For weeks, Isaac del Toro had to settle for watching the road from a different vantage point. As the calendar progressed and the major spring races unfolded, the Mexican traded mountain attacks for rehabilitation sessions, physical training, and a recovery marked by patience.
Now he returns to the place where he began building one of the most surprising seasons in world cycling. Del Toro will reappear from June 7-14 at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the French race that for decades was known as the Critérium du Dauphiné.
This event serves each year as a prelude to the Tour de France. It will be his first race since April 8, when a crash on the third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country abruptly halted the momentum he had built up during the first months of 2016.
The rider from Ensenada opened the season by winning the UAE Tour. Weeks later, he triumphed again at Tirreno-Adriatico, one of the most prestigious races on the calendar. Between these two victories, he also found time to reach the podium at Strade Bianche.
Each result fueled a growing conversation both inside and outside the peloton. The young Mexican was ceasing to be a promising talent and becoming an increasingly important member of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Then came the road.
The crash he suffered in the Basque Country resulted in a muscle tear in his right thigh and multiple abrasions. His withdrawal was immediate. It also brought a pause that no one had anticipated in a year that seemed to be flying by.
He’s back on the bike.
Almost two months later, his return will take place in a race designed to gauge strength before July. The mountains of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes typically attract some of the world’s best climbers and offer a fairly accurate snapshot of the form of those aspiring to shine in the Tour de France.
Not only is one of the most successful riders of the season returning, but he’s also back. Also returning is a rider still trying to regain his competitive form after a long absence.
I’m excited for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. “This is my first time in this race, and I hope it’s the start of a great summer competing in France,” said Del Toro in a statement released by UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
The Mexican rider confirmed that his training has progressed positively in recent weeks and acknowledged that he will face rivals who are using the race as preparation for the Tour de France. “It’s been quite a while since my last race, and I’m really looking forward to pinning on a race number again,” he stated.
Del Toro will be part of a team that includes João Almeida, Pavel Sivakov, Benoît Cosnefroy, Ivo Oliveira, Pablo Torres, and Kevin Vermaerke. The Emirati team is looking to repeat the success it has shown in recent seasons in a race it won last year thanks to Tadej Pogačar.
The 2026 edition also marks a new chapter for the competition. After decades as the Critérium du Dauphiné, the event officially adopted the name Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a change that reinforces its identity. regional stage of a race that traverses some of the most demanding terrain in French cycling.
For Del Toro, however, the name is the least important thing.
What matters is hearing the countdown before the start again, feeling the movement of the peloton once more, and seeing how much remains of the rider who strung together victories in the United Arab Emirates and Italy before a curve changed the course of his spring.
The recovery is behind him now. Now comes the part he enjoys most: returning to competition. © 2025 Imagen – Excélsior. All rights reserved. The content of this site and the print edition is protected by the Federal Copyright Law. Total or partial reproduction is prohibited without prior written authorization. Third-party material retains its own rights.