After winning the second stage of the Tour Down Under, Isaac del Toro was immediately compared to UAE Team Emirates teammate Tadej Pogacar.

On his second day in the WorldTour, the Mexican neo-pro showed his immense talent by launching a solo attack in the last 2km of the undulating stage, keeping the punchers and sprinters on the line.

Del Toro sat up on the finish line in Llobetar to celebrate, giving himself time to look back at his experienced rivals who were sprinting furiously in a smaller group. A stage win, the ochre leader's jersey, and the white jersey for best young rider. It was a symbolic victory.

Robbie McEwen, a former sprinter turned TV commentator, described the bold move as "very Pogacar." Minutes later, Marco Marcato, sporting director of the UAE Emirates, was asked if the two had anything in common.

"It's too early to say," he said. Taddeji is one-of-a-kind and remains to be seen, but del Toro is definitely a strong man. We hope he is still growing."

At least on paper, there may indeed be comparisons.

Del Toro won the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir (the under-23 version of the Tour de France) and has since been promoted to the sport's top class.

Pogacar did the same in 2018 and joined UAE Team Emirates in 2019, making his World Tour debut in the Tour Down Under, finishing 13th overall In 2020, the Slovenian native won his first Tour de France.

"I told him to expect a group sprint if it was reduced.

"He's already had a good start here and I knew he had potential. He certainly has the talent. A rider who wins the Tour de l'Avenir is always a good professional."

"We expect him to develop, but certainly he has shown that he is already there to achieve good results. He is good on the climbs, but he can also move well in a group and see the race. He can make the most of it."

It's easy to get carried away with the early season results in Australia, but the reality is that the rider who wins the white jersey here could be next year's Tour champion.

Colombian Egan Bernal, like del Toro, was a modest rookie pro, but he and Team Sky won the best young rider award at the 2018 Tour Down Under and the Tour de France's maillot jaune in 2019.

Experience is still valued, but the hierarchy within the peloton has changed, and young riders are no longer at the mercy of more established statesmen.

Del Toro was speechless in an interview shortly after the finish.

"No, this is crazy," he said. I don't know what you mean."

Del Toro's rivals did not seem surprised that the Israeli Premier Tech pairing of Corbin Strong and Stephen Williams took the minor positions on this stage, with points leader Biniam Girmay (Intermarché Wanty) in fourth place. The team did not seem surprised by the result.

"I expected a lot of attacks today.

"No one could keep up with him and I couldn't catch him in the sprint.

Del Toro was clearly humbled by his victory. When asked about his strength, he preferred to stay in the moment.

"I don't know. I'm tired. It was a great sprint and I don't know what I want to feel. Of course I want to win, but it's too much for me. Life is very good right now and it's not usually like that. I'm going to enjoy today.

"Honestly, the last kilometer feels like 5km, but I need to finish and enjoy my first [World Tour win]. That's it." "

Del Toro said nothing about strategy for the rest of the race and smiled coyly in response to multiple questions about tactics and the UAE Emirates' multiple leadership options.

"Maybe we'll know in a few days," he said.

But del Toro's heart is clearly in the job, and his hunger and desire to win is now confirmed at the sport's top level.

"We need to be intelligent and play all our cards right. Every stage is good for us, but we need to be more intelligent."

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