“A good training week for the Tour” - Pello Bilbao ambitious ahead of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes finale
Cycling
Before the final stage of the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes —formerly the Critérium du Dauphiné—, Pello Bilbao took a calm look back at a demanding week, defined by physical issues and the race’s fierce level, in comments made at the start.
The Basque rider told Cycling Pro Net he wasn’t at his best in an edition that was brutal from day one: “It’s been a hard week for me, I wasn’t at 100%, and in a race like this it’s difficult to recover and find the legs,” he said, adding that this context could still have a positive side for his build-up.
“I think this week will give me a good training block for the Tour de France,” Bilbao noted, making clear his main goal remains to hit peak form for the summer’s big target.
The Bahrain Victorious rider also admitted that, in hindsight, this might not have been the ideal moment to tackle such a demanding race at full tilt: “Maybe it was a bit too early to be here fighting for a top 10, but I wouldn’t have been disappointed to finish tenth either. Still, we’re three weeks from the Tour and there’s time to bounce back.”
One constant this year has been the route’s severity and the stop-start nature of racing, which also affected many teams collectively. Bilbao summed it up as an all-out test: “It’s been a very honest race, not too tactical, just the best effort possible from the first climb.”
Looking ahead to the Tour de France
The bunch’s overall fatigue also limited attacking options, even on stages where the team tried to animate it. “Yesterday I tried to make the break, but we couldn’t pull a gap on the main group,” he explained.
Looking to the immediate future, the rider is confident the next few weeks will help fine-tune his condition before the Tour de France, where he hopes to arrive with better sensations after this racing block.
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Bilbao also weighed in on the young talents in the peloton, praising Paul’s maturity after his recent display, highlighting both his ability to react and the age-related mistakes that are part of a natural learning curve in the professional ranks.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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