Isaac del Toro managed what Tadej Pogačar couldn't a year ago as he blasted to victory on the uphill finish to Liwa Palace for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, admitting that, despite planning to take on the sprint, he himself didn't know just how strong he would be.
On the exact same stage of last year's race, Pogačar placed himself among the big sprinters and came unstuck after hitting the wind too early. Del Toro, however, smelled blood and delivered for the home side on stage 1, holding off a late charge from Cees Bol (Decathlon-CMA CGM) on the breathless ramp to the line.
