Isaac Del Toro delivered one of the defining performances of the 2026 season today, riding to a powerful solo victory on Stage 6 of the 2026 UAE Tour atop Jebel Hafeet to take the stage win and the overall race lead for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Isaac Del Toro delivered one of the defining performances of the 2026 season today, riding to a powerful solo victory on Stage 6 of the 2026 UAE Tour atop Jebel Hafeet to take the stage win and the overall race lead for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
The much-anticipated showdown between Del Toro and Antonio Tiberi lived up to expectations, with the Mexican national champion playing his cards perfectly by launching two attacks in the final five kilometres. The second move, unleashed with 2.5 km to go, proved decisive: Tiberi was first dropped, then later caught and passed by Luke Plapp and Felix Gall, who completed the stage podium. In the general classification, Del Toro now leads by 20 seconds over Tiberi and 1’14” over Plapp, who moves onto the provisional podium at the expense of Harold Tejada. The eighth edition of the UAE Tour will conclude tomorrow in Abu Dhabi, with the final stage finishing at Abu Dhabi Breakwater, a day expected to favour the sprinters.
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner and new Red Jersey Isaac Del Toro said: “A lot of people think that we have lot of pressure in the team for the UAE Tour. For sure it’s important to win our home race, but I put more pressure on myself to deliver a good performance than my team does. If I win the overall tomorrow, it will be me first WorldTour stage race, it’s very important for me to reach that target. It would make me a different cyclist, so I’ll be even more focused and attentive tomorrow. Tadej Pogacar told me to enjoy this race, try and win it but never look back, whatever happens. I’m proud of what we did as a team”.
Stage 6 Brief Results:
- Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 3:27:54
- Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) +12”
- Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) +21”
General Classification After Stage 6:
- Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 18:13:42
- Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) +20”
- Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) +1’14”
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