Isaac del Toro wins Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with emphatic solo attack, priming him as Pogacar's top Tour de France ally

Race finale on the Solaison

Isaac del Toro began the day 49 seconds behind Australian race leader Luke Tuckwell, but a devastating solo attack 9 kilometres from the summit of the Plateau de Solaison turned the race upside down. His UAE teammate Pablo Torres, aged 20, shredded the lead group with a fierce pace before Del Toro launched, quickly bridging to the breakaway and riding alone to the line. The steep 11.3 km climb, with an average gradient of 9.1% and ramps up to 11%, proved decisive.

Young rivals fall away

The expected duel among cycling's next generation was cut short. French prodigy Paul Seixas, 19, abandoned early in the stage, hampered by wounds from a crash the previous day. Spain's Juan Ayuso, who has battled crashes and illness this spring, fought bravely to finish second on the stage, 1 minute down, and climbed to third overall. Matteo Jorgenson and others could not follow the Mexican's blistering rhythm on the lower slopes.

“I came to recon it with Tadej in April, and it frightened me, but until a couple of days ago I didn't know it was the same climb. If I'd thought about it more I might not have gone so far…”

Del Toro's season of highs and injury

This victory is the Mexican's third World Tour stage-race triumph of 2026, following wins at the UAE Tour in February and Tirreno-Adriatico in March. His only blemish was an early departure from Itzulia Basque Country in April, where a thigh muscle tear sidelined him for two months. The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes marked his return to competition, and he looked fully recovered as he dispatched the field on consecutive summit finishes.

Tour de France preview

The 78th edition of the race formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné served as a critical test ahead of the Tour. The Plateau de Solaison will feature again as the finish of stage 15 on 19 July, a climb that organisers describe as 'punishment for the peloton'. Del Toro will now shift to a support role for Tadej Pogacar, and his dominant showing in the Alps suggests UAE Team Emirates will have a formidable lieutenant for the three-week battle.

“He's the person I respect most. I just want to be as happy on the bike as he is.”