Isaac del Toro lands overall title at the Lidl Deutschland Tour

Isaac del Toro finished the job on the final day of the Lidl Deutschland Tour, crossing the line as part of the peloton to seal the overall title. The Mexican becomes the first of his countrymen ever to win the general classification in Germany, as he moved UAE Team Emirates-XRG to 67 victories in 2026.

It could have been the stage win as well for Del Toro, who made an audacious attack on stage 4, but the 22-year-old was caught just 50m shy of the line. It was a thrilling finish and one befitting of a great week of racing in Germany, with Del Toro coming out on top from a tough host of rivals.

Stage 4 looked likely to end in a sprint finish, but on the final tough climb of the day, Del Toro made a bold solo attack. It saw the Mexican pull out an advantage of 30 seconds to the chasing pack behind, with the blue jersey going in search of an unlikely but brilliant stage win.

As the kilometres ticked by, the unlikely was beginning to look possible, but Soudal Quick-Step were determined to bring the Mexican to heel.

In the end, Del Toro’s legs were spent and the catch was made just 50m short of the finish line. It had been a daring move and it had almost delivered, but the stage honours went to Paul Magnier of the Quick-Step squad.

Del Toro, meanwhile, was full of a smile, with the 22-year-old knowing he had done enough to secure the overall victory. It is his 11th win of 2026, and his fourth stage race success of the season, following the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Del Toro: “It was a super nice week ehre. It was fully a crazy experience, and we lived a lot of things this week. I am super happy. The plan was not to go, it was more or less security, but then I see the gap behind and I say, why not? I went full gas, for sure behind the bunch went very fast, but it was a good attempt, I think. It was a close one!

“I am in good shape. I am just happy with the body that I have, the sensations, and I am just living life.”

Lidl Deutschland Tour 2026 stage 4 results:

1. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) 3:37:39

2. Danny Van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) s.t

3. Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) s.t

Lidl Deutschland Tour 2026 general classification (final) after stage 4:

1. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 17:39:48

2. Louis Barré (Visma-Lease a Bike) +53″

3. Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling) +1:08

On stage 2 of the Vuelta a España, Tadej Pogačar took third place for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with the result enough to see the stage 1 winner retain the red leader’s jersey.

The Slovenian, by now well known for competing on all terrains, mixed it with the fast men in an uphill sprint to the line in Manosque. Matthew Brennan of Visma-Lease a Bike landed the day’s honours, with Pogačar not far behind in third.

Just a couple of kilometres earlier, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man had followed a stinging attack from Brennan’s teammate, Wout van Aert. As the Belgian surged forward in an attempt to wrestle hold of Pogačar’s Red Jersey, the 27-year-old responded and powered clear of the peloton.

It was primarily Lidl-Trek that made the effort to close the gap to the leading trio (Alessandro Romele of XDS Astana Team had added his name to the mix), before the peloton contested an uphill sprint to determine the day’s winner.

Brennan went long for Visma-Lease a Bike and was rewarded, as the stage 1 winner Pogačar gave his all to the line.

Pogačar retains his lead of the race heading into Monday’s stage 3, with the Slovenian animating the race right from the first moments in Monaco. His eyes will remain focused on the general classification, but the world champion has long since shown his appetite for winning stages along the way.

Pogačar: “It was to be expected [for Van Aert] to attack, but I was a little bit too late to react, and he opened a good gap. Over the top, on the flat part, I still had to push. He was looking around, and I finally caught him. I should have committed if we had a chance to win, but I also knew that he had Matthew Brennan in the back. I tried to stay in his wheel and hope he would commit to the finish line, but also I had a lot of lactate in the legs. I was just happy to take third place in the end.

“It was all in for the stage win, and I just tried to be there and follow the hard moves.”

Vuelta a España 2026 stage 2 results:

1. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) 4:47:47

2. Miquel Pau (Bahrain Victorious) s.t

3. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t

Vuelta a España 2026 general classification after stage 2:

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4:58:40

2. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) +9″

3. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) +10″