"Good luck trying to bring three minutes back" - Luke Plapp thinks Seixas faces uphill battle to catch yellow jersey Tuckwell
Cycling
Luke Plapp thinks fellow Australian Luke Tuckwell will be hard to catch after taking the yellow jersey as stage 6 threw up a surprise new leader of the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes. With Saturday's mountain stage to finish on Col du Grand Colombier, the general classification battle takes centre stage.
And while Plapp is battling for his own placing in GC, the Jayco AlUla rider reflected on a "crazy" Friday stage that saw 60 riders get up the road, spoiling a potential GC party for Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro and co. as the strongest from the breakaway fought for stage honours and Tuckwell took home the yellow jersey.
The 21-year-old Australian finds himself leading much of the pre-race GC favourites by over two and three minutes, making Saturday's race an intriguing prospect for the Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe man as he holds the prestigious jersey with just two stages remaining.
A strong climber with strong pedigree in junior and Under-23 racing, compatriot Plapp believes it will be hard for the leaders to reel Tuckwell in as he opened up on how the breakaway changed the face of the stage race.
Plapp opens up on "crazy" breakaway move
"It was crazy," he told Cycling Pro Net before stage 7. "A lot was out of our control. Of course it would have been nice if I was in the breakaway but I still climbs I think seventh from the GC guys in the bunch. The result on paper is not there but I think I executed the final climb well. But obviously the break changed a lot in the standings."
Above all, Plapp is happy to see Tuckwell take yellow. Spurring memories of his 2024 Paris-Nice as he held the leader's jersey for three days at the age of 23 before a sixth place overall in the French race. Plapp praised a "special" moment for Tuckwell, who noted after the stage that he dedicated the moment to his late sister, who passed away last September.
"It's awesome for Luke. We were on the same junior team. It reminds me of when i got the jersey in Paris-Nice as well at a similar age. It's a super special moment for him. He had some tough times last year as well last year with his family - I'm super happy for him."
Can Seixas and others close gap to Tuckwell?
Seixas has expressed his desire to make the final stages difficult for the peloton in his pursuit of the overall win, but Plapp sounded a warning for the Decathlon CMA CGM star - who lies 3:06 behind Tuckwell.
"To see him in yellow, when I heard he was in the break, i knew with 100k to go yesterday I knew he would be in yellow. It's super special, I've seen some reports online about what others are saying.
"I think it's going to be hard to catch him. He's a class rider and good luck trying to bring three minutes back."
Jayco AlUla star Plapp reiterated his well wishes to Tuckwell. While also stressing his personal ambitions in the GC fight, he teased that he would lend a hand to Tuckwell if he found himself in the position to do so.
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He concluded: "It would be awesome if he could hold yellow. I think I saw somewhere that Seixas took four minutes out of him in ten days at [Ed. Tour de] l'Avenir or something like that. He's got 200k to get three minutes back.
"It will be a good challenge, I'll be going for my best result possible, but I mean tomorrow if there's a chance to help Luke, for sure it would be awesome if he could win the Dauphine [Ed. Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes]."
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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