Isaac Del Toro won the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, securing two stage victories along the way. On the final climb to the Plateau de Solaison, he attacked alone on Sunday and finished exactly one minute clear of Spain’s Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek).
In the general classification, Del Toro triumphed by 54 seconds over Australian Luke Tuckwell, with Ayuso third (+1:17). Tuckwell, who had led the overall standings until the finale, crossed the line eighth on the final stage, 1:43 behind.
Del Toro entered the last day 49 seconds behind Tuckwell, having already won Saturday’s penultimate stage. With this victory in the traditional Tour de France warm-up race, the UAE Team Emirates rider follows in the footsteps of teammate Tadej Pogačar, who skipped this event and starts the Tour de Suisse on Wednesday.
Del Toro is set to serve as Pogačar’s key domestique at the Tour de France, which begins in Barcelona on July 4.
French rising star Paul Seixas, however, did not finish: the 19-year-old abandoned after around 30 km, still suffering from the effects of a heavy crash the previous day. Seixas had been injured on the penultimate stage but battled through to the finish.
“I was afraid I had seriously injured myself. I told myself it was over,” he said of Saturday’s incident.
According to Decathlon team reports, he sustained various abrasions but no structural damage – his Tour de France start is not currently at risk. Seixas had impressed in spring with strong performances in one-day races and short stage races, with experts suggesting he could at least temporarily match Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour.
France has been waiting for a home Tour victory since Bernard Hinault’s triumph in 1985.
