Isaac del Toro won stage two of the 2026 Tour de France with a late attack in Barcelona, giving UAE Team Emirates-XRG a one-two finish ahead of Tadej Pogačar.
The Mexican champion launched in the final 500 metres after closing down Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek. He then held off the favourites on the uphill run to the line.
Pogačar finished second after attacking from behind, while Remco Evenepoel placed third for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Jonas Vingegaard finished fourth and retained the yellow jersey for Visma-Lease a Bike.
The result cut Vingegaard’s lead over Pogačar from 12 seconds to six seconds. Evenepoel moved to third overall, 15 seconds down.
Isaac del Toro makes Tour history for Mexico
Del Toro’s victory was his first Tour de France stage win and came on his race debut. It also ended a 36-year wait for a Mexican stage winner at the Tour.
Raúl Alcalá had been the last Mexican rider to win a Tour stage, taking stage seven in 1990.
Del Toro described the moment as overwhelming after the finish. He said the emotion was immense, especially for Mexico, and called the situation “insane”.
The UAE rider explained that the team had planned for a Pogačar move. However, the gap opened after his chase of Skjelmose, so he continued to the finish.
Del Toro also said such opportunities rarely arrive, adding that he felt proud to handle the situation.
His win continued a rapid rise since he won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2023. He later became a major figure in Mexican sport and won the country’s Sportsperson of the Year award in 2025.
That honour followed his near victory at the Giro d’Italia, where he came within one day of overall success.
UAE control the Montjuïc finale
The stage was billed as a Grand Tour day with one-day Classic characteristics. The finale featured three ascents of the Côte du Château de Montjuïc.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlled much of the decisive phase. Brandon McNulty set a strong tempo and discouraged early attacks from rival contenders.
On the final climb, Tobias Halland Johannessen attacked for Uno-X Mobility. Richard Carapaz responded for EF Education First-EasyPost before Skjelmose launched on the descent.
Del Toro led the chase from the reduced favourites group. He rounded Skjelmose with 500 metres remaining and accelerated toward the line.
Vingegaard initially followed the Mexican champion. He then moved toward Pogačar, who had attacked on the other side of the road.
That hesitation gave Del Toro enough space to secure the stage. Pogačar followed home for second, completing a dominant UAE finish.
Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM and Juan Ayuso of Lidl-Trek limited their losses. They conceded three seconds to Pogačar and Vingegaard on the stage.
Breakaway caught before the Barcelona circuit
Three riders formed the early breakaway after several teams showed interest. Felix Engelhardt, Alex Molenaar and Frank van den Broek built a lead near four minutes.
The opening 80 kilometres passed with little major action before the intermediate sprint. Molenaar took the full 25 points from the break.
Behind, Biniam Girmay outsprinted Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen. It marked an early sign of his ambitions to regain the green jersey he won in 2024.
The second-category Côte de Begues then started to reshape the stage. Molenaar led over the top, while Van den Broek dropped from the move.
UAE increased the pressure through Florian Vermeersch, and the break’s margin fell below 30 seconds.
Del Toro suffered a mechanical issue with 60 kilometres remaining and dropped far behind the peloton. He waited by the roadside, then chased back from two and a half minutes down.
The line of team cars helped him return without further problems. Seixas also punctured as the peloton reached the final circuit but regained contact.
Engelhardt and Molenaar were caught before the Montjuïc laps began.
Stage two and general classification results
Stage two top 10
- 1. Isaac del Toro, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, 3:40:01
- 2. Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, same time
- 3. Remco Evenepoel, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, same time
- 4. Jonas Vingegaard, Visma-Lease a Bike, same time
- 5. Mattias Skjelmose, Lidl-Trek, same time
- 6. Tobias Halland Johannessen, Uno-X Mobility, same time
- 7. Romain Grégoire, Groupama-FDJ United, same time
- 8. Lenny Martinez, Bahrain Victorious, same time
- 9. Paul Seixas, Decathlon-CMA CGM, same time
- 10. Tom Pidcock, Pinarello-Q36.5, +3 seconds
General classification top 10
- 1. Jonas Vingegaard, Visma-Lease a Bike, 4:01:48
- 2. Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +6 seconds
- 3. Remco Evenepoel, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +15 seconds
- 4. Isaac del Toro, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +16 seconds
- 5. Juan Ayuso, Lidl-Trek, +19 seconds
- 6. Paul Seixas, Decathlon-CMA CGM, +42 seconds
- 7. Romain Grégoire, Groupama-FDJ United, +44 seconds
- 8. Florian Lipowitz, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +45 seconds
- 9. Lenny Martinez, Bahrain Victorious, +53 seconds
- 10. Tom Pidcock, Pinarello-Q36.5, +1:00
Stage three remains uncertain. Local officials must decide whether wildfires in the region will force cancellation of the planned stage into Les Angles.