Did Isaac Del Toro Work For Brandon McNulty? Losing Rivals Call out UAE Team 'Alliances' at Road Worlds

Tom Pidcock and Michael Matthews were left questioning if Brandon McNulty’s “miracle” ride to victory at the Montréal road worlds was such a marvel, after all.

Speaking at the finish Sunday, Pidcock and Matthews both implied the American benefited from a cross-border alliance with his UAE Emirates-XRG trade teammate, Isaac del Toro.

The Mexican had been on the move all through the final two hours of the wild Montréal road race.

But when McNulty launched his audacious 32km raid for the rainbow jersey, Del Toro hesitated on the front of the group.

It was a moment that shaped the world championships.

The race then descended into a messy chase of half-committed riders spoiling their own, and their rivals’, chances.

Meanwhile, McNulty was left free to pedal squares – he admitted he was so gassed that he “could only manage zone two” – as he rode toward USA’s first elite men’s rainbow jersey in 33 years.

Pidcock questions Del Toro’s commitment

Pidcock was one of the few to go all-in on the pursuit in the final laps of Montréal, but ultimately finished seventh.

The Brit suggested after the race that McNulty didn’t only have USA’s Matteo Jorgenson and Quinn Simmons playing defense for him in the final loops around Montréal.

“It was hard to make the difference. To get the gap with the wind the way it was, with the USA team and with Matteo, he was super strong once Brandon attacked. And obviously Isaac is on the same team as well,” Pidcock told Cycling Pro Net.

“It was always going to be difficult to make a difference there after six hours,” Pidcock added.

Accusations of underhand trade vs national team alliances always come up at road worlds.

Tim Wellens even ruled himself out of riding for Belgium at Sunday’s race out of fear he’d either have to chase his UAE teammate Tadej Pogačar, or get slated for shirking his duties.

Social media explodes with team vs. country debate

Pidcock dived headfirst into the team vs. country debate of this year’s race.

He was adamant the USA gained a State on Sunday: Mexico.

Del Toro and McNulty have raced together at the UAE super squad since 2024. They’ve teamed up to support Pogačar multiple times in recent years, including at the recent Tour de France.

They even shared leadership for UAE at the Canadian GPs, just weeks before the Montréal road worlds. They’re bike-riding bros.

“Del Toro was obviously working for McNulty in the end there,” Pidcock told Cyclingnews.

And Pidcock wasn’t the only one questioning Del Toro’s allegiances Sunday.

Belgian TV commentators kicked off when Del Toro and McNulty were seen chatting at the back of their group in the kilometers before the Arizonan made his decisive move.

Threads on X/Twitter, Bluesky, and Reddit have been filled with speculation in the time since.

They’re not rabbit holes we dare dive into, but there’s no question Del Toro had looked the strongest rider in the race up to the moment his legs left him when McNulty blasted up the road.

Spending 50km towing the chase group most likely burned out Del Toro’s motor.

Or, as some believe, the 22-year-old was metaphorically  “bought out” by Team USA.

‘We would have caught McNulty if fewer teams raced across national borders’

Matthews – who started the race as even more of a wildcard than McNulty – joined Pidcock in questioning what he saw in the chase group Sunday.

The Aussie didn’t directly call out Del Toro and McNulty, but the inference was there.

“There was a little bit of teamwork between certain riders,” Matthews told Sporza.

“They were riding a little bit together,” Matthews said Sunday. “If fewer teams had ridden together across national borders, then we would have caught him. It is what it is.”

Matthews won the sprint for silver in Montréal, 13 seconds back on McNulty. It marked a stunning comeback from months of injury and illness.

The ageless veteran might have been wondering if he could have achieved more in his 14th start at road worlds.

Whether Del Toro’s perceived reluctance to chase robbed him of a rainbow jersey is another matter.