DISCUSSION - Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes & Copenhagen 2026 - Visma's Tour de France rehearsal raises concerns? How strong will Del Toro & Pogacar be in July?
CyclingSunday, 14 June 2026 at 21:30
Isaac Del Toro delivered a commanding performance on the final stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, winning atop Plateau de Solaison and securing overall victory in the process. The Mexican rider overturned Luke Tuckwell’s race lead on a brutal mountain stage featuring the Col du Pré, Montée de Bisanne, Col des Aravis and the decisive climb to Plateau de Solaison, a climb that will also feature in this summer’s Tour de France.
Breakaway forms early
An eight-man breakaway formed early in the stage, including Laurens De Plus, Carlos Rodriguez, Georg Steinhauser, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Harold Tejada, Clément Braz Afonso and Léo Bisiaux. Kévin Vauquelin later bridged across, while Lidl-Trek controlled the gap from the peloton.
The day was overshadowed by the abandonment of Paul Seixas. The 19-year-old Frenchman, who had crashed heavily on Saturday, was forced to leave the race during the ascent of the Montée de Bisanne.
Decisive moment of the stage: Isaac Del Toro attacks, with none of his rivals able to follow him.
Del Toro makes the decisive move
As the race approached the final climb, the breakaway’s advantage had been reduced to less than a minute. Carlos Rodriguez emerged as the strongest rider from the front group, but the decisive move came from the favourites behind. After strong work by Pavel Sivakov and Pablo Torres, Del Toro attacked and quickly bridged to the leaders.
The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider immediately distanced Valentin Paret-Peintre and then Carlos Rodriguez, establishing a clear lead. Behind him, Mattias Skjelmose set the pace for Juan Ayuso, while Luke Tuckwell struggled to stay with the main contenders and dropped into a chasing group alongside Maxim Van Gils and Cian Uijtdebroeks.
Ayuso chases, Tuckwell limits the damage
Ayuso launched a solo pursuit with six kilometres remaining but was unable to reduce the gap. Del Toro continued to extend his advantage and crossed the line alone to seal both the stage victory and the overall title.
Ayuso finished second on the stage, Tobias Halland Johannessen finished close behind, while Tuckwell limited his losses sufficiently to retain second place overall. The young Australian impressed throughout the race, while Van Gils also caught the eye by pacing his teammate all the way up the final ascent.
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Jasper Philipsen wins Copenhagen Sprint after chaotic finale
Jasper Philipsen claimed victory in the Copenhagen Sprint after surviving a dramatic finale that was heavily influenced by a major crash inside the final 20 kilometres. The Belgian sprinter proved fastest from a significantly reduced peloton, defeating Tobias Lund Andresen and Sam Welsford in the Danish WorldTour one-day race.
Sprinters eye flat Copenhagen course
With Philipsen, Tim Merlier and Dylan Groenewegen among the favourites, expectations were high for a bunch sprint on the flat roads around Copenhagen. Five riders animated the race from the start, with Rune Herregodts joining Danish quartet Anders Foldager, William Blume Levy, Mads Andersen and Frederik Rodenberg in the day’s breakaway.
Breakaway kept under control
The escapees never built more than a three and a half minute advantage, and their lead steadily decreased as the peloton approached the finishing circuits in Copenhagen.
The key moment came with 20 kilometres remaining when a massive crash split the peloton. Only around thirty riders remained in the front group, while a larger chasing group containing Tim Merlier and Dylan Groenewegen was left trying to regain contact.
A massive crash around 20 kilometres from the finish had a major impact on the final outcome of the Copenhagen Sprint 2026.
Alpecin-Premier Tech and Decathlon take control
At the front, Alpecin-Premier Tech and Decathlon CMA CGM Team worked hard to keep the pace high. With Jasper Philipsen and Tobias Lund Andresen both present in the lead group, neither team was interested in allowing the race to come back together.
The breakaway held out stubbornly and was only caught in the closing kilometres when Netcompany INEOS increased the pace in support of Sam Welsford. That effort finally ensured the race would be decided in a sprint.
Philipsen finishes it off
The final lead-out was delivered by Tobias Lund Andresen’s teammates. Philipsen positioned himself perfectly on the Dane’s wheel and launched his sprint at exactly the right moment. The Belgian came around Andresen in the closing metres and powered to victory, with Welsford completing the podium.
The result handed Philipsen another major sprint success ahead of the Tour de France, while the decisive crash left several of the race’s biggest sprinting names unable to contest the finish.
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Philipsen and Del Toro deliver, while Visma leave France with more questions than answers
Carlos Silva from CyclingUpToDate painted a clear picture of what unfolded on the roads of Denmark and France this weekend.
The Copenhagen Sprint had all the ingredients to deliver a spectacular day of racing, and I have to admit I felt somewhat disappointed after following the race from kilometre zero, only to see all that anticipation spoiled by a crash with two laps remaining. The peloton split into several groups, and Decathlon CMA CGM Team found themselves in the front half. The French squad immediately raised the pace, which allowed them to reel in the breakaway and keep most of the major contenders at bay.
Most of them, at least. One rider remained firmly in contention: Jasper Philipsen. The French team executed their plan perfectly to set up Tobias Lund Andresen, but Philipsen launched himself like a bullet in the final sprint and stormed to victory in the second edition of the race. It was a dominant and convincing win.
There was an equally emphatic victory in France, where Isaac Del Toro once again proved his class. First Pavel Sivakov and then Pablo Torres laid the groundwork for the Mexican rider's attack. Once Del Toro accelerated on the final climb, none of his rivals could follow. He quickly opened a gap and rode solo to yet another summit finish victory at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Lidl-Trek once again delivered an outstanding team performance for Juan Ayuso. Unlike the previous day, the Spaniard approached the climb with greater patience, avoiding an early attack that could have left him vulnerable in the closing kilometres. Ayuso rode a smarter race. He knew beating Del Toro would be virtually impossible, so he focused on wearing down his rivals before launching his own move in an attempt to attack the second place overall.
He fell just short of that objective, largely because of Maxim Van Gils. The Belgian produced a phenomenal ride on the final climb in support of Tuckwell, keeping the yellow jersey firmly in contention for the podium. In the end, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe were rewarded with second place in the final general classification from a rider who had not even started the race as the team's leader.
Matteo Jorgenson, meanwhile, began the day looking like a genuine contender for both the stage victory and the overall title. However, the accumulated fatigue eventually caught up with him. He cracked on the final climb and could only salvage a disappointing result, ultimately slipping off the final podium altogether.
Does that make it a disappointing week for Visma? The team won two stages, but their primary objective was the overall classification, and in that respect they came up short. As a dress rehearsal ahead of the Tour de France, the performance leaves more questions than answers.
A final word for Paul Seixas. We had waited all week to see how the young Frenchman would fare in the decisive mountain battles of the race, but the crash he suffered yesterday deprived us of that storyline. Today he was forced to abandon the race altogether. Let's hope he makes a full recovery and is ready to shine again in July.
As a Portuguese, I hope to see a different João Almeida already at the National Championships, should he decide to take part. I believe he will line up for the road race, as there are not many other racing opportunities available to him before the Vuelta a España. And, of course, the national champion’s jersey is always a prestigious target and an ambition for any rider.
Juan Ayuso increased the pace and left his rivals behind. The Spaniard rode solo towards the finish, but had to settle for second place, just as he did yesterday.
Isaac del Toro dominates the race and strengthens his status ahead of the Tour de France
Javier Rampe from CiclismoAlDía analysed everything that unfolded on the final stage of the French race.
Isaac del Toro sealed his yellow jersey with a double victory at the renowned Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. After a weekend in which he never held back an attack, the Mexican prevailed over Luke Tuckwell and Juan Ayuso in the overall classification of the race in southeastern France.
The Aztec rider wins and convinces. He does so by showing that he is in better form than last year, when he lost the Giro to the surprisingly retired Simon Yates. Rather than sending subliminal messages to Tadej Pogacar saying, “this place is mine”, as Ayuso might do, Del Toro has him covered. The Mexican is comfortable in his domestique role, as I wrote yesterday, and his words are full of recognition.
Today, Del Toro wins the former Dauphiné but also carves out more space for himself within UAE Team. With his “Hail Tadeo, here is your warrior,” he will enjoy greater opportunities. Important races, those where Pogacar is not present.
Ayuso was not satisfied, and despite his strong performance this Sunday, the rider from Alicante continues to leave doubts. In a French race that became a festival for domestiques, Ayuso was unable to overcome Pogacar’s last man, but also his first sword. There is still time before the Tour, but it already seems difficult to imagine him contending in the general classification.
Luke Tuckwell is the other winner, thanks to a breakaway allowed by Visma. The Dutch team’s tactics throughout this race could have been signed by Piet Mondrian. An abstract racing idea, just like their “leader”: Matteo Jorgenson. The Bees allowed the Red Bull Australian to move into the overall lead after a breakaway and, to this day, have been unable to bring him back. It does not look promising for the rider expected to serve as support for a worn-down Jonas Vingegaard in the French Grand Tour.
Before concluding, special mention must go to the wonderkid Paul Seixas, who always tried to make a difference. Even after being hampered by a heavy crash that ended his participation in his home race. At this point, is it really a good idea to stick with the plan for the Grande Boucle? Would it not be better to redirect his objectives toward a less demanding three-week race with lower exposure, such as La Vuelta?
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes comes to an end, crowning the rider who showed the most initiative against established leaders and seasoned domestiques. Isaac del Toro wins, leaving his rivals concerned. How will anyone stop this tandem at the Tour de France?
Pablo Torres was the last UAE rider alongside Isaac Del Toro before the Mexican launched his move towards victory.
Isaac del Toro confirms his Tour de France credentials
Rúben Silva from CyclingUpToDate closely followed the action and, at the end of the day, delivered an insightful and accurate analysis of the events that unfolded.
A stage that promised a lot, but it didn't really deliver. An odd race, one that was very open and unexpected for a lot of its length, due to the amount of winning breakaways, chaos on a few days and the main GC men losing time in the TTT. Paul Seixas abandoned the race today suffering from yesterday's injuries, something I feared after seeing pictures of him after the finish.
Pretty beat up, he would've had a rough night. But without fractures, his path towards the Tour will probably remain relatively untouched. As I said, I don't necessarily see this fall as a major problem, as it keeps him on an uphill path towards the Tour, which is what you need ahead of a debut with such high expectations.
Without Seixas present there was no-one to light up the race early on, which is what we expect out of a stage with two colossal mountains from kilometer 0, 120 kilometers and no flat roads. But no-one wanted to shake things up, from those who actually could. Hence, a conservative ride until the final climb, where a W/Kg test unsurprisingly revealed Isaac del Toro to be on top.
The Mexican had already proved himself, but today took another stage win and sealed what is perhaps the biggest win of his career. In the bigger picture, he is more than ready for the Tour de France, where he is officially in the fight for the podium now without a doubt despite his domestique role for Tadej Pogacar.
Elsewhere, the climbing performances were about where you'd expect them to be, mostly. Luke Tuckwell finishes second on GC, fruit of a race where everyone seemed to ignore him. In the final three mountain stages, it is actually quite notable how no-one was visibly alerted by the BORA rider, who only did not win GC because of Isaac del Toro.
With an insanely hard mountain stage we did not see his rivals test him once early on, and in both stages they carried him to the finishing climb where he was able to limit losses - whilst several teams, including UAE, did not look the least concerned on stage 6 whilst the Australian was gaining time for free. A win from Tuckwell would've been a slap to the face of the 'methodic' tactics that some top teams sometimes do, completely underestimating riders just because they do not have a 'name'.
Arms raised. Mission accomplished. 'El Torito' claimed both the stage victory and the overall title at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026.
Veredict
As the dust settles on a decisive weekend of racing, the biggest winners are undoubtedly Jasper Philipsen and Isaac Del Toro. Del Toro, in particular, leaves France with growing momentum and genuine podium ambitions for the Tour de France, while Philipsen once again demonstrated why he remains one of the most formidable finishers in the peloton.
Behind them, Luke Tuckwell emerged as one of the revelations of the week, capitalising on opportunities others failed to recognise. In contrast, Team Visma | Lease a Bike depart with lingering doubts despite collecting stage victories, their tactical decisions and Matteo Jorgenson's late collapse raising fresh questions ahead of July. With the Tour de France now rapidly approaching, some riders have strengthened their credentials, others have exposed vulnerabilities, and the balance of power appears intriguing.
And you? What did you make of the stage 8 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Copenhagen Sprint 2026? Tell us your thoughts, share your opinion on all the key moments and incidents from the race, and join the discussion.
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- Sexias said himself the crash was his own fault. So why should he get an advantage to return? That just encourages taking more risk. If you don’t want to lose time, know your limits and ride within them. Simple.mij14-06-2026
- In the end it’s kind of the opposite ;-) The great news is that with these two we are sure to continue enjoying duels way after the Jonas-Pog one dies out.Mistermaumau14-06-2026
- I doubt there are any passionate cycling fans amongst his base, far too foreign for them.Mistermaumau14-06-2026
- And the difference between del Toro and Ayuso is ever more clear. Not just in performance but in character within the team. Fascinating.RidesHills14-06-2026
- He could possibly carry the GC hopes for TdF if Pogacar gets hurt or unable to carry on for whatever reason.
PogiFan2Day14-06-2026 - It seems a bit harsh to say that Tuckwell cracked. Del Toro rode away from EVERYONE and finished 1min ahead of the second finisher. Tuckwell finished 8th. If anything, it would be more appropriate to say that Jorgenson cracked (even though he finished on the same time as Tuckwell), as he dropped from 2nd to 4th in GC and off the podium.Pogboom14-06-2026
- Davide Piganzoli would be the best helper Visma could take to the Tour. Kuss is superior to Jorgenson but Piganzoli is far superior to Kuss. At the Giro his climbing performances were podium tier.
Rafionain-Glas14-06-2026 - Crazy stuffsRafionain-Glas14-06-2026
- He has been a rider who has been close to Jonas. So, never say never. This kid is not going to get worse...but better. And with Pogi on a completely different level than every single other rider. Well you never knowmd197514-06-2026
- I'm interested in Del Toro's w/kg today, I'm convinced that this is one of his best performances convincingly, and that the numbers will be around 97-100 points watts2win ranking. I'm also curious who are the people Vingegaard plans to attack Pogacar with? Kuss and Jorgenson? They all better stay home, because Pogi and Del Toro will embarrass them.Ante-Ustashe14-06-2026
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