Isaac Del Toro overcame mechanical issues to launch a late attack and win the second stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Sunday, July 5, becoming just the second Mexican to claim a stage victory in the legendary cycling race.
Del Toro’s teammate and defending champion Tadej Pogačar finished second, cutting Jonas Vingegaard’s overall lead to six seconds.
“It means really everything,” said Del Toro after his second Grand Tour stage win. “As I said before, I’m very privileged. Plenty of confidence by the whole team. I cannot believe I just did it. It’s just insane. You cannot believe how it feels now for me, especially for the country.”
Del Toro suffered a mechanical problem with about 60 kilometers left on the hilly ride from Tarragona to Barcelona. A miscommunication with his team on the radio left him sitting by the road, waiting for a replacement bike. But he roared back into contention during the three laps up Cote de Chateau de Montjuic at the end of the stage.
Del Toro enters the record book alongside countryman Raul Alcala, who won the Tour’s third stage in 1986.
He also said he was happy to get the win for Mexico on the same day his country’s soccer team plays in the World Cup round of 16.
“We have these 11 guys ripping it in the football, they’re doing amazing, and to be at the same level here in France at the hardest race is like a dream,” he added.
Here is the leaderboard after Stage 2.
2026 Tour de France Stage 2 results
Final results of the 168.5-kilometer Stage 2 from Tarragona to Barcelona at the 2026 Tour de France on Sunday, July 5.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1 | Isaac Del Toro | UAE Team Emirates XRG | 03h 40′ 01” | – |
| 2 | Tadej Pogacar | UAE Team Emirates XRG | 03h 40′ 01” | – |
| 3 | Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull | BORA | Hansgrohe | 03h 40′ 01” | – |
| 4 | Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease A Bike | 03h 40′ 01” | – |
| 5 | Mattias Skjelmose | LIDL-TREK | 03h 40′ 04” | + 00′ 03” |
| 6 | Tobias Johannessen | UNO-X | Mobility | 03h 40′ 04” | + 00′ 03” |
| 7 | Romain Gregoire | Groupama-FDJ | 03h 40′ 04” | + 00′ 03” |
| 8 | Lenny Martinez | Bahrain Victorious | 03h 40′ 04” | + 00′ 03” |
| 9 | Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA GGM | 03h 40′ 04” | + 00′ 03” |
| 10 | Tom Pidcock | Pinarello-Q36.5 | 03h 40′ 04” | + 00′ 03” |
Tour de France 2026 standings
through Stage 2
- Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 04h 01′ 48”
- Tadej Pogacar, Solvenia: 04h 01′ 54” (6 seconds behind)
- Remco Evenepoel, Belgium: 04h 02′ 03” (15 seconds)
- Isaac Del Toro, Mexico: 04h 02′ 04” (16 seconds)
- Juan Ayuso, Spain: 04h 02′ 07” (19 seconds)
- Paul Seixas, France: 04h 02′ 30” (42 seconds)
- Romain Gregorie: 04h 02′ 32” (44 seconds)
- Florian Lipowitz, Germany: 04h 02′ 33” (45 seconds)
- Lenny Martinez, France: 04h 02′ 41” (53 seconds)
- Tom Pidcock, Great Britain: 04h 02′ 48” (1 minute)
2026 Tour de France jersey standings
- Yellow (general): Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease A Bike)
- Green (points): Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
- Polka dot (mountains): Alex Molinar (Caja Rural | Seguros RGA)
- White (young rider): Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
- Yellow numbers (teams): UAE Team Emirates XRG
- Golden numbers (combativity award): Felix Engelhardt (Team Jayco Alula)
2026 Tour de France Stage 3: How to watch, schedule and distance
- Date: Monday, July 6, 2026
- Location: Granollers to Las Angles
- Distance: 195.9 kilometers
- Type: Mountains
- Streaming: Peacock
Fires could threaten third stage finish Monday
A forest fire that has ravaged southwest France could threaten the third stage of the Tour de France on Monday, when cyclists are due to cross the finish line in Les Angles, some 60 kilometers from the blaze.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Tour de France standings, results: Mexico’s Del Toro wins Stage 2
