results, but the Mexican announced himself to a wider audience after a show-stopping late attack in Barcelona.That brought to a close a thrilling opening weekend in Barcelona, with Jonas Vingegaard announcing his return to form by putting himself in the yellow jersey on stage one, before Pogaar and del Toro fired back on stage two.This is what you need to know about one of cyclings brightest young talents.1. He is Mexico's biggest cycling star in nearly 30 years Isaac del Toro (right) and Tadej Pogaar (left) claimed a one-two for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on stage one. Getty Images Born to a family of cyclists in Ensenada, Baja California, in November 2003, del Toro joined the A.R. Monex Pro Cycling Team as a 15-year-old in 2019.A.R. Monex is focused on developing Mexican talent and del Toro is the countrys biggest star since Ral Alcal, who won two stages of the Tour de France in the 1980s. Alcal also won the white jersey in 1987 and finished in the top 10 overall on three occasions.Del Toros amateur breakthrough came in 2023 when he became the first Mexican rider to win the Tour de l'Avenir the under-23 equivalent of the Tour de France and a proven launching pad for future Grand Tour champions, including Pogaar in 2018.Del Toro and Pogaar then became team-mates in 2024, with del Toro signing a three-year deal with UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Isaac del Toro Age: 22 Born: Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico Team: UAE Team Emirates XRG Stage race wins: Vuelta a Burgos (2025), UAE Tour (2026), TirrenoAdriatico (2026) Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes (2026) 2. He finished on the Giro d'Italia podium aged 21 Del Toro wore pink at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. Getty Images Del Toro made an immediate impact at UAE Team Emirates-XRG, winning stage two of the Tour Down Under and finishing third overall. He also won a stage of the Vuelta a Asturias en route to taking the title.Top 10 finishes at the Tirreno-Adriatico and Itzulia Basque Country stage races, and a sixth-place finish in the UCI World Championships road race, alongside a Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a Espana, cemented del Toros reputation as one of cyclings hottest prospects.Del Toro stepped things up a gear in 2025, with a string of victories in Italian one-day races, including Milano-Torino, and a second-place finish in the Giro dItalia behind Simon Yates.Racing only his second Grand Tour, del Toro won stage 17 in the Italian Alps and claimed the white jersey as the races best young rider after spending much of the Giro in the maglia rosa.Del Toro had pulled on the Giros leaders pink jersey after stage nine, when he finished second behind Wout van Aert from a two-man breakaway, and only relinquished the lead on stage 20.More on the 2026 Tour de France Isaac del Toro's stage-winning Colnago V5Rs may sit exactly on the UCI weight limit Fans told to avoid Tour de France stage 3 due to major wildfires A Tour de France breakaway only has a 2% chance of winning, so why join one? Every team bike at the 2026 Tour de France3. He has a string of major WorldTour victories in 2026 Del Toro won the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes in June. Del Toro lined up at the start of the Tour de France as one of the pelotons most prolific winners in 2026, thanks to overall wins at the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes.The latter previously known as the Critrium du Dauphin has long been seen as the key Tour de France warm-up race and, with Pogaar focusing on the Tour de Suisse, Del Toro took on leadership duties for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.With Pogaar winning the Tour de Suisse at a canter, UAE arrived at the Tour not only with the dominant Slovenian targeting a record-equalling fifth victory, but with del Toro making his debut as one of the strongest domestiques in the peloton. Indeed, del Toros credentials would make him team leader in just about any other squad.4. Tadej Pogaar thinks he could win the Tour de France Pogaar could have the ultimate ace to play in del Toro, in his fight with Jonas Vingegaard for the yellow jersey. Getty Images Del Toro has made an instant impact on the Tour de France, not only by winning stage two but by Pogaar effectively gifting his team-mate the win after the pair had distanced Jonas Vingegaard.Vingegaards Visma Lease-a-Bike squad may have fired the first warning shots at the Tour, having won stage ones team time trial, but Pogaar fired back instantly and underlined his ability when the road ramps up, and the strength of the team supporting him.Ahead of the 2026 Tour de France, defending champion Pogaar named his young UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate as a potential future Tour winner even joking that Del Toro could win this year's race."I don't think he (Vingegaard) is the only one who can come close, said Pogaar, who shared his press conference with del Toro. There are a few guys here who can aim for the victory, including this guy next to me."Pogaar is, of course, the favourite for the 2026 Tour, but, in del Toro, who has now signed a contract extension to 2029, he has one of the strongest riders in the race at his side.Its seven years since Team Ineos Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas finished first and second overall at the Tour de France. Dont rule out del Toro playing a major role in the GC while also supporting Pogaar.

Sepp Kuss refused to frame Jonas Vingegaards yellow jersey loss at Les Angles as a major setback, despite Tadej Pogacar taking both the stage win and the race lead on stage 3 of the 2026 Tour de France. Vingegaard finished second behind his biggest rival after a short uphill sprint that played stra...

Tadej Pogaar sprang to victory on stage three of the Tour de France on Monday, taking the yellow jersey in the process.Launched across the finish line by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate, and yesterdays stage winner Isaac del Toro, Pogaar took an impressive win on the ascent to Les Angles, securing a two-second gap over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). As a result of count back, he now has the race lead.Richard Carapaz took third place on a day when his EF EducationEasyPost teammate Alex Baudin led a spirited breakaway and took the KOM jersey. More to follow

As the Tour de France continues, Zwift has doubled the size of its Paris map with eight new rides, which include the divisive Montmartre climb.The Paris Zwift world was originally created for the Virtual Tour de France, held on the indoor training app in 2020. The route replicated the ceremonial closing stage of the mens Tour de France, which ended on the Champs-lyses.But the new update, which you can ride from today, approximately doubles Zwifts Paris map and includes the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre climb that was first raced last year and returns for the 2026 Tour de France route.Zwift says its Montmartre KOM is short, sharp and built to sting, and appears alongside three new sprints: the glise Sprint, Tchou Tchou Sprint and Monceau Sprint.The Montmartre climb was raced at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games before being included in last years edition of the Tour.Ahead of its inclusion, race favourites expressed concern over the inclusion of the cobbled climb. Remco Evenepoel highlighted how the GC favourites might lose position and therefore time, while Jonas Vingegaard stressed how narrow the old road is. Sprinter Jonathan Milan said he preferred the previous route.Yet the closing stage delivered a dramatic finale to last years race. Tadej Pogacar attacked from the bottom of the climb before Wout van Aert counterattacked to take the stage.New Zwift Paris map routes This map shows the new roads on the expanded Zwift Paris map. Zwift Zwifters wont have to fight or space on the virtual climb or feel cobbles under their turbo trainers, but there are eight new rides to explore in the expanded Paris Map. Crpe Escape (1.64km / 113m) takes in the Champs-lyses and the Montmartre climb in a single loop. La Boucle (16km / 118m) is a single loop with the Montmartre climb before a sprint finish on the Champs-lyses. Paris Toujours (69.2km / 448) includes three laps of the Champs-lyses followed by three laps including the Champs-Elysees and Montmartre KOM via Eglise Sprint. Heart of Montmatre (74.5km / 500m) has three laps around the Champs-lyses and three laps combining the Champs-lyses and the Montmartre KOM via the Monceau Sprint. Double Espresso (30.5km / 222m) has two shots of the Champs-lyses with two more of the Montmartre KOM. Montmartre Mixer (25.2km / 190m) covers all the roads in the Paris map. Loop de loop de loop (7.2km / 36m) is a short Paris spin that is fast paced.Zwift has also included two runs Rues in Rythme and Paris Pacer taking the total number of routes to 10. More on the 2026 Tour de France Isaac del Toro's stage-winning Colnago V5Rs may sit exactly on the UCI weight limit Fans told to avoid Tour de France stage 3 due to major wildfires A Tour de France breakaway only has a 2% chance of winning, so why join one? We weighed Tadej Pogaars 2026 Tour de France bike and its heavier than you might think Jonas Vingegaards Cervlo S5 for the 2026 Tour de France is bang on the UCIs 6.8kg weight limit Can the Tour de France ever be Pogaar-proof? The race organisers face a near-impossible task These 2 Tour de France rule changes could reshape the 2026 race Cycling just got weirder Netcompany-Ineos adopt peculiar tactic for Tour de France team time trial

As our ears still resonate from the celebratory explosions that marked our great nations 250th birthday, let us also pay tribute to that other enduring symbol of freedom: the velocipede.As a Cervino owner I am always heartened to see an old Nishiki still in regular service:And as a vintage bonded Trek enthusiast I will never cease to be amazed at the cockroach-like resiliency of that particular species:But for today let us go even further back in time, to July 3rd, 1879, when one Wentworth Rollins undertook what would eventually become the longest-ever bicycle ride in these United States (or those United States, there were only like 38 of them then) at the time:[All articles via the New York Times]An oudoor sports enthusiast with no discernible source of income, lots of time to ride, and a WASPy name that suggested a trust fund or legacy of some kind, Wentworth Rollins was just the sort of person you might read about today on any number of cycling websites:I myself routinely ride to and from Tarrytown, and for most city cyclists today thats little more than an easy morning ride. But back then, between the limitations of the bicycle and the state of the roads, the one-way trip presumably took a full day and required an overnight stay:Ive actually mentioned Wentworth Rollins before, since short dispatches such as these are in stark contrast to the lengthy, self-congratulatory ride reports we read today:Though now that Im reading all these in sequence he did receive a fair number of column inches:Especially when he finally reached Saratoga:And decided to just keep riding:Which reinforces the idea that he didnt have to work:Today there is a plaque in Saratoga memorializing Rollinss accomplishments, which Ive noted when visiting the area:It is plaque-worthy, too, because here is what a Columbia ordinary bicycle with a 52-inch wheel looks like:And his route probably looked like this:[Via here]And that would have been the easy parts.Now, Im not sure whether the following is from before or after the big ride, but either way, around that time, Rollins was the present king of bicyclists in America:Even now the fever is spreading rapidly thanks chiefly to the efforts of Mr. Wentworth Rollins, the present king of bicyclists in America. He sells machines to people he can trust on installments and has a large stock of goods on hand which he sells below the usual prices to beginners.And with the country in the grip of bicycle fever and decent pennyfarthings starting at well over Two Thousand American Fun Tickets in todays money, maybe he wasnt a gentleman of leisure at all. Maybe he was just making big money selling bikes:The prices of bicycles range from $80 to $100, according to the size of wheel; the smallest being 42 inches in diameter, the largest 60 inches. The best way to get enjoyment out of the sport is to form a club of congenial spirits who will ride together. A single bicyclist is apt to attract too much attention in country places, and would often be insulted, where two or three together would meet with a hearty welcome. Moreover, company is elevating to the spirits.Yes, there was so much money in bikes in those days that by 1880 people were fighting over bags of money:As for Rollinss later years, the trail goes cold, though in 1911 someone named Wentworth Rollins writes Theodore Roosevelt in support of laws prohibiting marriage of incompetents:Heres my best attempt at a transcription:Dear Sir,The breeders of animal and vegetable, as you know, select the best for propagation while the human animal is retrograding; the lower increasingthe higher decreasing.If laws prohibiting marriage of incompetents were enacted, what a glorious race would result.It takes a strong man to advance such a propositionyou are the man.Wentworth RollinsToday California is the home of Silicon Valley, where visionaries build the future using revolutionary new tools such as AI. Back then it was much the same, only the hot concept wasnt AIit was eugenics, and Sonoma State Home was its Anthropic:Eugenics was a hallmark of the Progressive Era, espoused by figures such as Margaret Sanger, as Planned Parenthood themselves will tell you:Sanger believed in eugenics an inherently racist and ableist ideology that labeled certain people unfit to have children. Eugenics is the theory that society can be improved through planned breeding for desirable traits like intelligence and industriousness. In the early 20th century, eugenic ideas were popular among highly educated, privileged, and mostly white Americans. Margaret Sanger pronounced her belief in and alignment with the eugenics movement many times in her writings, especially in the scientific journal Birth Control Review.And in 1927 the Supreme Court decided that, yes, states can forcibly sterilize people, including the feeble-mindeda decision that, 99 years later, has never formally been overturned.Talk about a wild ride!

Tadej Pogacar has taken victory on stage 3 of the 2026 Tour de France, powering clear of his general classification rivals on the final rise to Les Angles after UAE Team Emirates XRG had spent the day dragging the race back from a dangerous breakaway. The Slovenian was delivered into position by I...

Good morning and welcome to the liveblog of the Tour de France. Today, the peloton says goodbye to Spain and crosses into France. A gruelling day awaits in the Pyrenees, with the riders set to tackle one tough day on the bike.Everything is set, and all that's missing is you. Join us and don't miss...

Jonas Vingegaard was not surprised to see Tadej Pogacar give up the chance of victory on stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France, even though the gesture helped UAE Team Emirates XRG close the gap to his yellow jersey. Isaac del Toro took the biggest win of his career in Barcelona after accelerating in...

This installment of Weekend Snapshot spotlights off-road rides around Finland, New Zealand, and the United States. Find a glimpse at what three folks from our global community were up to during their recent time away, and share something from one of your getaways here...The post Weekend Snapshot appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Tadej Pogacars decision to give up a possible stage win and allow his teammate Isaac del Toro to take victory on stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France has been described as a real flex against Jonas Vingegaard by the experts on UK broadcaster TNT Sports. Del Toro won in Barcelona after a dominant UA...