Isaac Del Toro wins first Tour de France stage as Jonas Vingegaard keeps yellow jersey

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3 days · 7 summary articles
Isaac Del Toro claimed his first Tour de France stage victory on Sunday, outsprinting Tadej Pogačar in a thrilling finale atop Barcelona’s Montjuïc circuit as Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey with a six-second lead over the Slovenian champion.
The 22-year-old Mexican, making his Tour debut, crossed the line first after Pogačar—his UAE Team Emirates teammate—deliberately held back in a rare display of team unity. The gesture capped a dramatic second stage that saw Del Toro overcome a mechanical issue before launching a decisive late attack on the final ascent. “It was a fantastic day, really fantastic,” Pogačar told reporters afterward, praising his protégé’s composure under pressure .
Vingegaard, the two-time Tour champion, finished fourth but extended his overall lead to six seconds after Pogačar secured two bonus seconds at intermediate sprints. The Dane, visibly fatigued, wore a face mask at the start—a precaution following recent illness—and admitted to pushing his limits. “I was close to the limit today,” he told *Le Monde*, reflecting on the punishing climbs around Montjuïc .
The stage’s early drama included a chaotic crash involving Belgian sprinter Nacer Bouhanni, while a three-man breakaway—comprising Dutch duo Mathieu van den Broek and Nils Engelhardt, and France’s Baptiste Veistroffer—held a brief lead before being reeled in. Veistroffer, the first rider to attack from the peloton, was later disqualified for an illegal feed zone maneuver. Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel rounded out the podium in third, 12 seconds behind Del Toro, while German climber Florian Lipowitz slipped to eighth overall, 45 seconds adrift.
Pogačar’s tactical restraint—avoiding attacks despite dominating the climbs—highlighted UAE Team Emirates’ strategic depth. The team’s cohesion was evident in Del Toro’s victory, a first for a Mexican rider since Raúl Alcalá in 1990. “This is just the beginning,” Del Toro told *El Mundo*, his voice trembling with emotion as he celebrated on the podium .
The stage’s backdrop was overshadowed by wildfire threats in the Pyrenees, forcing organizers to monitor conditions ahead of Monday’s third stage. Vingegaard, ever mindful of his health, downplayed concerns. “I’m not sick, just cautious,” he said, donning the yellow jersey for the second consecutive day .
With the Tour now entering its mountainous phase, the question lingers: Can Vingegaard’s lead withstand Pogačar’s inevitable attacks, or will Del Toro’s emergence signal a new hierarchy in cycling’s most grueling race? One thing is certain—the 2026 Tour de France has already delivered a stage for the ages.
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