Isaac del Toro announced himself as the rider to beat at next week's World Championships after winning the 15th edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Mexican, riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, outsprinted French teenager Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) after the pair broke clear on the final ascent of the Côte Camillien-Houde with 12 kilometres remaining. Del Toro jumped first in the uphill finish, opening an immediate gap that Seixas could not close, and crossed the line with his arms raised to claim his 33rd professional victory — and the youngest win in the race's history.
"Everything came together perfectly today," Del Toro said. "The team put me in an ideal position for the finale. We used our numerical advantage on the final circuit, and when Paul went on the Camillien-Houde, I knew I had to follow. In the sprint, I just timed it right."
Seixas, just 19 years old, had launched a stinging acceleration on the Côte Camillien-Houde, initially distancing the field. Only Del Toro was able to bridge across to the Frenchman over the summit, and the two young riders worked together over the final 10 kilometres to build an unassailable advantage over the chasing group. Seixas tried one more attack inside the final 4 kilometres, but Del Toro was glued to his wheel and refused to let him go.
Behind, Del Toro's teammate Brandon McNulty — the defending champion — managed to sneak away from the chasers to take third, 27 seconds behind the winner. Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) finished fourth, while Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) came home fifth, 35 seconds back, having been forced to chase hard after being caught out on the final circuit. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) took sixth.
The race, covering 214.4 kilometres around Montréal's Mount Royal park, served as a decisive dress rehearsal for the World Championships, which will be held on September 27 on largely the same circuit. With reigning world champion Tadej Pogačar absent through injury, Del Toro's commanding performance positions him as the clear favourite for the rainbow jersey.
The victory was UAE Team Emirates-XRG's fifth consecutive win in Montréal, following successes by Pogačar and Adam Yates in previous editions. It was also Del Toro's 12th victory of the 2026 season, further cementing his status as one of the sport's rising stars. At 22 years and 290 days, he broke Peter Sagan's record as the youngest Montréal winner — the Slovak had claimed victory in 2013 at 23 years and 232 days.
For Seixas, the result was a remarkable showing from a rider barely out of the junior ranks, and a sign that the Frenchman could be a factor when the road worlds arrive in the same city in two weeks' time.
Sources
https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/news/isaac-del-toro-wins-the-grand-prix-cycliste-de-montreal/ https://www.domestiquecycling.com/en/news/del-toro-holds-off-seixas-in-two-up-sprint-to-win-gp-montreal/
