Isaac del Toro added to E3 Saxo Classic start list, set for cobbled debut?
The Mexican champion could make his first appearance on the cobbles this Friday.
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has reportedly been added to the provisional start list of the upcoming E3 Saxo Classic.
The race, also known as the “Mini Tour of Flanders," has been dominated by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) in recent seasons, and the Dutchman is set to headline the start list once more in 2026, with Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) also pencilled in.
However, there’s another major star whose name has appeared on the provisional start list, and that is Del Toro, as race organiser Jacques Coussens told WielerFlits.
Del Toro has picked up this season where he left off in a prolific 2025. The Mexican started his year with two stage wins and his first WorldTour stage race GC win at the UAE Tour.
He then supported Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) to a record-breaking fourth victory at Strade Bianche, and managed to secure a third place himself.
Del Toro doubled up in terms of GC success by winning Tirreno-Adriatico and a stage win along the way, before supporting Pogačar once more to an elusive victory at Milan-San Remo.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG have yet to announce their line-up for the E3 Saxo Classic, so it remains to be seen if the Mexican features.
Based on Del Toro’s current provisional schedule, his next race is set to be the Itzulia Basque Country, which kicks off on April 6, and where he has the possibility to win a third consecutive WorldTour stage race in 2026.
From here, Del Toro is expected to ride the Ardennes double of La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 22 and 26.
The Mexican’s attention will then turn back to stage racing with the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Critérium du Dauphiné) beginning on June 7, before he will make his Tour de France debut on July 4.
A debut on the cobbles didn’t seem to be originally on the cards this season for Del Toro, but you wouldn’t put it past UAE and the Mexican with his proven versatility and the fact that Pogačar has spent many campaigns targeting both Classics and Grand Tour success.
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