‘Speak With Data’: UAE Boss Slams Skeptics Fueling Del Toro-McNulty Conspiracy Theories

Did Isaac del Toro help his UAE trade teammate Brandon McNulty win the road world title?

That’s the debate that’s doing the rounds after McNulty brought the U.S. its first rainbow jersey in 33 years at the UCI road world championships last weekend.

“Del Toro was obviously working for McNulty,” gnashed Tom Pidcock in the aftermath of a wild race in Montréal.

Michael Matthews insinuated similar as Team USA’s losing rivals picked apart what went wrong last Sunday.

The Tin Foil Hat Brigade has been picking over race replays and sparking conspiracy theories ever since.

Was there a nefarious trade team alliance in this race of nations?

Speaking to QuiBici Sport, McNulty and Del Toro’s manager at UAE Emirates-XRG dismissed the doubters.

If the Mexican Del Toro somehow colluded with Team USA after McNulty slipped away with his decisive attack, Joxean Fernández Matxin wants to see proof.

“To anyone who insinuates this, I urge you to speak with data and not with opinions,” Matxin told QuiBici Sport. “How long was Del Toro on the front? And the others who are talking, how long were they on the front trying to close it down?

“If you bring me evidence with numbers showing that he pulled less than the others, then I can agree with you,” Matxin said. “But if they are just words, with all due respect, it remains an opinion we can all form.”

Matxin’s words of defense are hardly a surprise.

He’s in the upper tier of management at UAE, the super team boasting Del Toro, McNulty, and Tadej Pogačar on the books and now a third straight year hosting the reigning world champion.

Of course he’ll say McNulty won fair and square.

‘Del Toro was superior to everyone’

But even without any possible supporting data, the evidence was all over the TV screens.

Del Toro was the most active rider in the race, despite representing one of cycling’s minnow nations.

“He wanted to win worlds,” Matxin said. “He defends the colors of Mexico because he is proud to be Mexican. He wants to make history for his country.”

Matxin went as far as to say that his Tour de France podium-finisher was the best rider in Montréal.

“In my opinion, Del Toro was the strongest, even if Brandon won. You could see that in how the other riders marked him,” Matxin told QuiBici. “The course may not have been the best for him, but in terms of condition, he was superior to everyone.”

With Pogačar on the sidelines and Remco Evenepoel on an off-day, it was a rainbow opportunity Del Toro would never throw away.

USA team boss: ‘You don’t pull all day and then just give the race to McNulty’

Speaking to Velo last week, Team USA sport director Mike Creed and cult favorite road captain Larry Warbasse also dismissed the collusion conspiracy.

The theory that Del Toro switched passports in the final of road worlds was, according to Warbasse, “ridiculous.”

“You don’t pull all day and then just give the race to McNulty,” Creed told Velo. “If you just finished 270km and you’re frustrated, and your name is Tom Pidcock, that’s understandable.

“For everyone else, it’s just stirring the pot,” Creed continued. “I don’t know anyone who would give away the world championships.”

So why didn’t Del Toro pull the chasers when McNulty launched his winning raid?

One, he was probably gassed. He’d just been riding the front for the best part of 40km.

Two, he was isolated and caught at the opposite end of the spectrum from USA, who flooded the zone with McNulty, Matteo Jorgenson, and Quinn Simmons.

Who would ride in that situation?

Del Toro wasn’t shy when he debriefed the race to ESPN MX last week.

His rivals exploited Mexico’s collective weakness, and he couldn’t do more when his race started to unravel.

“The peloton raced a little against us or used the fact we didn’t have the best team,” Del Toro told ESPN MX.

“I didn’t want the gold medal to get away from me,” he added. “Finally, though, it was very difficult for me to keep going, and I ran fifth, unfortunately. It’s a bittersweet taste.”

If Team USA paid Del Toro for his role in McNulty’s world title, the Mexican clearly invested in some good acting classes.

McNulty narrowly misses victory in debut rainbow weekend

Speculation aside, McNulty now owns the rainbow jersey for the next 12 months.

Despite the background debate, the consensus is that the 28-year-old earned the stripes courtesy of individual strength and the smarts of U.S. nationals.

McNulty hasn’t publicly spoken out about the Del Toro drama, and it’s hard to imagine he ever will.

However, the shy Arizonan could barely hide his delight after he debuted his new striped top this weekend in Italy.

McNulty hit 10th at the Giro dell’Emila on Saturday and narrowly missed the win Sunday at Coppa Agostoni.

“For sure it is still settling in, with the jersey and everything,” McNulty said Sunday after he finished second in the six-rider sprint.

“It is super special [being the world champion],” McNulty said Sunday. “I feel like the races pass faster; I don’t really think about kilometers to go anymore. Hopefully that continues. Perhaps it will wear off, and I will go back to suffering, but the last two days have been so special.”

McNulty gets two more shots at winning in rainbows before he shuts down his 2026 season.

The hilly circuits of Tre Valle Varesine await on Wednesday.

Three days later, McNulty teams up at UAE Emirates-XRG with – guess who – Del Toro for a monument brawl with Evenepoel and Paul Seixas at Il Lombardia.

That’s a race where the American and Mexican will race together.