Ayuso's Sunday Victory Bid
Spanish Cyclist Ayuso Fights for Sunday Victory in Tour Auvergne-RhĂ´ne-Alpes After Second-Place Stage Finish
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Juan Ayuso will fight for overall victory on Sunday at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes — the race historically known as the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Spanish climber finished second on Saturday's brutal Stage 7 atop the Grand Colombier, just 24 seconds behind Mexican rival Isaac del Toro, leaving him 1 minute and 6 seconds off the lead heading into the final day. Levante EMV
The dramatic mountain stage set up a thrilling Sunday finale from Beaufort to the Plateau de Solaison — 120.1 km with four major climbs. Young Australian Luke Tuckwell holds the yellow jersey, but with Ayuso and Del Toro both hunting him down, the race is wide open. Cycling Weekly
Ayuso Attacks Too Early, Del Toro Strikes Late
With 6.7 km left on the Grand Colombier — a brutal climb averaging 10.2% and spiking to 20% — Ayuso launched a solo attack. It looked like a race-winning move. But Del Toro, 22, sat calmly on the wheel of Matteo Jorgenson before countering with 1.5 km to go. He caught and passed Ayuso and won in a time of 3 hours, 41 minutes, and 41 seconds. Cyclingnews
Ayuso was brutally honest after the stage. "Because I'm stupid!" he told reporters when asked why he attacked so early. "In hindsight, I should have waited and not burned so many matches." The 23-year-old Spaniard now sits 4th overall, needing to overturn a 66-second gap on Del Toro and 1 minute 6 seconds on Tuckwell in Sunday's final stage. Cyclingnews
Tuckwell Holds Yellow But Faces Mountain Ambush Sunday
Luke Tuckwell, just 21 years old, kept his overall lead despite being dropped on the final ramps of the Colombier. He holds a 42-second buffer over Matteo Jorgenson in 2nd, and 49 seconds over Del Toro in 3rd. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider played down expectations. "I came into this race not looking for results and just to have fun," Tuckwell said. "I'm not thinking about winning yet." FloBikes
Analysts warn Tuckwell is vulnerable on Sunday. His team lacks the specialized mountain support of Lidl-Trek or UAE Team Emirates. The final stage features four categorized climbs: the Col de la Saisies, Col des Aravis, Col de la Colombière, and a summit finish at the Plateau de Solaison — a route designed to shatter anyone who is not a pure climber. IDLprocycling
Del Toro and Ayuso: Former Teammates, Now Rivals
The duel between Del Toro and Ayuso carries extra weight. The two were teammates at UAE Team Emirates before Ayuso made a high-profile move to Lidl-Trek for the 2026 season. Now they are direct rivals — and Del Toro is proving UAE may have come out ahead. His Stage 7 win moved him to 3rd overall and made him the most dangerous climber left in the race. Brujula Bike
Del Toro's strong showing also has Tour de France implications. His dominant climbing performance virtually locks in a protected co-leader role alongside Tadej Pogačar at the 2026 Tour. For Ayuso, a win on Sunday would be the first Spanish victory in this race since Dani Moreno in 2011 — a massive moment for Spanish cycling. Ciclismoaldia
Seixas Crash Adds Drama to Queen Stage
The stage also featured a remarkable sub-story. Teenage French prodigy Paul Seixas, 19, crashed badly with around 70 km to go. He fell four minutes behind the leaders — a likely race-ending deficit. But Seixas fought back and finished 7th on the stage, earning the combativity award. He now sits 5th overall, 1 minute and 21 seconds down. CyclingUpToDate
The stage also saw a safety neutralization early on. Race organizers stopped the descent of the Côte de Saint-Maurice-de-Rotherens at 12:45 PM due to dangerous gravel on the road. The race is also missing its biggest names — Pogačar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Roglič all skipped the event — leaving this younger generation of riders to steal the spotlight. Cyclingnews
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