Despite knee pain, Del Toro shows Il Lombardia form with sharp Gran Piemonte attack
The Mexican revealed he was suffering with knee pain before the start, but his legs were fine when he went on the attack in the finale of the race, confirming he will be a contender at Il Lombardia on Saturday.
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The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider was caught with 1.5km to go after attacking with the finale with Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Del Toro managed to drop Fisher-Black over the top of the climb to La Morra with 17km to go, but they then joined forces on the flat roads. They were unable to stay away, but Del Toro made an impressive cameo just 48 hours before Il Lombardia
Beyond the finish line in Bra, Del Toro drank a cherry juice and held his nose to hide the strong taste of a bottle of ketones, but both were vital to help his recovery after his effort. He eventually finished behind the main peloton but had no regrets about his attack, which was designed to test his form and set up his teammates.
"There was a headwind and so it was not easy to stay away but we tried," Del Toro told reporters.
"We had a chance to win and we can be happy with the good sensations. My knee hurts a little bit but I feel pretty good."
Del Toro was racing for the first time since the World Championships in Canada, with the aim of accelerating his own recovery and final preparations for Saturday's Il Lombardia.
"I battled with jet lag a little and also have a slight knee pain but hopefully we'll be ok," Del Toro said before the start.
"I don't know why I have some knee pain. I have the same bike, the same shoes and everything. I started to have some problems after travelling.
"I've had a few days at home to recover and despite the knee pain things are good. Let's see how the legs are."
Del Toro's knee problem was clearly a concern but did not stop him racing aggressively. He won Gran Piemonte in 2026 and will join forces with McNulty and Adam Yates to take on Remco Evenepoel, Paul Seixas, Tom Pidcock, Oscar Onley and Giulio Ciccone at Il Lombardia.
While McNulty and Jhonatan Narváez will race on in Italy next week and at the Tour of Guangxi, respectively, Del Toro's 2026 season is expected to end on Saturday after il Lombardia.
He will have raced 60 days in 2026, including making a hugely successful debut at the Tour de France alongside Tadej Pogačar where he won a stage and finished third overall.
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