Isaac del Toro Wins Stage Two of Tour de France in Debut

Isaac del Toro wins stage two of the Tour de France in his debut, with Jonas Vingegaard retaining the yellow jersey. Pogacar moves to second overall as the race prepares for a mountainous stage amid wildfire concerns.

Isaac del Toro Becomes Second Mexican to Win Tour de France Stage

Isaac del Toro, making his Tour de France debut, secured victory on stage two, while Jonas Vingegaard maintained his position in the overall leader's yellow jersey.

The 22-year-old Mexican rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG crossed the finish line just ahead of his teammate, four-time champion Tadej Pogacar, after a decisive acceleration on the short, steep climb to the finish at Montjuic, Spain.

Remco Evenepoel finished third, with Vingegaard coming in fourth, sharing the same time as the leading duo after completing the hilly 168.5km route from Tarragona to Barcelona.

"It means really everything. I said before I'm a very privileged guy - you can not believe how much we work as a team to be here," said Del Toro.

"This is the work of everybody - my family, my friends growing up. I cannot believe I just did this attempt, it's just insane. Also to appreciate being in the same team as Tadej, the best in the world, it's really [the] full emotions.

"I was not able to be in the top position [on the last climb] but I was able to pass and try and bring back [Mattias] Skjelmose. We made a plan for Tadej - I did it but then the gap was bigger and I just went with the flow to the finish line.

"These kind of opportunities come almost never and I am super proud to have been able to manage this situation."

While the opening team time trial highlighted the success of Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, the conclusion of Sunday’s stage showcased the strength of Pogacar and his UAE team.

The Slovenian rider earned six bonus seconds, moving up to second place in the general classification behind his main rival Vingegaard, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023.

Pogacar could have reduced Vingegaard's overall lead to just two seconds but chose to allow Del Toro to claim the stage victory, a decision likely to enhance team morale.

Tom Pidcock was the highest-placed British rider, finishing in a group of nine riders three seconds behind the leading quartet, although he is already one minute behind in the general classification.

On Monday, the race will feature a mountainous 195.9km stage from Granollers to Les Angles, crossing the Pyrenees into France with 3,850 metres of climbing. However, due to a forest wildfire, organizers have reduced operations and requested the public not to gather along the route or at the finish line.