Del Toro overhauls Tuckwell to win Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Seixas forced out by crash injuries
Isaac Del Toro overturned a third-place deficit to win the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with a solo victory in Sunday's final stage, while French hope Paul Seixas withdrew still suffering from a crash.
Final stage domination
Isaac Del Toro delivered a commanding solo performance on the 120km stage from Beaufort to Plateau de Solaison-Brison, attacking with nine kilometres remaining of the final of four tough climbs. The 22-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider had already won Saturday's stage on the Grand Colombier and was well supported by his team-mates before his decisive move. He quickly distanced his rivals, crossing the line with a margin of around one minute over Spain's Juan Ayuso, who took second on the stage ahead of Norway's Tobias Halland Johannessen.
General classification shake-up
Del Toro's stage win catapulted him from third to first in the general classification, finishing in a total time of 29 hours 35 minutes 5 seconds. Overnight leader Luke Tuckwell of Australia limited his losses to finish eighth on the stage, securing second place overall at 54 seconds back. Ayuso's strong ride elevated him from fourth to third, 1 minute 17 seconds behind. The biggest loser was American Matteo Jorgenson, who slipped from second to fourth after a tenth-place stage finish, 1 minute 36 seconds adrift. Guillaume Martin Guyonnet was the best-placed French rider in tenth.
Seixas's abandoned hopes
French teenager Paul Seixas, a pre-race favourite for the former Critérium du Dauphiné, was forced to abandon the race during Sunday's stage. Still feeling the effects of a heavy crash early in Saturday's stage, the 19-year-old Decathlon CMA CGM rider quit after about 30 kilometres of the final day. He now has three weeks to recover before the Tour de France, where he is expected to be a key challenger alongside Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
- Stage 7: Del Toro wins on Grand Colombier; Paul Seixas suffers heavy crash
- Stage 8: Seixas abandons after 30km due to crash injuries
- Del Toro attacks with 9km remaining on final climb
- Del Toro wins stage and overall classification by 54 seconds over Tuckwell
Road to the Tour
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes race is a crucial lead-in to the Tour de France, which starts in three weeks. Del Toro will ride as a super-domestique for UAE team leader Tadej Pogacar, who will attempt to equal the record of five Tour de France victories. Del Toro's win is his third week-long stage race this season, following successes at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, and represents the biggest victory of his career. Seixas, meanwhile, faces a race against time to be ready for the Grand Départ.
