Isaac del Toro finished fifth in the elite men’s road race at the 2026 Road World Championships in Montréal. The result improved on his seventh place from 2025 and marked Mexico’s strongest performance in the event’s history, though the 22-year-old Mexican was visibly emotional and in tears after the finish.
“Very satisfied with the effort. We knew we could win. I left everything on the road—we tried everything, and maybe I should have positioned myself better for the sprint. Very satisfied with the effort, but not happy at all. We knew we could win; it’s a pity we didn’t. We came with a super mindset,” he said.
“Nothing was said to me except the rainbow jersey—that’s what we came for, that was the only mentality. We knew we didn’t have the numbers, but it wasn’t about that because we had the desire and the willingness to go all out. I think it was clear we came to win.”
Del Toro also highlighted the bigger picture for Mexican cycling: “Happy because we are healthy and safe, we tried, and we looked really strong as a nation. We made a big change. We didn’t win, but we took another step forward in ambition and in the mindset we bring to these kinds of races. We came to be present, and if the rest of the peloton rode a bit against us or took advantage of the fact that we had the strongest rider.”
His UAE Team Emirates teammate Brandon McNulty claimed the rainbow jersey.