2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 6 Results & Recap
Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
The Critérium du Dauphiné always had a reputation for serving up crazy stages and today's action demonstrated that this hasn't changed despite the race's new name. The bare facts are that Red Bull enjoyed one of their best days of the season so far as Maxim Van Gils (RBH) outsprinted Tobias Halland Johannessen (UXM) for the stage win, while his young teammate Luke Tuckwell (RBH) finished close behind in third to move into the race leader's yellow jersey.
The least difficult of the three mountain stages that conclude this race began in standard enough fashion when half a dozen riders quickly went clear of the bunch. Just as rapidly, though, it descended into mayhem. Another two dozen riders joined the leading half dozen. Then the peloton split and a group of 60 formed at the front.
None of the GC favorites figured among the leaders and the gap grew steadily, reaching two minutes at the intermediate sprint, where Nadav Raisberg (NSN) led through to boost his lead in the points competition.
Mountains leader Clément Braz Afonso (GFC) was also in the front group and he increased his advantage in the mountains competition by leading the break over the cat 3 and cat 2 climbs that followed soon after the sprint.
The gap was two-and-a-half minutes coming off the second of those ascents, the Col du Granier, largely thanks to the pacing done in group 2 by Decathlon. However, with none of the other GC teams pitching in to help them, it began to stretch, to three minutes, then four.
Cue panic stations in the chase group. Teams began to call riders back from the break to help close the gap. Race leader Alex Baudin's EF team threw their weight into the pursuit and other teams finally committed too. Racing up the Isère valley towards the last two climbs, groups 1 and 2 engaged in a pursuit match. Surprisingly, the break won it, extending its advantage to five minutes approaching the two cat 1 ascents in the last 20km.
The break split into pieces on the first of the climbs, where Tuckwell set a fast pace and Braz Afonso was once again first to the top. Going onto the final 6km ascent to the finish at Crest-Voland, the lead group had been reduced to about 25 riders.
Georg Steinhauser (EFE) attacked at the foot of the climb and was quickly joined by Van Gils and Johannessen. Steinhauser then lost ground and was replaced up front by Pablo Torres (UAD) and, soon after, by Tuckwell, who went back to the front and kept the pace high to boost Van Gils' hopes of a stage win and his own of taking the race lead.
On the run-up to the line, Johannessen made the first acceleration, but Van Gils matched it and delivered a final burst that secured victory.
Back down the climb, the GC battle was red hot. Oscar Onley (NCI) wasn't part of it after crashing on the final descent, while race laeder Baudin was quickly dropped. Paul Seixas (DCT) then opened up for the first time this week and rode everyone off his wheel bar Isaac Del Toro (UAD).
This pair finished 14 seconds ahead of Matteo Jorgenson, who was best of the rest, himself a few seconds ahead of Lidl-Trek duo Mattias Skjelmose and Juan Ayuso.
On the back of that, Saturday is shaping up like another thriller.
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