Del Toro, 5th at the World Championships: "Satisfied with the effort, but not happy with the result."

Isaac Del Toro doesn't hide his disappointment at not being able to bring home a better result from the 2026 Road World Championships. The Mexican fought until the last meter, but in the end the medals remained just a stone's throw away, too far to be grasped.

In an already successful season – with a third-place finish and a stage win on his Tour de France debut – the 22-year-old nevertheless improved two places from last year’s seventh-place finish in Kigali, finishing fifth in Montreal on Sunday.

The disappointment is even greater considering the crucial role Del Toro played in reuniting a dangerous breakaway led by Mathieu van der Poel, who was only neutralized in the final 40 kilometers. The problem for the recent winner of the Montreal GP was his inability to make the decisive attack in the finale: when Brandon McNulty (USA) broke away alone, Del Toro was left with only the crumbs of a podium finish.

Del Toro competed in the World Championship alongside five Mexican teammates, whose top-level experience ranged from very limited to virtually nonexistent—two of them race for US Continental teams, one rides for a club in Mexico, and two are independent, with no sponsors. Despite this, the Mexican had nothing but praise for the way his compatriots approached such a demanding journey.

"We had incredible support; they deserved nothing less than a gold medal," Del Toro told ESPN MX after wading through the crowd of Mexican fans chanting his nickname, Torito, Torito . "That's what we came for, and that's what we tried to achieve."

The Mexican identified the decisive mistake of his race in a single moment: just when McNulty had already won the gold and the chasing pack was fighting for the final podium spots. "I think it's clear that we came here to win. I gave it my all, we tried everything. Maybe I should have positioned myself better for that final sprint," Del Toro admitted.

"But the moment when I wanted to take a breather and then get into full race mode came precisely when I found myself in a very complicated situation."

"So I'm satisfied with the effort, but I'm not happy at all. I'm not satisfied with this. We knew we could win, and it's a shame we didn't succeed."

Del Toro emphasized how the Mexican team, despite its obvious limitations, consistently gave its all, exceeding expectations. At the same time, whenever they attempted to tip the balance of power in their favor, they faced more established teams capable of exploiting their relative lack of top-level support—a frustration that, however, has already fueled their motivation to return stronger at the next World Cup.

"We were very determined and I'm happy with the race we ran; we ran very well as a nation. We didn't win, but we made a good step forward in terms of team mentality and ambition for this type of race," he said.

"And if the whole group ran against us a little or took advantage of the fact that we didn't have the best team, I think we'll fight even harder next year."

Regarding the 2026 World Championships, Del Toro acknowledged that, when it came to chasing a push fueled by strong and in-form riders like Quinn Simmons (USA), Van der Poel, and Primoz Roglič (Slovenia), the only option was to risk everything. As he put it: "I didn't want the gold medal to slip away from me."

"In the end, though, it was very difficult for me to continue, and I think I finished fifth, unfortunately, so it's a bittersweet taste. We have to keep fighting."

Regarding his UAE Team Emirates teammate and his breakaway victory, Del Toro said that McNulty, a rider who dedicates a lot of time to working hard for others, fully deserved the success. This, however, doesn't mean his personal ambitions to win the rainbow jersey were any less strong.

"I might be arrogant and say I want the rainbow for myself," Del Toro told ESPN MX. "But even though I'm happy for him because I know him a little, I also know that Mexico came here to win."