The star Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro will be UAE Team Emirates’ strongest contender for next week’s 65th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country, a traditional race also known as La Itzulia Basque Country.
The Ensenada native leads the United Arab Emirates team, which will attempt to defend its title in this demanding stage race, taking place from April 6 to 11. Del Toro Romero will team up with Igor Arrieta, Felix Grossschartner, Brandon McNulty, Domen Novak, Adria Pericas, and Marc Soler.
Isaac del Toro hopes to maintain his strong performance in the current UCI World Tour season after winning the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, both stage races in which the Baja Californian demonstrated his prowess.
Furthermore, Del Toro Romero proved crucial in the one-day battle at Milano-San Remo, providing the crucial support that world-class rider Tadej Pogacar needed to secure the victory in the Italian race.
This will be the third time in his career that the Mexican rider has tackled the Tour of the Basque Country, aiming to repay the UAE Team Emirates’ vote of confidence. In his first participation in 2024, he finished seventh overall and once in the top ten; his then-teammate, Spaniard Juan Ayuso, took the title.
In 2025, Del Toro finished fifteenth overall and twice placed in the top ten, while Portuguese rider Joao Almeida was the winner. In both editions, the Mexican completed all six stages.
Isaac del Toro is ready to make a strong push in this Spanish race, aiming to maintain his position among the elite of world cycling. He is, after all, considered one of the best on the planet, although there’s no doubt he’ll need the support of UAE Team Emirates, which will have Andrej Hauptman and Simone Pedrazzini as team directors from the car.
“This will be my third time at the Itzulia, and I’m very excited. It’s a place with a great cycling tradition. The fans are very passionate about cycling, and that makes it special. The first part of the season has gone very well; I’m happy with my results, and I hope we can capitalize on this good start to the season this week,” said Isaac del Toro ahead of the competition that starts this Monday.
Besides Isaac del Toro as the favorite to be crowned in La Itzulia 2026, there are other high-caliber names such as Paul Seixas, Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso, Mikel Landa, Ben Healy, Pello Bilbao, Antonio Tiberi, Cian Uijtdebroeks, to mention a few, so the task will not be entirely easy for the Mexican.
Source: https://oem.com.mx