Isaac del Toro wins Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with emphatic solo attack, priming him as Pogacar's top Tour de France ally
Isaac del Toro claimed the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes overall victory, winning the final stage atop the formidable Plateau de Solaison on Sunday. The 22-year-old Mexican now carries three World Tour stage-race wins into the Tour de France, which starts in Barcelona on 4 July.
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.
- Wins UAE Tour
- Wins Tirreno-Adriatico
- Abandons Itzulia Basque Country with thigh injury
- Wins Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
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.
