UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Del Toro claims opening stage of UAE Tour

Mexican sensation Isaac Del Toro kicked off the 2026 UAE Tour in thrilling fashion on Monday, powering to victory on Stage 1 and claiming the first leader’s jersey of the race for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The young star’s bold racing under challenging wind conditions set the tone for a spectacular opening day at the premier World Tour cycling event in the Middle-East.

The stage, originally planned at 144 km from Madinat Zayed to Liwa Palace, was shortened to 118 km due to strong crosswinds across exposed desert roads - a move made to protect rider safety. Even with the route reduction and tricky conditions, the race delivered drama, highlighted by a late crash that took out several contenders, including sprint favourite Jonathan Milan, and a fast, uphill finish where Del Toro launched his decisive attack.

After some exceptional teamwork and positioning, Del Toro made his move in the closing metres, riding powerfully out of the final drag to outpace Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) in a reduced sprint. The Mexican’s timing and strength in the finale were impeccable, showcasing his explosive speed and confidence against top-level competition - and putting UAE Team Emirates-XRG in prime position for the week ahead.

Speaking seconds after the stage finish, the stage winner and first Red Jersey Del Toro said: “This is really crazy and unbelievable. I was thinking there might be a chance but that was a dream, not being realistic. During the stage I questioned my teammates if they could see this properly happening but it’s still crazy that I’ve made it.

“I saw a possibility to try and win. I didn’t want to finish the race with any regrets. I saw a rider opening a gap so I went but while I was sprinting I didn’t know where the other riders were.

“I went full gas. Like two years ago at the Tour Down Under, winning in the first race of the year is something you want but it’s even better to do it for my team here in the UAE.”

Del Toro added: “The team was incredible, I’d like to thank them all for what they did. It was one of my first days experiencing this kind of wind, it made things really hard.

“It’s nice to have a lead but I’ll keep my feet on the ground, there are many hard stages to come. We all know Remco is unbelievably fast on the TT bike so I’ll aim to be as close as I can be to him or the same as him, or even better.”

Del Toro now wears the leader’s jersey as the UAE Tour shifts focus to an individual time trial on Stage 2 and the first of the climbing tests later in the week. Today’s triumph marks a perfect start to the season for the Mexican rider and will delight the home crowds.

Morgado delivers sprint victory to win Figueira Champions Classic: Antonio Morgado has delivered a brave and decisive sprint victory to win the 2026 Figueira Champions Classic -marking a superb result for UAE Team Emirates-XRG and adding another triumph to the team’s early season success.

Morgado once again proved unstoppable in Figueira da Foz, holding off a strong challenge from Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) in the final metres to become the first rider to defend the title in the race’s four-edition history.

The 177.8 km single-day race, part of the UCI ProSeries, unfolded under challenging coastal winds that split the race and animated the finale.

A breakaway moved clear early, and with around 6 km to go, a select group including Morgado, Aranburu, and Brandon McNulty had formed after strong attacks on the rolling circuits.

In the closing kilometres, Morgado responded tactfully, staying close to Aranburu’s initial sprint before unleashing his own powerful kick to take the win – his second consecutive victory at this event and the second of the 2026 season following his earlier success at the Trofeo Calvià.

The win marks the second victory of the day for the Emirati squad as Marc Soler took the overall victory at the Vuelta Murcia.

The race was neutralised during stage 2 due to heavy winds which was deemed unsafe and halted proceedings.