Mexico’s Isaac del Toro achieved one of the greatest accomplishments in professional cycling by winning Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France.
The Ensenada native proved to be the strongest rider in the final sprint, crossing the finish line hand-in-hand with his UAE Team Emirates teammate and race leader, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar.
UAE Team Emirates finished first and second on a demanding day that saw the race favorites separate themselves from the rest of the peloton on the climb to Montjuïc Castle. The 168.5-kilometer (104.7-mile) stage through Barcelona was completed in 3 hours, 40 minutes and 1 second.
Overcome with emotion, del Toro broke into tears as he crossed the finish line. Moments later, he collapsed to the ground and embraced Pogačar, celebrating the biggest victory of his young career.
Overcoming adversity on the climb
The win came despite early adversity. Del Toro lost more than a minute after suffering a mechanical problem that forced him to change bikes. He fought back to rejoin the lead group before the halfway point of the stage and steadily worked his way into contention.
His most impressive effort came on the final descent, where he dropped Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, one of the race favorites, before joining Pogačar in the decisive move to the finish.
Del Toro’s performance showed his versatility, excelling on flat roads, climbs and technical descents. Although Pogačar could have claimed the stage victory himself, he acknowledged his teammate’s effort by allowing the Mexican to cross the finish line first for his maiden Tour de France stage win.
Historic victory for Mexican cycling
The victory marked the third Tour de France stage won by a Mexican rider. Raúl Alcalá claimed two stage victories in 1989 and 1990, and del Toro became only the second Mexican cyclist to win a Tour stage.
In addition to the stage victory, del Toro moved closer to the top of the overall standings while taking possession of both the green points jersey and the white jersey awarded to the race’s best young rider.
For the first time during the 2026 Tour de France, Mexico’s national anthem was played on the podium in Barcelona.
“What we do is incredible,” del Toro said after his historic victory.
This article was prepared using information published by El Sudcaliforniano (OEM).
