Barcelona, Spain — Mexican cyclist Isaac Del Toro claimed a historic victory in Stage 2 of the Tour de France on Sunday, outsprinting his UAE Team Emirates leader Tadej Pogacar at the summit of Montjuïc hill in Barcelona.
In his debut appearance at the Grand Boucle, the 22-year-old Del Toro crossed the line first, with Pogacar deliberately holding back to hand the win to his lieutenant. Remco Evenepoel finished third, and overall leader Jonas Vingegaard placed fourth, both with the same time as the winner.
The decisive moment came on the final 800-meter climb at a 7% gradient leading to the finish line near the Olympic Stadium. The main contenders tested each other amid a deafening roar from the crowd, while explosive riders like Mathieu van der Poel had already been dropped.
Pogacar, who appeared strong enough to attack but chose not to, erupted with joy at the finish, slapping Del Toro on the shoulders as the Mexican pointed back at his leader in gratitude. Del Toro then collapsed to the ground in exhaustion before the pair celebrated their collective effort, which had been set up earlier by teammate Brandon McNulty, who significantly reduced the peloton.
This is Del Toro’s first Tour de France stage win. The recent winner of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and runner-up in the 2025 Giro d’Italia, he could aspire to a leadership role on any team and serves as a solid Plan B for UAE if Pogacar encounters problems.
In the general classification, Vingegaard — winner of the team time trial with Visma-Lease a Bike on Saturday — retains a six-second lead over Pogacar and 15 seconds over Evenepoel. Del Toro sits fourth, 16 seconds back, while French prodigy Seixas, who dealt with a puncture and bike change in the final 40 kilometers, is sixth, 42 seconds off the yellow jersey.
