Isaac Del Toro thread

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Oct 4, 2020
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Del Toro doing crit race in Andora this weekend with Pogacar. So he'll not race the 2 Veneto races..

For me Del Toro still had 4 wins in him. 2x Veneto and 2x NC
Someone must have big pockets to stump up enough start money to draw them to the start.
 
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Sep 5, 2016
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Del Toro avoided a sprint, jumping and holding off big chase ..Isaac winning by 40 seconds at Giro del Veneto. Sivakov doing an awesome effort to jump in the last @1.5 k rolled a hundred meters in front and held it for second.
 
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Nov 16, 2013
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I have seen enough of him this year now.

I really hope he will have a different calendar next year. Seven of the Italian fall one-day races being won by the same rider is not much fun.
 
Mar 31, 2015
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His consistency is very impressive. At the moment seems like if it's a race with a hill in it and no Pogacar - IDT wins.
Other than WT races, sure. But his only win against genuinely top competition so far has been Emilia, where Pidcock did him a bit of a favour in randomly going from 1km+ out.

His consistency has been really impressive, I agree – not a single bad day across the 1.Pro and 1.1 races. But all it has really shown to me is that he is extremely consistent and better than Scaroni.
 
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Aug 3, 2015
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I have seen enough of him this year now.

I really hope he will have a different calendar next year. Seven of the Italian fall one-day races being won by the same rider is not much fun.
He will, but the problem with riding with Pogacar still is that Pog is doing most if not all of the big races, at least when it comes to the hilly classics, and you still want a rider like Del Toro to get the chance. I think he pretty much only left CSS on the table which he continously will be doing. So in the autumn, unless you do the Vuelta, there really isn't anything to do. Could argue its as much of a calender issue as anything, and he has won against some pretty serious competeition anyways in some of the races, so its not just a total cleanup operation.
 
Nov 16, 2013
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He will, but the problem with riding with Pogacar still is that Pog is doing most if not all of the big races, at least when it comes to the hilly classics, and you still want a rider like Del Toro to get the chance. I think he pretty much only left CSS on the table which he continously will be doing. So in the autumn, unless you do the Vuelta, there really isn't anything to do. Could argue its as much of a calender issue as anything, and he has won against some pretty serious competeition anyways in some of the races, so its not just a total cleanup operation.

True, but I guess he will probably do the Vuelta as Pogi will likely skip it the next two years as well.
 
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Apr 30, 2011
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He will, but the problem with riding with Pogacar still is that Pog is doing most if not all of the big races, at least when it comes to the hilly classics, and you still want a rider like Del Toro to get the chance. I think he pretty much only left CSS on the table which he continously will be doing. So in the autumn, unless you do the Vuelta, there really isn't anything to do. Could argue its as much of a calender issue as anything, and he has won against some pretty serious competeition anyways in some of the races, so its not just a total cleanup operation.
If Pogi only rides Liège after Roubaix and Almeida does the Giro, Del Toro will get to lead far more in the spring. And riding for GC in the Tour or the Vuelta should limit his race days afterwards.
 
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May 16, 2015
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Other than WT races, sure. But his only win against genuinely top competition so far has been Emilia, where Pidcock did him a bit of a favour in randomly going from 1km+ out.

His consistency has been really impressive, I agree – not a single bad day across the 1.Pro and 1.1 races. But all it has really shown to me is that he is extremely consistent and better than Scaroni.

Other than Pog and Remco I don't know which other riders would be beating him in these kind of races.
 
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Mar 31, 2015
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Other than Pog and Remco I don't know which other riders would be beating him in these kind of races.
Ciccone, among others, beat him two months ago; several riders beat him in Rwanda; and a beat-up exhausted Simmons beat him last week.
 
May 16, 2015
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Ciccone, among others, beat him two months ago; several riders beat him in Rwanda; and a beat-up exhausted Simmons beat him last week.

when I say these kind of races it means 200km - not the long monuments and WCs - and clearly not events where Pog is the team leader.

Ciccone is one yes - but it's a struggle to think of many others who might have beaten him.
 
Sep 2, 2011
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Ciccone, among others, beat him two months ago; several riders beat him in Rwanda; and a beat-up exhausted Simmons beat him last week.
A number of riders could beat him in some of those races: Ciccone, Healy, Pidcock, Skjelmose, etc.
But I can't see any rider bar Pogi and Remco win all the Italian semi classics he won.

His limits are pretty clear at the moment but I feel like we're underestimating his streak a bit because of:
- UAE boring dominance
- Del Toro underperforming in bigger races compared to expectations
 
Mar 31, 2015
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Yeah I reacted to the fact the OP said 'if there's a race with a hill in it and no Pogacar then he wins', which I thought exaggerated his level because of the limits you spoke about. But it's true, I am underestimating the streak for those two reasons and I agree that maybe only Pidcock and Ciccone could compete in these super punchy races, and neither could do it with the consistency he has
 
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Jun 17, 2024
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But it's true, I am underestimating the streak for those two reasons and I agree that maybe only Pidcock and Ciccone could compete in these super punchy races, and neither could do it with the consistency he has
Agree. More impressive than his wins itself imo, remarkable consistency. Same for Seixas, the fact it could be expected he top 10 in both EC and Lombardia, not the same lenght span like we talking here though but still.

Consistency imo is one of if not the biggest signal to look for with youngters, maybe the biggest differenciator which judge the foundation of raw talent?
 
Jul 7, 2013
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He may win a monument or more in the future, but he hasn't shown nearly enough for me to call it an inevitability. Especially when being on Pogacar's team.

It's on him to improve his endurance past 200 km mark. It's still possible given his age. As for Pogacar, in 3-4 years the landscape will change and Del Toro will have more chances in monuments (in UAE or another team).
 
Apr 30, 2011
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Benoot had his highest finish in a monument in the first one he did, when he was 21.

Nibali was nearly 26 before he did as well, and over 30 when he won his first one.
 
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Feb 20, 2012
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Benoot had his highest finish in a monument in the first one he did, when he was 21.

Nibali was nearly 26 before he did as well, and over 30 when he won his first one.
Nibali won GP Ploay at age 21. And he didn't get a good Lombardia route for him until 2015, when he won it immediately.

I think general traits, such as fatigue naturally high fatigue resistance and preference for shorter or fresher efforts or longer or more fatigued efforts are quite clearly visible early on. And Nibali's trajectory in monuments and top 1 day races tracks fairly well with his generael ability in GTs, if we take into account the high variance there used to be in big one day races.

Alaphilippe got 2nd in his first Liege. He never won it. Boonen got 2nd in his first Roubaix. Mads Pedersen got 2nd in his first RVV, and he's never won it. Pogacar took 2 years to start winning monuments, and it could've only been 1 year. Andy Schleck took like 1 year to become a Liege/Lombardia protagonist. Uran got 3rd in Lombardia at 21 in his first attempt, and he never got better than 3rd.
 
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Apr 30, 2011
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Del Toro in the Giro was comparable to Nibali in 2009/2010. Room to improve, especially in the hardest mountain stages and the longest classics. So I think he is more likely than not to eventually win either Liège or Lombardia (or WCRR/OGRR).
 
Feb 20, 2012
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Del Toro in the Giro was comparable to Nibali in 2009/2010. Room to improve, especially in the hardest mountain stages and the longest classics. So I think he is more likely than not to eventually win either Liège or Lombardia (or WCRR/OGRR).
Del Toro's results in shorter races would suggest to me he's not that far from a finished product. Also, UAE is far, far ahead of the pack today but it's no guarantee it will remain that way

For next year, I think Milano Sanremo is his best bet.
 
Apr 30, 2011
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He's definitely had his major breakthrough and UAE don't seem the least bit hesitant in getting him to perform maximally asap, so yeah progress will likely only be incremental from now on. But it is exactly in the hardest mountain stages and the longest classics where I think 2 years further development will help the most. Plus greater experience in knowing when to take responsibility.
 
Jun 17, 2024
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But it is exactly in the hardest mountain stages and the longest classics where I think 2 years further development will help the most. Plus greater experience in knowing when to take responsibility.
Exactly I agree, and deeper aerobic base and muscular endurance aswell which easily come with training adaptations over years.

In general senses this is the case, not every specific case ofc but in general more likely than not without beeing certain.
 
Apr 21, 2025
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Del Toro's results in shorter races would suggest to me he's not that far from a finished product. Also, UAE is far, far ahead of the pack today but it's no guarantee it will remain that way

For next year, I think Milano Sanremo is his best bet.
I think the problem with MSR is positioning. IIRC he really struggled with the run in to the Cipressa last year, and was caught well out of position. I'd envisage similar issues if things don't kick off until the Poggio. Plus there is absolutely zero chance he'll be allowed to even try - they're all in on Pog for MSR.
 
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Feb 20, 2012
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I think the problem with MSR is positioning. IIRC he really struggled with the run in to the Cipressa last year, and was caught well out of position. I'd envisage similar issues if things don't kick off until the Poggio. Plus there is absolutely zero chance he'll be allowed to even try - they're all in on Pog for MSR.
Yes, the primary plan will always be Pogacar. And then when it comes back together after the Poggio, I really doubt Del Toro would not be allowed to play any tactical games.

Not being allowed is a much worse issue in the other monuments where Pogacar sleepwalks to the victory on a bad hangover.
 
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