UAE coach raves about wonderkid and Vuelta debutant Del Toro: "He reminds me a bit of Pogacar"

In 2019, Tadej Pogacar debuted as a neo-professional with a third-place finish in the Vuelta a España, and in 2022, then-neo-professional Juan Ayuso followed in his footsteps. Should we expect something similar from Isaac Del Toro, who will make his debut as a first-year professional in the Vuelta a España this August? UAE trainer Giacomo Notari, speaking with Bici Pro, believes so.

The 20-year-old Mexican is off to a flying start in 2024, having been signed by UAE-Team Emirates last year after his overall victory in the Tour de l'Avenir. He signed a contract that was already extended during this season until the end of 2029, reinforcing that strong commitment with impressive results. Third in the Tour Down Under (plus a stage win), fourth in the Tirreno-Adriatico, seventh in the Basque Country, stage and overall victory in the Vuelta a Asturias, and thirteenth in the Tour of Switzerland, where he worked as a domestique. These are results that any average WorldTour rider would be happy with, but Del Toro is far from average.

Notari reveals that the top talent was not initially slated to ride a grand tour in 2024, just as Pogacar and Ayuso weren’t supposed to in their first year as professionals. But what's good often comes quickly. "In January, the Vuelta wasn't on the schedule, but when we saw his results, we decided to let him start with an eye to the future. The Vuelta will be an experience that will help him grow. Racing alongside riders like Soler, Yates and Almeida... These are the kind of riders you can only learn from. There are no expectations for the general classification. He will come down from altitude training on August 8, race the Clasica San Sebastián, and then head to Lisbon."

Read more below the photo.

UAE Team Emirates sees possible new Pogacar in Del Toro

Notari, who usually oversees the development team of UAE-Team Emirates, also gave some more insights on what type of rider and person Del Toro is. "His talent is partly because of his natural abilities, but he also trains extremely hard. He is a very strong climber, who is also very explosive. He has an incredible punch, with a lot of power behind it for short bursts. In that sense, he is the prototype of a winner. Take it with a grain of salt, but he reminds me a bit of Pogacar."

Not a bad comparison, one might say. And it's not an idle one. "Isaac likes to talk, and his data shows that he performs at a high level. He is very eager to learn and curious, but at the same time, he trusts the people around him. Of course, there are areas for improvement, but you need those margins to continue growing. It's great that he trusts everyone and doesn't ask a thousand questions that only drain energy. He wants to know everything but does what he's told. No one in our team expected him to have such a strong first year, although he could sometimes believe in himself a bit more."