The 2026 UAE Tour opened Monday with a shortened run from Madinat Zayed Majlis to Liwa Palace, and it was Mexico’s Isaac del Toro who took a very impressive win in the finale.
Originally slated for 144 km, Stage 1 was trimmed to 118 km because of high winds,. A lone early break animated the first half before being reeled in with just under 30 km to race, setting up the expected fight into the final 1.4-km kicker to Liwa Palace, averaging 4.2 percent.
Del Toro smashes it in finale
Right on cue, the pace went up with 11 km to go as teams formed up for positioning. A crash just before the red kite disrupted part of the bunch, but the favourites remained clear. Del Toro launched early on the uphill drag and held on to take the stage and the first leader’s jersey.
Among those in the mix behind him was Victoria’s Riley Pickrell, who finished seventh — the top Canadian on the day — in his first WorldTour race with Modern Adventure Pro Cycling.
“We had already done the AlUla Tour before this, so we’d started to learn about each other. But this was the first at this level. I think it went really well. A top 10 is a pretty big deal, and the boys worked really well for me,” he said.
On his new team
Pickrell credited his teammates for delivering him to the final climb in position, particularly in the tense run-in as the bunch stretched into single file across the desert highway.
“They’re learning how to ride as a team with a common goal,” he said. “It makes a difference in how we operate in races and how the morale is. From AlUla to here, you can see the progression.”
The 22-year-old joined the brand-new ProTeam run by former Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie, with another former Tour star, Bobby Julich, serving as directeur sportif. For Pickrell, that background shapes the environment. So far, he’s enjoying his time there.
“It feels like a team run by former riders, and they understand what it’s like to be a pro,” he said. “The management understands we’re not just names on a spreadsheet — we’re people. Our requests are heard, and even when the answer is no, they’re understood. That’s more than you get on a lot of teams.”
This shot is pure 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 ✨😍
Relive Isaac del Toro’s winning attack on UAE Tour 2026 Stage 1.
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🇦🇪 #UAETour pic.twitter.com/Wu9kTSL53w— Velon CC (@VelonCC) February 16, 2026
There are six stages still to come in the Emirates, including summit…
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