Before that crash, Del Toro had won the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, while also finishing on the podium at Strade Bianche behind Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas. Even with his spring halted, the 22-year-old has remained fourth in the UCI ranking, behind only Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel.
His return in France is therefore more than a standard comeback race. For Del Toro and UAE, the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes is a key checkpoint before July, with the team expected to assess how quickly he can recover his race rhythm after a long spell without competition.
UAE’s Tour plan moves back into focus
Del Toro’s presence at the race formerly known as the Criterium du Dauphine comes with the Tour de France clearly in view. The eight-stage French race offers a demanding route and a natural test before the Grand Depart, but UAE’s bigger interest lies in what it tells them about Del Toro’s condition for July.
The Mexican was never expected to return to the Giro d’Italia this year, despite finishing second overall in 2025 and claiming the young rider classification during his breakthrough Grand Tour. Instead, his 2026 programme has been built around a different challenge: preparing him for a Tour de France role alongside Pogacar.
After almost two months out, the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes now becomes a useful reset: race rhythm for Del Toro, and a clearer read for UAE before they finalise the climbing unit around Pogacar for July.
Del Toro returns with bigger questions around him
The timing of his comeback gives the story extra weight. Del Toro had been building one of the most impressive early-season records in the peloton before Itzulia, with victories that placed him among the most talked-about riders in world cycling.
Now he returns not simply to resume his own season, but to re-enter UAE’s wider Tour de France structure. If he looks sharp in France, Pogacar’s team gain another high-level weapon for July. If he needs more time, UAE will have to judge carefully how much responsibility to place on him at the Tour.
Either way, Del Toro’s comeback is not a quiet restart. It is the next stage in a season that has already changed his standing inside UAE Team Emirates – XRG and across the wider peloton.