Isaac del Toro, the Mexican sensation and UAE teammate, is Slovenian superstar’s most unpredictable rival to Rwanda rainbow repeat.
Pogacar, left, and Del Toro trained together Friday. (Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
Updated September 26, 2025 03:58PM
Tadej Pogačar lines up Sunday as the undisputed five-star favorite to defend his rainbow jersey at the UCI road worlds, but his most dangerous rival may be sitting just across the dinner table all year with Isaac del Toro.
The Mexican second-year pro has been on fire coming into Rwanda, stacking 11 wins since July and lighting up the back half of 2025.
In a sport where momentum can trump everything, no one is rolling in hotter into Kigali than “El Torito.”
The “Little Bull” signaled his intent in Sunday’s time trial by blazing to fifth in his first crack at the elite men’s race, less than five seconds off the podium, and only three seconds slower than Pogačar.
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Even humble, Del Toro isn’t pumping his own chest before Sunday’s showdown with the boss.
“It means nothing,” Del Toro said of his TT ride. “I just start to work, assuming I am the worst guy in the peloton and work step by step. Maybe I am not, but I like to play like this, and let the legs speak during the races.”
That humility masks sharp legs and growing confidence, and on Rwanda’s climb-heavy circuit, Del Toro may be the one rider Pogačar truly has to worry about.
Pogačar will be watching Del Toro
Pogačar and Del Toro previewed the world’s course Friday. (Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Pogačar remains the five-star top favorite despite his rare off-day in the time trial, when Evenepoel passed him late and denied him a spot on the podium.
As long as Pog packs anywhere close to the same watts Sunday that he carried in Zurich last year, the only question could be who stands on the podium behind him.
Pogačar downplayed the severity of the course on Thursday, noting that the steep Mount Kigali comes with 100km still to ride, too far for a long solo even for himself. Or is he bluffing?
He pointed out the usual suspects like Evenepoel, but he also recognized that those he races with all season long at UAE will be wheels worth marking.
“Remco has shown in the time trial that he has good legs,” Pogacar said Thursday. “There are also teammates from UAE who are doing well. And then there’s Pidcock, who made a strong Vuelta.”
That acknowledgment from “Pog the King” raises Del Toro to threat-level usurper of the throne.
Unproven over monument distance
Del Toro blew up late in the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa in August. (Photo: Antonio Baixauli/Getty Images)
Despite the hype, the Mexican still carries some major unknowns into Sunday.
Del Toro’s biggest challenge could be the distance of Sunday’s elite men’s road race that could push beyond seven hours of racing.
Del Toro has hardly raced more than 200km, and he’s never won a race that long. His biggest chance came at Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa in August at 211km, where he cracked late.
He ripped through Italian one-dayers last month — reeling off four wins in five starts — but none stretched beyond 200km.
Worlds is a different beast at 268km, with altitude, heat, and humidity adding to the misery.
Only a handful of riders on the start list — Pogačar, Mohorič, Roglič and Evenepoel — have monument wins etched onto their palmarès.
It’s in that magical sixth hour-plus of racing where the real suffering starts and the big champions emerge.
That’s what makes Del Toro both unproven and unpredictable in Rwanda. Nobody knows what he can do six hours deep.
Freelancing for the rainbow
Del Toro will count with only two teammates from the Mexican selection on Sunday. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Another strike against Del Toro on Sunday is team depth.
On Sunday, he lines up with just two teammates on the Mexican team, and neither is expected to survive beyond Mount Kigali with still more than 100km to go.
Del Toro will be freelancing for most of the race.
In contrast, Slovenia packs an armada of confident and determined WorldTour pros all in support of Pogačar. That’s a big wedge for the defending champ.
Del Toro is also still learning the tactical ropes of top-level racing. It’s easy when you have the legs to ride everyone off your wheel, but his late-race collapse at the Giro d’Italia — when he lost pink to Visma-Lease a Bike’s Simon Yates — was something that Del Toro will take some lessons from.
Del Toro will have to race conservatively — something he’s not used to — and save his matches for the last few laps.
If he does that, he might have a chance in Sunday’s rumble in Rwanda.
Pogačar still the benchmark
Pogačar could write more pages of history if he defends his Zurich victory Sunday. (Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
The brutal nature of Sunday’s course plays to Pogačar’s favor.
The parcours rolls over nine laps on a longer circuit before the mid-race sting at Mount Kigali ahead of seven more laps on the closing circuit that features two climbs to close out the race.
The big question on Sunday is not when but where Pogačar will choose to attack.
“The longer climb at Mount Kigali should suit me best. The only problem is that it is still far from the finish line,” Pogačar said. “From me, they should have put it closer to the finish line.
“We’ll see on Sunday if it’s one of the toughest world championships ever. I don’t think the course is that hard,” he said. “You have two climbs in the circuit, but there is also a lot of descent in it, and you get those kilometers for free.”
And when Pogačar does jump, will anyone dare to go with him? Almost no one has in the past 24 months, and the ones who’ve tried soon regret it.
If Pogačar strikes early, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, or Britain will need to react quickly. Nobody wants Pogačar to get away too soon and too far, like he did in last year’s 100km solo raid.
Del Toro will need to be there to hitch a ride.
What Pogačar won’t want to do is to roll into the final circuits with a reduced group, where someone like Michael Matthews, or even Del Toro, could surprise in a small-sprint finish.
UAE vs. UAE?
Del Toro lit up the time trial with fifth, just 5 seconds off the podium. (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
And then there’s the trade team dynamic. UAE Emirates-XRG sends at least four riders who could realistically be in the medal mix. Along with Del Toro, there’s Juan Ayuso, Jay Vine, and Pavel Sivakov.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see UAE racers dominating in Kigali. The world No. 1 team comes packed with talent, but everyone’s racing for national jerseys on Sunday, not their trade teams.
Loyalties can blur in the race for the rainbow jersey, however. In the past, teammates have crossed their national lines to help out a top star on their trade team win.
On Sunday, it will be interesting to see if Pogačar’s UAE teammates are racing for him or against him. Pogačar and Del Toro are friends and even paced together Friday in a training ride over the world’s loop.
That’s what makes “El Torito” the most intriguing wild card in Kigali.
Of almost anyone else in the field, he’s the one packing the mojo to take on Pogi. And the past two years racing alongside Pogačar could mean the Mexican might have picked up a thing or two for Sunday.
If Del Toro packs the matches to extend what he can do in five-hour races into Sunday’s seven-hour marathon, he could stun the world.
For Pogačar, his biggest problem could be his frenemy within.