The race formerly known as the Dauphiné, the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, has long been the warmup race for the Tour de France, with riders testing their pre-Tour shape and how they size up against their competitors.
With several big names including Paul Seixas, Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso doing the TARA for that purpose this year, what presumptions can we make for the big event next month from last week’s bitesize test?
Paul Seixas forced to abandon, but Tour debut is still on
Paul Seixas entered the race with eyes on a potential showdown against Isaac del Toro in the mountains. But their battle wouldn’t materialise. The 19-year-old Frenchman crashed early on a descent on Stage 6, lost almost a minute and a half to Del Toro on the day and abandoned on the final stage.
While Seixas was able to remount and ride on after the crash – and is apparently without major injury – it raised a couple of questions over his hotly anticipated Tour debut. Decathlon CMA CGM posted after the stage that ‘a crash like the one sustained on Saturday, at around 70 kmh, is very costly in terms of energy expenditure. He will need a few days of rest before resuming his preparation for the Tour de France’.
It’s a learning experience, if nothing else.
Isaac del Toro in shape of his life
The focus on Seixas somehow kept Isaac del Toro under the radar coming into the TARA. He soon reaffirmed that actually he is the one most likely to break into the top tier of Grand Tour contenders.
The Mexican kept a cool head throughout the week, despite falling behind in the GC after the team time-trial, and came alive in the mountains, winning the final two stages to sew up his top step on the podium by 54 seconds ahead of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Luke Tuckwell, who’d assumed the lead after his breakaway stayed away, and 1min 17sec from Lidl-Trek’s Juan Ayuso – Del Toro’s former teammate.
He was in a lane of his own at this race, which sets up an interesting prospect at the Tour, where he’ll be working for Tadej Pogačar. As if he needs any more help – Del Toro may just become a rival for Jonas Vingegaard’s second place.
Matteo Jorgenson going strong
American Matteo Jorgenson, key lieutenant for Vingegaard at the upcoming Tour, has been looking good in stage races this year. He raced to second behind Del Toro by 40 seconds at Tirreno-Adriatico and finished fourth at Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, just missing the podium by 19 seconds.
Jorgenson is incredibly reliable and, with Van Aert now out of the Tour, might be relied upon more than ever to help Vingegaard in the maillot jaune fight.
Mixed bag for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe ended up with four riders abandoning throughout the race including leader Dani Martínez, who failed to make an impression, and Finn Fisher-Black, who had notched a top ten result on three consecutive stages before his withdrawal prior to Stage 5.
Their saving grace came in the form of Maxim Van Gils and Luke Tuckwell. Belgian Van Gils made his return to racing following a pelvis and shoulder fracture after a crash at Clásica Jaén in February, and stormed to victory from the breakaway on Stage 6, while helping teammate Tuckwell into the yellow jersey. A tough battle to hold on ensued, and the 21-year-old first-year pro managed to hold on to second overall after a big domestique shift from Van Gils – a good sign for Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz for the Tour.
Netcompany Ineos struggling
Netcompany Ineos went into the race with two leaders in Oscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin, but both struggled throughout the week. After his mechanical saw the team miss out on a stage win in the team time-trial, Onley ended up abandoning the race after a horror crash on Stage 7 in which he dislocated his shoulder, and despite being second on GC after Stage 3 Vauquelin plummeted down the standings to 15th on Stage 6, admitting his legs ‘weren’t feeling great’. Carlos Rodríguez ended up the team’s best performer taking sixth place on the final day in the mountains, but by then it was too late.
Time will tell the extent of Onley’s injury and whether he’ll be able to ride the Tour, but Vauquelin’s form isn’t where the team hoped it would be and Rodríguez is far from the prospect he seemed a couple of seasons ago.
Going into the Tour the team’s objectives are unclear. On this form they won’t feature in the GC battle. It’s not their traditional style to hunt stages but that looks to be their best bet. The bright spark looks like it might be Dorion Godon, who has picked up multiple wins this season at Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de Romandie this year, but even he failed to get off the mark at Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. However there are more opportunities for his style of racing at the Tour, and extra incentive for a Frenchman should mean he’s in the mix in a number of stages.
Lidl-Trek thriving
It was a great race for Lidl-Trek who managed to balance GC ambitions with stage-winning aims. Quinn Simmons won the breakaway sprint on Stage 3 while Juan Ayuso ended up third overall and looked in his best shape since he crashed out of Paris-Nice.
Simmons will definitely try to win a stage in this same vein at the Tour, and you wouldn’t bet against him in this form.
Ayuso will be stretching his legs as a Grand Tour leader for Lidl-Trek for the first time having departed UAE Team Emirates XRG at the end of 2025, and up against two of his former teammates he’ll be motivated to prove his worth in the podium battle. He was the second best GC contender here, so will go into the Tour with confidence. Mattias Skjelmose had a good TARA too, riding to sixth overall and helping Ayuso. If Ayuso has an off day at the Tour – which is likely – Skjelmose’s presence may prove essential.
Tobias Halland Johannessen is lurking
Tobias Halland Johannessen has been tearing it up in stage races. Fourth at Tirreno-Adriatico, third at Itzulia, fifth at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – all solid indicators that he could be going on to match or best his sixth place at the Tour last season – which was the best-ever finish for a Norwegian in the race.
When he’s had off days he’s not afraid to get in the breakaway to take back time, and he’s becoming one of the more reliable GC contenders in the WorldTour.
Other riders to watch
Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost)
The Frenchman exploded on the first day, jumping away on a 29km solo escapade to claim the first leader’s jersey. He held the lead until the mountains on Stage 6 and will be lining up for his second Tour de France in July. Given EF Education-EasyPost’s love of breakaways, he’ll no doubt be eyeing up a Tour stage win and potential jersey stint.
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar)
It has been a topsy turvy road for Cian Uijtdebroeks in his career so far through injuries and changing teams, but after seventh place at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes things are looking up for the 23-year-old ahead of his Tour debut. The Belgian has already raced in three Grand Tours – coming in eighth at the 2023 Vuelta – and will want to prove himself as the rider many thought he was going to be before he turned pro. His Movistar team too will be hoping he can help showcase the squad as attractive to potential sponsors with news Movistar the company might want to end their contract despite being signed through 2029.
Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
Valentin Paret-Peintre tamed Mont Ventoux in the Tour last season and is eyeing stage wins and the polka dot jersey at the Tour. He won the overall combativity award having been in the breakaway on the final two mountain stages at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and earlier in the season he raced to second place behind Vingegaard on a hilly day in Paris-Nice as well as a fifth and fourth in the mountains at the Volta a Catalunya – where he also he finished fourth overall. A solo jaunt on a hilly Bastille Day, perhaps?