{"id":487892,"date":"2026-02-18T12:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/487892\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T12:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:26:08","slug":"he-has-a-huge-heart-hes-polite-grateful-and-respectful-how-champion-isaac-del-toro-endeared-himself-to-uae-bosses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/487892\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHe has a huge heart. He\u2019s polite, grateful and respectful\u201d \u2013 How \u201cchampion\u201d Isaac del Toro endeared himself to UAE bosses"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nAfter a breakthrough 2025 campaign, Del Toro has carried that momentum straight into the new season, winning early<\/a> and racing with the assurance of a rider no longer finding his feet, but asserting his place.From breakthrough to backbone<\/p>\n

The turning point came last season. Del Toro did not simply collect results, he changed his standing within the team. Victories such as Milano\u2013Torino announced his one-day pedigree, while the Giro d\u2019Italia confirmed something deeper.<\/p>\n

At the Italian Grand Tour, he won a stage, assumed leadership during the race, and pushed all the way to second overall. That performance marked the moment he ceased to be viewed internally as a future option and became part of UAE\u2019s present.<\/p>\n

His second half of 2025 only reinforced that impression, and his form has carried seamlessly into this year.<\/p>\n

Trust inside a star-studded structure<\/p>\n

What has stood out as much as the results is Del Toro\u2019s ability to function within one of the most competitive environments in modern cycling. UAE\u2019s roster is packed with established leaders, yet Del Toro has shown he can balance personal ambition with collective responsibility.<\/p>\n

That adaptability is central to why the team are confident in his development, particularly as attention turns towards the Tour de France<\/a>.Speaking to Marca<\/a>, team manager Joxean Matxin<\/a> was keen to emphasise that Del Toro\u2019s value extends well beyond watts and results.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very good person, he has a huge heart, he\u2019s polite, grateful and respectful,\u201d Matxin said. \u201cHe\u2019s a champion. When he has to take on responsibility, he does it, and when he has to work for a teammate, he does so happily. I have nothing but words of gratitude for Isaac.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning the Tour, not carrying it<\/p>\n

Crucially, UAE are clear about the context in which Del Toro\u2019s Tour de France experience will unfold. This will not be a baptism of fire, nor an exercise in burdening a young rider with unrealistic expectations.<\/p>\n

Instead, Matxin sees value in proximity. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very important,\u201d he said of Del Toro\u2019s Tour participation. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that it will be his first time, but it\u2019s also good that he races with the spotlight on Tadej Pogacar, because he is the reference point internationally in every race he rides.\u201d<\/p>\n

That dynamic, he believes, will accelerate Del Toro\u2019s learning curve. \u201cThat will really benefit Isaac, because he will learn from the rider with the most experience and from a cyclist who knows how to manage the Tour de France in the best possible way.\u201d<\/p>\n

A trajectory, not a leap<\/p>\n

For UAE Team Emirates – XRG, the message is consistent. Del Toro is not being rushed, but neither is he being held back. His development is being layered carefully, with exposure, responsibility and protection applied in measured doses.<\/p>\n

The results of 2025 proved he belongs among the elite. The early signs of 2026 suggest that status is no longer provisional.<\/p>\n

As Del Toro continues to deliver, the Tour de France now looms not as a test of survival, but as the next stage in a progression built as much on trust and character as it is on performance.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a breakthrough 2025 campaign, Del Toro has carried that momentum straight into the new season, winning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239972,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,93896,195864,85,2845,19805],"class_list":["post-487892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-isaac-del-toro","tag-joxean-matxin","tag-sports","tag-tour-de-france","tag-uae-team-emirates-xrg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}