Isaac del Toro rewrote UAE Tour history on Jebel Hafeet, storming to a record 25:15 ascent and beating Adam Yates’ 2023 benchmark. With UAE Team Emirates-XRG dictating the climb, del Toro’s late attack proved unstoppable.
Isaac del Toro set a new climbing record on Jebel Hafeet on Saturday, stopping the clock at 25:15 to deliver the fastest ascent in the history of the UAE Tour summit finish.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider improved on the previous record of 25:53, established by teammate Adam Yates in 2023.
With a tailwind of approximately 5 m/s aiding riders across the exposed sections of the climb, conditions favored a high pace from the start.
Jebel Hafeet has traditionally played a major role in the UAE Tour.
In 2016, Tanel Kangert claimed victory in 29:15. Since then, times have steadily decreased, with Tadej Pogacar recording 26:16 in both 2021 and 2022 before Yates set the fastest mark two years ago.
On Saturday, UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlled the ascent from the base, quickly reducing the lead group.
Yates increased the tempo in the middle section of the climb before del Toro launched his attack with 4.2 kilometers remaining.
Antonio Tiberi initially responded, and Luke Plapp bridged across inside the final three kilometers, but del Toro’s repeated accelerations proved decisive.
The Mexican rider pulled clear in the closing kilometers to secure the record, with Plapp finishing second and Felix Gall third.
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