“I gave absolutely everything, that climb was a real ordeal”: Luke Tuckwell survives Grand Colombier test to retain yellow jersey

Luke Tuckwell endured the toughest day of his young career on stage 7 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but the 21-year-old Australian managed to retain the race lead after a determined ride on the Grand Colombier. Although the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe rider was dropped by the main contenders on the final climb, he limited his losses sufficiently to hold onto the yellow jersey heading into the decisive final stage.

Racing his first day in the lead of a WorldTour event, Tuckwell quickly found himself isolated as the race intensified. The Australian fought to stay within reach of the general classification favourites before eventually losing contact on the brutal slopes of the Grand Colombier.

He crossed the finish line in 11th place, 2 minutes and 33 seconds behind stage winner Isaac del Toro, but retained the overall lead by 42 seconds over Matteo Jorgenson and 49 seconds over Del Toro.

“The objective today was to give everything and use my comfortable advantage to keep the jersey,” Tuckwell said after the stage. “It was an extremely difficult day and that climb was a real ordeal, so I’m very happy that I managed to keep the jersey.”

The Australian was climbing the Grand Colombier for the first time and relied on pacing himself rather than reacting to attacks from his rivals. “It was the first time I had ever ridden that climb. I didn’t know it at all,” he explained. “But I was able to manage my effort at my own pace from start to finish. I didn’t need to respond to attacks, I could simply ride my own tempo.”

As the climb wore on, Tuckwell admitted he was suffering heavily and feared his overall lead might disappear. A message from a roadside spectator, however, helped him find one final effort.

“I really suffered in the middle of the climb,” he said. “I thought it was going to be very close. Then, with about one and a half kilometres to go, someone at the side of the road told me I still had a one-minute advantage. That was exactly the motivation I needed, especially because I had taken out my earpiece. From that point on, I gave absolutely everything to the finish.”

With only one stage remaining, Tuckwell remains in possession of the yellow jersey, although the gaps have narrowed considerably after the Grand Colombier showdown.

“We’ll see tomorrow if I can keep the jersey until the end,” he said. “Another completely crazy day awaits us, so I’m going to recover as much as possible and fight to defend it.”

The Australian also stressed that he is still learning during his first professional season and views the final stage as another valuable experience for him to continue developing. “It’s my first season as a professional. I’m still discovering where my limits are and the areas where I need to improve,” Tuckwell said. “Tomorrow will be new territory for me again, with new climbs. I’m looking forward to it.”