Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro surrendered the leader's jersey in the UAE Tour 2026 to Belgian Remco Evenepoel after finishing 27th in the individual time trial of the second stage. Evenepoel set the fastest time over the 12.2 kilometers in Hudayriyat and took control of the general classification with a 32-second lead over Del Toro, now in tenth place. The race heads into the first mountain stage at Jebel Mobrah.
The UAE Tour 2026, held from February 16 to 22, saw a shift in the general classification after the second stage, an individual time trial of 12.2 kilometers on Hudayriyat island on February 17. Remco Evenepoel, a three-time world champion in the discipline and Olympic champion, recorded the best time of 13:06 minutes, with an average speed of 56.092 km/h. He beat Joshua Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers by six seconds and Rémi Cavagna of Groupama-FDJ United by 12.
Isaac del Toro, 22 years old from Ensenada, had taken the lead by winning the first stage on February 16 over 118 kilometers from Madinat Zayed Majlis to Liwa Palace, with a time of 2:30:56 hours and average speed of 46.9 km/h. In that stage, he outpaced Cees Bol by four seconds and Antonio Tiberi by six in the final sprint. However, in the time trial, Del Toro finished 27th, 42 seconds behind Evenepoel, dropping him to tenth in the general classification, 32 seconds off the new leader.
Evenepoel said after the stage: “I would have preferred to gain a few more seconds, but it's a bit more than I expected.” He added: “This was the perfect circuit to go fast, I'm very happy to have won, it was the perfect time trial. I just miscalculated a curve after 750 meters, but I think it only cost me one or two seconds.” On Del Toro, he noted: “Del Toro did the best he could. We knew it was better to start early. He won yesterday and I today, so I don't think anyone regrets it. From now on, the battle for the general classification will be open.”
The current general classification has Evenepoel in front, followed by Tarling at six seconds and Cavagna at 12. Pablo Castrillo is in fourteenth at 32 seconds. The third stage, on February 18 from Umm al Quwain to Jebel Mobrah, covers 183 kilometers with a final climb of 13.2 kilometers at an average 8.1% gradient, including sections up to 12%. Evenepoel warned: “With such hard climbs, it's a bit more comfortable to defend than to attack. The gigantic climb tomorrow, in particular, will be decisive.”
This World Tour race in the Middle East features varied profiles for sprinters, time trialists, and climbers, with two mountain stages remaining that will keep the general classification open.
