Del Toro makes surprising admission after Montréal win: ‘I didn’t feel so well’

Isaac del Toro added another major victory to his remarkable 2026 season at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, but the ease with which he eventually dispatched Paul Seixas did not tell the full story of his afternoon.

The 22-year-old admitted after the finish that he had struggled physically during parts of the race, having experienced a similarly difficult day at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec two days earlier.

“Sometimes we are human beings. Not every day will be super,” Del Toro said in the flash interview.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG entered the decisive phase of the race with several options and repeatedly placed riders into dangerous moves. Adam Yates spent time up the road, while Brandon McNulty was active deeper into the final before eventually finishing third.

Del Toro, meanwhile, was tasked with staying alert to the biggest attacks behind.

“We tried to be with numbers in the final,” he explained. “Everybody was so strong in our team. Adam [Yates] was in the breakaway, then Brandon [McNulty] went with Quinn Simmons and I tried to follow the big moves behind.

“In the end, we had a pretty good situation for us. They put me in the position to try to fight for the victory.”

That position proved decisive when Seixas made his move on the final ascent of the Côte Camillien-Houde.

The 19-year-old Frenchman accelerated away from a highly selective group with less than 12 kilometres remaining and quickly opened a gap. Del Toro did not immediately follow, instead measuring his effort before bridging across near the summit.

Once Del Toro made contact, the pair quickly began working together to keep the chasers at bay.

Seixas attempted another acceleration on the rising road inside the final four kilometres, but Del Toro was ready for it. At the finish, the Mexican proved too quick, launching first and immediately opening daylight between himself and the Frenchman.

It was another smartly judged finale from Del Toro, who has repeatedly got his tactics right this season.

Asked whether he had become a smarter racer over the past year, Del Toro was not so sure.

“I don’t know what’s going on with this,” he said. “Sometimes I just disconnect and try to do the smart thing.”

Rather than putting his results down to any major tactical change, Del Toro pointed to steady physical progress.

“Year by year my body is reacting well. We don’t put pressure on it and I’m super happy to take these kinds of results. It’s insane this year.”

The race itself had not been straightforward for UAE. After setting a hard tempo early on, the team eased off before becoming increasingly active again in the final.

Del Toro said that was partly down to the way the race was unfolding, but also because he was struggling with his own sensations.

“It was a strange situation at the beginning of the race. We didn’t understand the other teams so much,” he said.

“We decided to put a normal pace, but then I didn’t feel so well and they supported me. We tried again in the final part of the race.”

The timing of the victory will also attract attention, with the World Championships just two weeks away and the men’s road race set to cover many of the same roads in Montréal.

Del Toro kept his assessment of what Sunday’s result might mean for September 27 rather simple, saying with a laugh: “It means a good situation for Mexico.”

After another demonstration of strength and tactical precision, few of his rivals are likely to disagree.