CyclistIsaac del Toro is taking 2026 by the hornsIsaac del Toros 2025 was quite something. Eighteen victories including two stage races and a close second place on his debut Giro dItalia made it a breakthrough season for the 22-year-old Mexican. As 2026 kicks into life, he looks to be cementing himself as UAEs next super-talent, rapidly rising up the pelotons rank of Grand Tour contenders.Pacing to victoryUAE Team Emirates XRGIt was first stage, first win for Del Toro at the UAE Tour in 2026 despite it being labelled as one for the sprinters. A crash in the final 2km ruled out Lidl-Treks Jonathan Milan, who won the same stage in 2025, and Del Toro utilised the slight incline to get a jump on the field, surprising the remaining sprinters and puncheurs to snatch victory.The first big GC test of the season came with new climb Jebel Mobrah on Stage 3. The 15km test was broken into two sections with a slight downhill in the middle before a second half rising to gradients up to 18%. in places It was after the brief lull that Del Toro slid back through the peloton to his teammate Adam Yates, dousing himself in bidons of water to cool down in the UAE heat before getting dropped by the rest of the GC contenders as they started to attack. However he was just biding his time, and as the other frontrunners dropped off one by one, the bull began to rampage, working his way through the field to finish second on the day just behind Bahrain Victoriouss Antonio Tiberi.It would be a different story on Jebel Hafeet on Stage 6. Del Toro stuck at the head of the race, powering away and shaking off Tiberi in the final 3km. His pace was so ferocious he took almost 40 seconds off the previous best time on the climb, albeit assisted by a tailwind.The seven days were expected to be a showdown between Del Toro and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohes new signing Remco Evenepoel, however that tussle barely got off the ground. Evenepoel fell away on Jebel Mobrah after winning the time-trial, and lost more time on Jebel Hafeet, ultimately finishing the race tenth overall.Whats next?Zac Williams - Pool/Getty ImagesDel Toro is pencilled in for Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and Itzulia Basque Country next. The white gravel roads of Tuscany are no doubt calling his name, it was here where he finished second behind Wout van Aert on Stage 9 of the Giro last year, propelling himself into the maglia rosa. UAE are heading to the race with a stacked lineup including defending champion Tadej Pogaar, so anything other than the victory will be a big disappointment. As for Milan-San Remo, its going to be all hands on deck helping the World Champion to tick it off, and with Jhonatan Narvez injured it likely up to Del Toro to deliver the finishing blow on the peloton.The stage races Tirreno-Adriatico and Itzulia Basque Country could prove solid hunting ground for Del Toro. With Pogaar and Joo Almeida at different races, hell have sole leadership to continue building his stage race collection, though it looks like hell face his stiffest competition of the year so far in Spain, with a face-off against former teammate Juan Ayuso and French rising star Paul Seixas on the cards.The Tour de France is the main target for Del Toro this year, though obviously not with the aim of taking the win himself. There is no better man to learn from, however, than the four-time champion looking to make it a record-tying five. Del Toro heads to France as the key superdomestique for Pogaar, and theres every chance at his current pace he could end up on the podium himself. Related Posts Bulls on parade: 6 talking points from the mens UAE Tour Is Remco Evenepoel too unreliable in stage races? Are Decathlon-CMA CGM cycling's new superteam in waiting? Cycling Spring Classics 2026: Race dates, Monuments, cobbles and live TV guide A shakeup of the hierarchyA.S.O./Charly LopezPrior to Del Toros stratospheric rise, the rung below Pogaar in the UAE Team Emirates XRG hierarchy was largely occupied by Almeida and Ayuso. but Del Toros rise and Ayusos departure certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons. Del Toro will spend his summer soaking up the sunshine in France as Pogaars lieutenant against former colleague Ayuso, while Almeida is given his chance for leadership at both the Giro and Vuelta.Almeida is a seasoned Grand Tour competitor at this point, but the 27-year-old is yet to win one, his best results a second place at the Vuelta in 2025 and third place at the Giro in 2023. With Del Toro snapping at his Portuguese teammates ankles for those Grand Tour leading roles, it might just be a race between the two to see who is firstNote: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.The post Isaac del Toro is taking 2026 by the horns appeared first on Cyclist.