"Today wasn't my best performance" - Is Isaac del Toro planning on being even stronger next to Pogacar at the Tour de France?

Isaac del Toro had a complicated end to his spring after getting injured at Itzulia Basque Country. He had to withdraw from the race which was then dominated by Paul Seixas, and forced to skip the Ardennes classics. At the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes however, winning stage 7 - The Mexican is back on the groove. But he might be even stronger at the Tour de France.

It was a day dominated by sub-plots such as Paul Seixas' crash and comeback; Luke Tuckwell's survival in the yellow jersey and Juan Ayuso's surprise attack on the Grand Colombier. At the finish it was Isaac del Toro who crossed the line first, but it almost came as a secondary point to the stage.

It was a victory built throughout a day of longer climbs. The prior day, Del Toro followed Paul Seixas on Crest-Voland, confirming his good form. This time around, the final climb was much longer, and steeper.

But with Seixas crashing earlier in the day, and forced to make an extended comeback, the weight was on the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider's shoulders to make the difference on the brutally steep ascent of the Grand Colombier.

Juan Ayuso attacked first, and looked to be getting away with the day. But like in Jebel Mobrah at the UAE Tour, del Toro started the climb well within his limits, following Matteo Jorgenson and his teammate Ben Tulett, before accelerating halfway up the climb in pursuit of Ayuso.

“We really wanted to give it a try after it didn't work out yesterday. Sometimes it is difficult to manage, but I am getting better at it. It is getting better and better with every race. I didn't have that much confidence before the start, but I really wanted to win today," the Mexican said in a post-race interview.

His pacing strategy looked perfect, catching Ayuso within the final 2 kilometers and comfortably dropping him afterwards. He still built a large gap over the final kilometer of the stage, almost fully closing down the gap on Matteo Jorgenson whilst distancing all his other rivals in the GC.

But his remarks leave an interesting proposition on the table: “Today wasn't my best performance," he said, potentially teasing an even better version of himself at the Tour de France, where he will stand side by side with Tadej Pogacar.

"But I am happy to be in the mix and to be in form here. Now I have to continue in this direction. I am still hungry. That keeps me going".

His leading position at Auvergne is an important step, and he is filling up the role perfectly. “I didn't really think about that. I mainly enjoy being with the team. It is sometimes hard to realize what kind of position I am in. It feels very special when this team rides for me".

7 seconds separate him from Jorgenson; whilst he remains 49 behind Luke Tuckwell. Tomorrow on the queen stage, it will be necessary to gain time on his two rivals if he wants to win the overall classification. “The general classification was always the goal"

But with the likes of Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas still lurking, there are plenty rivals for Del Toro to keep an eye on. "We’ll see how that goes. We have to keep our feet on the ground and stay focused".